Things to Do in Galleria/Uptown Houston

Galleria/Uptown is a shopping-and-eating district before it is anything else, but the neighborhood does more than people give it credit for. The Galleria itself is a regulation-ice-skating destination, Williams Tower has a 2.7-acre park at its base, and Memorial Park, the largest urban park in Texas at 1,464 acres, is a five-minute drive west. Here is what to actually do once you are there.

Skate at the Galleria ice rink

The 17,000-square-foot ice rink at the center of The Galleria has been open since the mall debuted in 1970 and is one of the few in the country with permanent retail surrounding it. Sessions run roughly two hours, skate rentals are included in the $20 weekday ticket, and the surrounding food hall makes it a workable afternoon for kids. Lessons run year-round, and the rink hosts a winter holiday show in December.

Walk Water Wall Park

The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park at the foot of Williams Tower is a 64-foot semicircular fountain that recirculates 11,000 gallons of water a minute. It sits inside a 2.7-acre green space with a live oak grove that hides the Galleria's traffic noise within twenty feet of the gate. Engagement photos here are a Houston cliche for a reason. The park is free and open from 9 AM to 9 PM.

Shop The Galleria itself

Even if shopping is not the plan, the mall is worth a slow walk for the architecture: Hugh Stubbins's 1970 skylit atrium remains one of the most photographed retail interiors in the country. Anchors include Saks, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Macy's, with a recently expanded Apple flagship and a Louis Vuitton men's-only store. Levels two and three carry more of the luxury fashion; level one is the food court and skating action.

Hit Memorial Park

Five minutes west sits Memorial Park, the 1,464-acre municipal green space that includes the Seymour Lieberman 3-mile trail, the Houston Arboretum, and the new Land Bridge that opened in 2023. Locals run the Lieberman loop before work; weekends bring the entire western half of Houston. Bring water and bug spray.

Shop Uptown Park and the Post Oak ring

Just east of the mall, Uptown Park is an open-air collection of independents and small chains, Mille Sospiri jewelers, McCormick & Schmick's, an outpost of Tootsies, that gives a less manic alternative to The Galleria's holiday crowds. The Post Oak Boulevard art walk that opened in 2017 includes 14 commissioned sculptures along the dedicated bus rapid transit corridor; print the city's PDF map and walk it on a cool morning.

Catch a show at the Hobby Center

Houston's Theater District sits Downtown, but the closest major venue to Uptown is the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts on Bagby. Plan for a 15-minute drive plus the city's Downtown Houston parking markup. Garage rates jump to $35 on event nights. The METRO Silver Line connects Uptown to the Northwest Transit Center, where you can pick up a connecting bus to the theater district, but the timing rarely beats driving.

Spa-day at the Houstonian or the Post Oak

Two of the city's destination spas sit a mile apart in Uptown. The Trellis Spa at the Houstonian is the older institution, a 21,000-square-foot facility on the 27-acre Houstonian campus with one of the better hydrotherapy circuits in Texas. The Spa at the Post Oak Hotel is the newer entrant, opened with the hotel in 2018, and pairs treatments with the Rolls-Royce showroom and Bentley dealership on the ground floor if you want a uniquely Uptown errand.

Drinks with a view

Marquee skyline view goes to Bloom & Bee on the 25th floor of the Royal Sonesta, with floor-to-ceiling glass facing Williams Tower. For something dressier, the Bar at the Post Oak does a $24 old-fashioned with a hand-cut sphere of ice. Both run reservation systems on weekends.

Day-trip the rest of the city

Uptown is a good hub for visitors because three Houston anchors sit within a 20-minute drive: Buffalo Bayou Park to the east, the Museum District southeast, and the Houston Heights northwest. If you have a longer window, the 2 days in Houston itinerary maps a route that uses Uptown as the dinner base. And if Uptown's pace is too commercial for the morning, the things to do in River Oaks guide covers Bayou Bend and the Menil Collection a few minutes south.

For an overall neighborhood survey including where to eat between activities, see our living in Galleria/Uptown guide.