Explore art, science, history & culture in the Houston Museum District
The Menil Collection
HOUSTON (FOX26) - Houston has endless opportunities to take in art and culture, explore science and history, and be inspired.
The Houston Museum District is a great place to start.
With more than a dozen museums in the city, there is something for everyone and every budget.
RELATED: Free admission days and times at Houston museums
Here's a look at just a few of the museums you can visit in Houston.
Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
The museum preserves and educates the public about the history and contributions of America's Buffalo Soldiers. The museum contains artifacts dating back to the Civil War and through the Vietnam War and both World Wars.
Kids can learn, play and explore at the Children's Museum of Houston. They can test their agility in the Ropes Challenge Course, learn about the environment in the EcoStation, or have fun with math in Cyberchase. The museum also hosts events like family movie night and festivals.
Visitors can explore a collection of Czech, Slovak and European artwork at the Czech Center Museum Houston. The collection contains folk art, paintings and posters, and fine art glass. Some of the pieces date back to the 18th century.
Learn about health, the human body, and medical science through interactive exhibits. The Amazing Body Gallery offers guests a chance to explore the human body by taking a walking tour through larger-than-life models of organs. Visitors can also participate in experiments, learn how food gets from the farm to the table, and watch films.
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
The museum focuses on art made from craft materials such as fiber, glass, clay, wood, metal or recycled materials. Visitors have the opportunity to talk with artists-in-residence and shop gifts and home decor from local and national artists in the Asher Gallery.
Houston Center for Photography
The gallery at Houston Center for Photography features exhibits of contemporary photography. The gallery is free to the public. The center also offers hundreds of classes and workshops.
The museum reopened in June in its original location following a $34 million expansion that more than doubled its size. The new facility is said to now be the nation's fourth largest Holocaust museum. The museum features four permanent galleries and two changing exhibition galleries.
Houston Museum of African American Culture
The museum's mission is to "collect, conserve, explore, interpret, and exhibit the material and intellectual culture of Africans and African Americans" in Houston and beyond. Visitors can view art exhibitions and film series. The museum features various exhibits throughout the year, so check their website for current exhibitions.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Learn about dinos, space, wildlife, chemistry and more at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The museum has traveling exhibits in addition to 16 permanent exhibits — including the Morian Hall of Paleontology, the Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals, the Hall of Ancient Egypt, and the Cabinet of Curiosities.
The museum's main collection contains 10,000 art works and objects collected by John and Dominique de Menil from the 1940 to the 1990s, but has grown to 17,000 works since then. The collection includes Art of the Ancient World, Medieval and Byzantine Art, Modern and Contemporary Art. The museum also features special exhibits.