Houston is very little known in our country as one of the main cultural and tourist centers of the United States. But the city ranks second in America in terms of the number of theaters. Moreover, there is no such variety of theatrical collectives anywhere – from amateur folk troupes and all kinds of “progressive” collectives of different directions to highly professional opera and ballet. A huge number of cultural events are held in the city, including all kinds of exhibitions, tours, etc.
Houston museums attract millions of people every year. Museums of natural history, contemporary arts, fine arts and others are especially popular. The famous Houston Zoo competes in popularity with museums. Parks of the city are known for their beauty and unique floristic collections. The Nature Center and Arboretum, Memorial Park and Tranquility Park attract hundreds of thousands of people every day. All in all, the city has 337 beautiful parks. In Sam Houston Park, you can now admire renovations of buildings from the nineteenth century.
The Space Center, named after Lyndon Johnson, is extremely interesting; it clearly presents the history of American and world astronautics. The opening of Earth Quest Adventures, a major research center with an amusement park, is under way. In addition to museums and historical sights, you can see many beautiful monuments of modern architecture in the city. The Heritage Plaza skyscraper is considered one of the most beautiful in the city.It was built in 1984. The height of the skyscraper is 232 meters, it was built in less than three years. From the moment of construction until 2002, this skyscraper was considered the most technologically advanced in Houston, just like many years ago, today its façade faced with mirror tiles looks simply unique.
The most interesting architectural monument is the building of the Houston Central Library, which is located in a picturesque park. The building was built in 1854 and originally housed a lyceum. It was decided to open the library in the building in 1904; today its fund numbers about 50,000 books. The main library of Houston is distinguished not only by a variety of rare books, but also by luxurious antique decoration. In it, you can still see antique furniture and antique pieces of decoration. One of the most recognizable religious monuments in Houston is the Rothko Chapel, which began to be designed in 1964. The construction of the chapel was fully completed in 1971; since its opening, it has had the status of an outstanding cultural center. It often hosts various cultural events, lectures and performances related to various areas of modern culture. In 2000, the first major renovation was completed in the chapel, and now it regularly hosts art exhibitions and music concerts. An equally interesting architectural monument is the old mansion Bayou Bend, it is customary to consider it as a whole with the surrounding park. The construction of the mansion took place in 1928, its first owners were the Hogg brothers. They were famous collectors; the brothers kept valuable collections of historical artifacts in the mansion. In total, in the first half of the 20th century, about 4,700 historical artifacts and works of art were displayed in the mansion; in 1957, the brothers donated their entire collection to the local Museum of Fine Arts. For public access, the museum opened within the walls of the mansion became available in 1966. An obligatory part of the excursion is a walk through the garden that surrounds the museum; it is very large and also carefully preserves the historical design elements.
Houston is a major business and economic center of the country, but this beautiful modern city is not deprived of cultural attractions either. It is in Houston that the largest theater district in the United States (Alley Theater) is located; also among its cultural attractions are numerous museums and skyscrapers, which can be safely called true works of architectural art.
Downtown is the focus of high-rise buildings, and the most famous skyscraper in the city is JPMorgan Chase Tower. The height of this skyscraper is 305 meters, slightly inferior in scale to the Wells Fargo Bank Plaza skyscraper, whose height is 302 meters. Williams Tower is also one of the three most beautiful high-rise buildings in the city; the height of this skyscraper is 275 meters.
