Here, you will find the Wortham Insurance Visitor Center with restrooms, bike rentals, and staff available to answer your questions and provide directions. Visitors can also enjoy food trucks, stunning views of the downtown skyline from The Brown Foundation Lawn, and frequent performances and events at the Hobby Family Pavilion. 

Learn more about renting The Water Works for your own event here.

Constructed in 1926, the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern was one of Houston’s first underground drinking water reservoirs. It provided decades of service until it was decommissioned in 2007. With generous support from The Brown Foundation, BBP restored the Cistern and transformed it into a magnificent public space. Visitors can take tours highlighting the site’s unique history and architecture, and the space also hosts a robust series of immersive installations by renowned artists.

Click here for the complete tour schedule and to purchase tickets. Please note the Cistern will be closed to the public on Thursday, June 29 through Friday, July 7 due to Freedom Over Texas.

The Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area is a popular destination for families, and is designed to inspire a love of nature within children. The play area features a boulder rock scramble, rolling lawn, a stream and waterfall, climbing logs and stones, and a 33-foot slide. Kids especially enjoy the tri-level tree house/boat deck and climbing net. Families have easy access to parking and restrooms at The Water Works nearby.

Named in honor of the late City Council Member and civic activist Eleanor Tinsley, this “park within a park” is one of Houston’s most popular outdoor spaces with the signature Bud Light Amphitheater lawn and open-air Nau Family Pavilion. Visitors can also enjoy the Eleanor Tinsley Garden and the tranquil Jane Gregory Garden nearby.

The late Houston landscape architect Charles Tapley designed this inspirational site in the late 1970s, featuring a bayou tributary, riparian plantings, granite steps, and seating areas. BBP later added a wetland, native Texas prairie, footbridge, the Vale-Asche Foundation Spring, and the Charles Tapley, FAIA Overlook.

Late Texas artist Jesús Bautista Moroles’ Houston Police Officers’ Memorial commemorates the 113+ Houston Police Department officers whose lives were lost in the line of duty. Shaped like an Aztec pyramid, the sculpture symbolizes a royal tomb. The Police Officers’ Memorial and surrounding grounds are guarded 24 hours a day. This is also the site of an annual procession and wreath-laying ceremony.

At the center of this grove is the Gus S. Wortham Memorial Fountain, affectionately known as the “dandelion.” The fountain’s brass starburst of pipes sprays joggers, cyclists, and walkers, offering a cool respite from the heat. Points of interest at this favorite meeting spot include: Cullen Foundation Overlook; John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Overlook; and the Fountain Gardens, a gift from River Oaks Garden Club.

Unless you know it’s there, the Green Tree Nature Area may be difficult to find. Located south of Memorial Drive at Waugh Drive, this heavily forested trail is a nature lover’s delight. You will find birds, squirrels, and even a rabbit or two on any given day.

Watching more than 300,000 Mexican free-tailed bats emerge every evening from the crevices of the Waugh Drive Bridge is truly a spectacular sight. Unlike in other colonies, a large number of these bats remain through the winter months, providing viewing opportunities on warm nights. Stop by at sunset to witness this natural wonder and learn more about the bats through interpretive signage at the viewing platform.

Lost Lake is the site of a former pond that was lost in the 1970s, when its dam across a natural ravine broke. The pond was restored and is now a tranquil area for reflection, surrounded by beautiful plantings and gentle cascades. Visitors will also find public restrooms and a restaurant here.

One of Buffalo Bayou Park’s most beloved destinations is the Johnny Steele Dog Park. Dogs have plenty of space to run, swim, and play, while their owners can relax on benches and take advantage of dog washing stations and drinking fountains (complete with spigots for dogs). Limited parking for the dog park is available along the frontage road of Allen Parkway.

The art in Buffalo Bayou Park is for everyone. From landmark historic sculptures by world renowned artists, to site-specific activations by emerging practitioners, artworks are one of the park’s most distinguishing features. Many iconic works are part of the City of Houston’s Civic Art Collection, while others were commissioned by Buffalo Bayou Partnership.

The Sandy Reed Memorial Trail is the ten-foot-wide concrete trail that stretches the length of Buffalo Bayou Park on both sides of the waterway. This busy trail is enjoyed by walkers, joggers, and cyclists, and weaves through the park’s varying landscapes. The five-foot-wide asphalt Kinder Footpath is for walkers and joggers only and is found closer to the bayou’s banks.