Houston Area Palm Sightseeing

[MobileBayGarden]

Hello everyone,
 

I’ll be in Houston this weekend for a school trip and was wondering if there are any good botanical gardens/parks/neighborhoods to see neat palms or cycads. I appreciate any suggestions. Thank y’all!

 

Philippe

[JohnAndSancho]

Mercer was cool, but I don't remember how palmy it is. I went long before I got interested in plants. It's pretty close to I45@1960. 

 

Houston is biiiiiiiiig. Do you know what part of town you'll be in? 

[Fusca]

1 hour ago, MobileBayGarden said:

Hello everyone,

I’ll be in Houston this weekend for a school trip and was wondering if there are any good botanical gardens/parks/neighborhoods to see neat palms or cycads. I appreciate any suggestions. Thank y’all!

Philippe

Mercer Botanical Garden on the north side (in Spring) is the best spot and no entrance fee.  Unfortunately they lost several large palms in February 2021 but still have a good selection.  If you're willing to go down to Galveston Island Moody Gardens has a nice variety planted outside and more exotic palms in their pyramid (entrance fee).  Kemah boardwalk on the south east side also has some palms to see.

[MobileBayGarden]

52 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Mercer was cool, but I don't remember how palmy it is. I went long before I got interested in plants. It's pretty close to I45@1960. 

 

Houston is biiiiiiiiig. Do you know what part of town you'll be in? 

I will be in the Montrose area, but I have an entire day to explore on my own. 
 

[MobileBayGarden]

 

52 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Mercer Botanical Garden on the north side (in Spring) is the best spot and no entrance fee.  Unfortunately they lost several large palms in February 2021 but still have a good selection.  If you're willing to go down to Galveston Island Moody Gardens has a nice variety planted outside and more exotic palms in their pyramid (entrance fee).  Kemah boardwalk on the south east side also has some palms to see.

Thank you, I was planning a drive down that way already. Sounds amazing!

[JohnAndSancho]

5 minutes ago, MobileBayGarden said:

I will be in the Montrose area, but I have an entire day to explore on my own. 
 

If you're in Montrose, you absolutely must eat at Niko Niko's. Totally unrelated to palms, but still a pro tip. Phenomenal Greek food. Worth the wait. 

[MobileBayGarden]

1 minute ago, JohnAndSancho said:

If you're in Montrose, you absolutely must eat at Niko Niko's. Totally unrelated to palms, but still a pro tip. Phenomenal Greek food. Worth the wait. 

That is right up my alley! I am always open to food suggestions. Lol.
 

[JohnAndSancho]

10 minutes ago, MobileBayGarden said:

That is right up my alley! I am always open to food suggestions. Lol.
 

Houston is a great food city. Unfortunately it's a horrible traffic city lol. 

 

The place I miss the most is El Rey Taqueria - they're all over Houston, but my favorite location is the one at Washington@Shephard. The Three Amigos plate with an El Rey taco, 2 Cuban tacos, and a large cantaloupe juice is heaven. 

[Xenon]

Once upon a time Montrose was filled with queen palms and you could even spot the odd foxtail or majesty. These days this is about as exotic looking as it gets

The Houston Zoo should still have a nice collection of palms but nothing like before the freeze. The massive clumps of Arenga engleri near the reflection pool should be back from the ground, there might still a be a large Allagoptera arenaria near the entrance...

There's also the new Houston Botanic Garden if you want to check that out 

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Xenon

[MobileBayGarden]

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

Once upon a time Montrose was filled with queen palms and you could even spot the odd foxtail or majesty. These days this is about as exotic looking as it gets

The Houston Zoo should still have a nice collection of palms but nothing like before the freeze. The massive clumps of Arenga engleri near the reflection pool should be back from the ground, there might still a be a large Allagoptera arenaria near the entrance...

There's also the new Houston Botanic Garden if you want to check that out 

 

Thanks you, I will add that to my list.

Philippe

[MobileBayGarden]

2 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Houston is a great food city. Unfortunately it's a horrible traffic city lol. 

 

The place I miss the most is El Rey Taqueria - they're all over Houston, but my favorite location is the one at Washington@Shephard. The Three Amigos plate with an El Rey taco, 2 Cuban tacos, and a large cantaloupe juice is heaven. 

That sounds amazing!!!