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The Menil Collection, Houston, TX

Photo: WhisperToMe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsFreeRainy-Day PickDate Night

The Menil Collection

1533 Sul Ross St · Houston, TX

Why you should go…

The Menil Collection grew from the art of John and Dominique de Menil and opened in 1987 in a Renzo Piano building in Houston's Montrose area. The 30-acre campus also holds the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Menil Drawing Institute and a Dan Flavin installation at Richmond Hall. Galleries are lit through the roof, and only a small share of the collection is shown at once, so displays rotate. It holds more than 1,000 works by Max Ernst and paintings by Rene Magritte.

  • #art museum
  • #surrealism
  • #free museum
  • #modern art
  • #montrose

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to The Menil Collection, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    Date Night

    Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

    Under $25

    One of the largest art museums in the country, spanning ancient antiquities to contemporary works across two buildings.

    1.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Houston Museum of Natural Science

    Under $25

    Dinosaur skeletons, a butterfly rainforest, and a world-class gem hall anchor Houston's biggest science museum.

    1.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Children's Museum Houston

    Under $25

    Hands-on children's museum in Houston's Museum District with interactive exhibits for kids and families.

    1.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Theatre & Events
    Free

    Miller Outdoor Theatre

    Free

    Free outdoor performance venue in Houston's Hermann Park offering an eight-month season of music, dance and theater.

    1.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Theatre & Events

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Family Favorite

    Hermann Park

    Free

    A 445-acre green space anchoring Houston's museum district, with a Japanese garden and a mini train.

    1.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Family Favorite

    Houston Zoo

    Under $25

    A Texas wetlands trail, gorilla habitat, and one of the country's top elephant programs inside Hermann Park.

    1.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor