Smither Park, the Orange Show and Beer Can House: Houston Folk Art

At a glance

• Where: Orange Show Monument: 2401 Munger St, East End. Smither Park: 2441 Munger St, East End (adjacent). Beer Can House: 222 Malone St, near Washington Ave corridor.
• Hours: Smither Park: open daily, dawn to dusk. Beer Can House: Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–4pm. Orange Show Monument: temporarily closed for restoration; expected to reopen early 2027. Check orangeshow.org.
• Cost: Smither Park and Beer Can House: free. Orange Show Monument: admission fee; check orangeshow.org for current prices when it reopens.
• Parking: Street parking on Munger St for the East End sites; small gravel lot and street parking at the Beer Can House.
• Time needed: Allow a half day: roughly 90 minutes on-site across all three, plus 15–20 minutes of drive time between the East End and Malone St.

Houston has three folk-art monuments that no other city could have produced, and all three are run by the same nonprofit. The Orange Show Monument at 2401 Munger Street in the East End took one man 23 years to build by hand. Smither Park sits adjacent to the Orange Show at 2441 Munger Street, a growing mosaic sculpture garden the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art dedicated in 2016. The Beer Can House at 222 Malone Street, near the Washington Avenue corridor, is sheathed in roughly 50,000 beer cans — started by a retired railroad upholsterer in 1968 partly because he was tired of mowing the lawn.

You can see all three in a single afternoon. Smither Park and the Orange Show Monument are on the same block of Munger Street; the Beer Can House is about seven miles away and worth the drive. This guide covers what's at each site, the tickets and hours, and the most efficient route to connect them.

The Orange Show Monument: what it is and why it matters

Jeff McKissack spent 23 years — from 1956 to 1979 — building the Orange Show in his East End backyard. He was a Houston postal worker who believed oranges were the perfect food and held the secret to a long life. The result is a half-acre maze of hand-painted ironwork, mosaic tile, wagon wheels, mannequins, and metal signs bearing his theories about health and nutrition.

McKissack opened the monument to the public in May 1979. He died the following year, having received far fewer visitors than he had hoped for. A group of Houston arts patrons incorporated the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art in 1980 to preserve the site. The monument is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Important: The Orange Show Monument is currently closed for restoration, with reopening expected in early 2027. Check orangeshow.org for current status before planning a visit around this site.

What to see: The monument unfolds across several levels — a wading pool, a steam engine, a museum room, an arena, a theater, and passages covered in mosaic and metalwork. Walk slowly. McKissack's hand-lettered signs are still in place, and they read like the philosophy of someone who spent two decades devoted to a single idea. Budget 30–45 minutes when open.

Admission and hours: A small admission fee applies when open. Hours are typically weekends, with shorter hours in the off-season. Confirm at orangeshow.org before you go.

Smither Park: the mosaic garden next door

Walk next door to the Orange Show and you reach Smither Park (2441 Munger Street), a free outdoor mosaic sculpture park named in memory of John Smither, whose family supported the Orange Show Center. Formally dedicated in September 2016, the park is a collaborative ongoing project: local artists and volunteers have been creating large-scale mosaic sculptures here, working in the tradition of visionary folk art.

The mosaics cover benches, archways, towers, and wall panels. New sections are added over time, so no two visits are exactly the same. Admission is free.

What to do: Walk the whole park — it takes 20–30 minutes — and look closely at the tile work. The mosaics are dense and collaborative, with contributions from hundreds of artists. The park pairs naturally with an Orange Show visit next door; plan to stop here immediately before or after.

Tip: Smither Park is open daily from dawn to dusk — you can visit even when the Orange Show Monument is closed.

Beer Can House: the one covered in 50,000 cans

John Milkovisch was a retired upholsterer for Southern Pacific Railroad who lived at 222 Malone Street, west of the Heights. He started covering his yard with concrete inlaid with marbles and other found objects in 1968. Then he turned to the house itself.

Over 18 years, Milkovisch flattened beer can lids and nailed them onto the siding, then strung garlands of can tops and bottoms from the eaves. The house is clad in roughly 50,000 cans — Budweiser, Pearl, Falstaff, and others — and the garlands clink and shimmer in a Houston breeze in a way photographs don't fully capture.

Milkovisch and his wife Mary both passed away before the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art acquired and restored the property. It opened for public tours in 2008.

What to see: Exterior and interior tours are available on-site. The outside is arresting, but the guided interior tour is worth the extra few minutes — Milkovisch incorporated inlaid work inside the house as well. Budget 30–45 minutes.

Admission and hours: Admission is free. The Beer Can House is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am–4pm; check orangeshow.org/beer-can-house to confirm.

Best time to visit

Weekend mornings from October through April, when Houston temperatures are cooperative. The Orange Show Monument and Smither Park involve outdoor walking on paved surfaces with limited shade, and July or August visits are uncomfortable after 10 a.m. The Beer Can House lot is small and mostly paved, so shade is limited there too.

Avoid visiting without planning ahead during the Houston Art Car Parade, which the Orange Show Center organizes each spring. Capacity at the Munger Street sites peaks on Art Car weekend and the surrounding days.

Getting there and parking

Orange Show Monument and Smither Park (Munger St, East End): Street parking is available on Munger Street and the surrounding blocks. From Downtown, take I-45 South to the Telephone Road area, or travel east on Navigation or Harrisburg. Drive time from Downtown is under 15 minutes in light traffic.

Beer Can House (222 Malone St): A small gravel lot sits adjacent to the property. Street parking is available on Malone Street. Reach it via I-10 West and Shepherd Drive, or via Memorial Drive westbound.

Between the two sites: Count on 15–20 minutes of drive time from Munger Street to Malone Street on a weekend afternoon. The sites are not walkable from each other, so you'll need a car or rideshare.

Food nearby

After the Munger Street sites, the East End and EaDo have solid options along Navigation and Harrisburg boulevards — our EaDo restaurant guide covers them. If you're finishing at the Beer Can House near Malone Street, the Washington Avenue corridor and Montrose both have food options within a short drive. Our Montrose restaurant guide is a good starting point.

Nearby attractions

Smither Park and the Orange Show sit about 10–15 minutes from Hermann Park and the Museum District. The Menil Collection in Montrose is another free-admission art stop roughly 15 minutes away — pairing the folk-art route with the Menil makes an unusual full-day itinerary. The Rothko Chapel, also free, is a short walk from the Menil.

For more art and culture in the area, our Houston art galleries guide has current options.

Save this: the one-afternoon folk-art route

Smither Park and the Orange Show Monument are on the same block of Munger Street. Here's the most efficient order:

1. Beer Can House (222 Malone St). Start here while you're fresh and the morning light is good. Admission is free. 30–45 minutes.
2. Drive east to Munger Street (~15–20 min). Park once for both remaining sites.
3. Smither Park (2441 Munger St). Free, open daily, no ticket needed. 20–30 minutes.
4. Orange Show Monument (2401 Munger St, next door). Ticketed when open; currently closed for restoration — check orangeshow.org for reopening date.
5. Lunch on Navigation Blvd or Harrisburg, a short drive away.

Total time on-site: roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours, plus drive time and food.

Before you go: Confirm the Beer Can House hours and the Orange Show Monument's current status at orangeshow.org. Buy tickets for the Orange Show online if available to avoid a wait on busy weekends.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is Smither Park in Houston?

Smither Park is a free outdoor mosaic sculpture park at 2441 Munger Street in Houston's East End, next to the Orange Show Monument. It is an ongoing collaborative project of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, with large-scale mosaics created by local artists and volunteers since its formal dedication in September 2016.

Who built the Orange Show Monument in Houston?

Jeff McKissack, a Houston postal worker, built the Orange Show Monument at 2401 Munger Street over 23 years (1956–1979). He believed oranges were the perfect food and spent decades constructing a half-acre maze of ironwork, mosaic tile, and hand-lettered signs expressing his theories. He died the year after opening it to the public.

How many beer cans are on Houston's Beer Can House?

The Beer Can House at 222 Malone Street is covered in roughly 50,000 beer cans. John Milkovisch, a retired Southern Pacific Railroad upholsterer, built it over 18 years starting in 1968. It is now operated by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art and admission is free.

Is Smither Park free to visit?

Yes. Smither Park is free and open daily from dawn to dusk. The Beer Can House on Malone Street is also free. The Orange Show Monument charges a small admission fee when open; check orangeshow.org for current prices.

Can you see Smither Park and the Orange Show in the same visit?

Yes — they are next to each other on Munger Street in the East End: the Orange Show Monument at 2401 and Smither Park at 2441. Park once and walk between them. Note that the Orange Show Monument is currently closed for restoration until early 2027; Smither Park remains open daily, dawn to dusk.

When is the Orange Show Monument open?

The Orange Show Monument at 2401 Munger Street is currently closed for restoration, with reopening expected in early 2027. Smither Park next door is open daily, dawn to dusk. Check orangeshow.org for the latest status and hours.