Outdoor Recreation

Gardening in Houston: Fall is Here

Gardening in Houston: Fall is Here

5 Things I Wish I’d Known About Owning a Pool

5 Things I Wish I’d Known About Owning a Pool

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Hot Garden in the City

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Aug 2, 2023

July Fry 2023 is over. Many experts say it was the hottest July on record. Now, it's time for the August Angst: Will we ever get rain again? Will it ever be in the low 90s? Is this the Apocalypse? While there are still climate change deniers or folks who...
April in Houston: Get Up and Garden. The Time is Now.

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Apr 26, 2023

The past couple of months in Houston has been a roller coaster of warm and chilly temperatures with beautiful cloudless skies mixed with thunderstorms and high winds. For the most part, though, we've had pleasant days that make many other regions envious. While there are global warming deniers or those...
Diggin' It: Spring Gardening in Houston

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Mar 1, 2023

It's springtime in Houston. Other cities may be covered in snow or battling below-freezing temperatures but the Bayou City has been blessed recently with warm days, though not always sunny ones. With mornings in the 50s and 60s and afternoons in the 70s and 80s, it's time for we Houston...
ROCO Gets Brassy And Boozy With Yuletide

By Sam Byrd
Nov 30, 2022

ROCO's Yuletide Brunch and Brass this Friday will be an early afternoon filled with jazz and classic arrangements of seasonal music and oh-so-delicious mimosas and morsels. Held at Houston Botanic Garden, the doors open at 9:45 a.m.
Lightscape Brings Dazzling Illuminations To Houston Botanic Garden

By Sam Byrd
Nov 18, 2022

Lightscape has returned for its second year at Houston Botanic Garden, and the outdoor illuminated trail includes immersive installations set to seasonal tunes along a winding path through the property. The lights are on display through January 1, 2023.
Houston Gardening: It's Bloomin' Time for Flowers

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Mar 30, 2022

Gardening in Houston's humidity and heat is no easy feat. Add in hurricanes, floods and unprecedented weather extremes, it's a wonder any of us attempt it at all. Last year, February 2021 hit us with winter storm Uri, giving us single digit temperatures and a rare citywide snow. Though it...
Freeze Framed in February: Houston Gardening

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Feb 22, 2022

The residents of the Lone Star State have good reason to be traumatized by the ups and downs of February temperatures. In 2021, not only were we in the second year of the COVID pandemic, but many of us were huddling in below-freezing temps in our own homes, melting snow...
Fall is Here and It's Time to Garden

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Sep 24, 2021

Fall has finally dropped our temperatures and lightened our humidity. Shoppers at the grocery store today were already loading up the pumpkins and buying miniature pickup trucks decorated with fake autumn leaves and "Apples 4 Sale" signs. The pumpkin spice latte crowd are happy and Halloween devotees are already decorating...
Diary of a Pandemic Holiday

By Jef Rouner
Sep 1, 2021

May People are getting vaccinated, restrictions are being lifted, and deaths are going down. For one brief month or so it looks like there might finally be some hope. I very hesitantly book the safest vacation I possibly can just in case things go south. What could be lower key...
The Definitive Pleasure Pier Ride Ranking

By Jef Rouner
Aug 23, 2021

After the Kid With One F shot up three inches over the course of sixth grade and finally cleared the 48 inches mark, we decided that over the summer we were going to ride every ride available at Pleasure Pier Galveston. In case you, too, have a special someone of...
Houston Gardening: After the Rain Has Gone

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Jun 11, 2021

Houston has had a tough year weather-wise. Though we didn't have a major flood or hurricane in 2020, we had an unprecedented hard freeze in mid-February 2021 that damaged a lot of our landscaping and numerous citrus trees. But our gardens bounced back and some plants actually flourished, renewed with...
Houston Arboretum Opens Slightly Feral Playscape

By Jef Rouner
May 13, 2021

The Houston Arboretum is by far my favorite place in the city since Wilde Collection burned down, so I’ve been watching with eager anticipation as they slowly finished the giant new playscape they have been working on for what seems like forever. It finally went public this week, and it’s...
A Houston Garden After the Winter Storm

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Mar 10, 2021

The unprecedented winter storm that hit Texas on Valentine's Day was not wholly unexpected. The forecast for unusually cold temperatures in Houston had many of us scrambling to wrap our pipes and stock up on comfort snacks. For Houston gardeners, however, it meant a last look at our budding fruit...
Blackwood Educational Land Institute: A Perfect Autumn Day

By Lorretta Ruggiero
Nov 13, 2018

The fall temperatures have finally arrived in Houston and it's time to savor the brief, but wonderful autumn days while we can. Early this month, we started to see a break in the humidity and heat, even if it continuously varies from day to day. I found myself on a...
Here's Why Galveston Bay Oysters Will Take Three Years to Recover From Harvey

By Gwendolyn Knapp
Sep 26, 2017

In the days after Harvey the world (well, the internet anyway) was getting to know Houston native Raz Halili. The 30-year-old oysterman was rescuing people from the flooded San Leon area in a boat with his cousin when a selfie he snapped went viral on social media. It was shared...
How Not to Singe Your Eyebrows Off While Cooking on July 4

By Gwendolyn Knapp
Jul 1, 2017

It's time to stock up on fireworks and dust off the grill. Yes, with July 4 right around the corner (Tuesday, actually, which is kind of a strange day to set fire to so many things, no?), here are cooking tips and suggestions for all you hardcore home cooks out...
The 10 Best Dog-Friendly Restaurant Patios in Houston

By Phaedra Cook
Jun 20, 2016

It was a long slog to get a Houston ordinance passed that allowed restaurants to decide for themselves whether or not to allow dogs on their patios, but the “Paws On Patios” allowance finally happened in 2011. That opened up a variety of venues for people to dine with Fido...
20 (More) of Houston’s Best Patios for 2016

By Phaedra Cook
Apr 4, 2016

Last year, we listed 20 of the best restaurant patios for dining, drinking and relaxing. It proved to be an extremely popular resource. Here's some excellent news: every single option from last year is still viable. None of those restaurants have closed. In the meantime, several new restaurants featuring patios...
The 20 Best Restaurant Patios in Houston

By Phaedra Cook
Apr 16, 2015

When the weather is blessedly mild, Houstonians go running, not for the hills but for the best restaurant patios in the city. We've gathered 20 of Houston's best and ranked them not just for their good looks but for the food and service as well. Take a look, and be...
The Five Best Spots in Houston for Take-Out and a Picnic

By Kaitlin Steinberg
May 26, 2014

What is up with this Spring? Usually by this time of year we're all cranking up the ACs as high as they can go and wishing we had oxygen masks when we go outside so we could breathe a little easier in the hot soup-like air. But something weird is...

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