Things to Do in Acres Homes, Houston

Acres Homes, Houston sits about ten miles northwest of downtown, and it has always operated by its own rules. You can find a horse grazing on a residential lot here. You can get a chopped beef sandwich so smoke-saturated it leaves your shirt smelling like a campfire. You can stand on a sidewalk in February and watch three hundred riders on horseback pass through the neighborhood streets. One of the South's largest historically Black communities, Acres Homes covers more than ten square miles of northwest Houston, bordered roughly by W. Little York Road to the north, Shepherd Drive to the east, W. Montgomery Road to the south, and Ella Boulevard to the west.

This guide covers the food, the parks, the trail system, the farmers market, and the cultural anchors that make a day in Acres Homes worth the drive from anywhere in the city.

How we chose

Every pick on this list was confirmed currently open via its official website or official social media page as of October 2026. For parks and trails, we used City of Houston and Houston Parks Board listings. Hours and schedules change often; treat every schedule below as a starting point and verify on the official site before you go.

The food: BBQ and soul food

Burns Original BBQ

8307½ De Priest St, Acres Homes · Tue–Sat; check burnsoriginalbbq.com for current hours before you go

The story of Burns Original BBQ starts with Roy Burns Sr., who began selling barbecue roadside in Acres Homes before this part of northwest Houston was even inside the city limits. His grandsons rebuilt the operation and reopened it at the same De Priest Street address. An exterior mural on the building depicts both Roy Burns Sr. and Anthony Bourdain, who visited and filmed here.

Come for the chopped beef sandwich and the housemade chaurice links — a Louisiana-style smoked pork sausage that is hard to find anywhere else in Houston. If you are coming with a group, the loaded baked potato is a real menu item. Arrive before 2 pm on a Saturday; they sell out. See our best BBQ in Houston guide for more pitmasters across the city.

Log Cabin Restaurant

2459 Dalview St, Acres Homes · Mon and Wed–Sat 9 am–7 pm; Sun 9 am–5 pm; closed Tuesdays

Log Cabin describes itself as having fed the neighborhood since the 1900s, placing it among the longest-standing restaurants in northwest Houston. The kitchen focuses on Southern breakfast and lunch plates: fried pork chop nuggets, grits, and Southern breakfasts that make driving anywhere afterward seem optimistic. Check the official Facebook page for current specials. Our best soul food in Houston guide covers the rest of the city.

Jackie's Kitchen

2210 Mangum Rd, near the southern edge of Acres Homes · daily 6 am–4 pm

Jackie's Kitchen sits just south of the main Acres Homes corridor on Mangum Road, but it is the neighborhood's de facto breakfast stop. The kitchen opens at 6 am — it catches early-shift workers and anyone who does not want to wait for the brunch crowd to clear. Ten kinds of omelets, chicken and waffles, and a short lunch menu round out the card. Seating is limited.

Jamaica Pon Di Road

2213 S Victory Dr, Acres Homes · Mon 11 am–7 pm; Tue–Thu 11 am–8 pm; Fri–Sat 11 am–9 pm; Sun 11 am–6 pm

Chef Gareth Powell built this Jamaican kitchen on recipes passed down from his grandmother in Clarendon, Jamaica. Order the jerk chicken egg rolls, the oxtail cheese sandwich, or the Nuff Food Plate for a full spread. The house Nyam Good Sauce is sold by the bottle to go. The restaurant runs its own website at jamaicapondiroad.com with the current menu.

Parks and trails

TC Jester Park

4201 W TC Jester Blvd, 77018 · daily 6 am–11 pm · free

TC Jester Park sits along the southern edge of Acres Homes and packs more amenities into its footprint than most parks twice its size. There is a seasonal pool with two tube waterslides and a splash pad (open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Tuesday through Sunday), a large off-leash dog run for both big and small dogs, disc golf, softball fields, fitness stations, and a jogging loop. It is also one of the best trailheads for the White Oak Bayou Greenway — you can pick up the hike-and-bike path right at the park's edge. More off-leash options in our dog parks in Houston guide.

Sylvester Turner Park

2800 W Little York Rd, Acres Homes · daily 6 am–11 pm · free

The park at the northern edge of Acres Homes was renamed to honor former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who grew up in this neighborhood. It is primarily youth-sports focused: three baseball and softball fields (part of the Houston Astros MLB Youth Academy program), a walking trail, and a covered picnic pavilion. More in our Houston parks guide.

White Oak Bayou Greenway — northwest segment

Access from TC Jester Park or Watonga Blvd at De Milo Dr · daily · free

The White Oak Bayou Greenway runs more than 18 miles from northwest Harris County to downtown Houston's Allen's Landing, and the northwest segment threads through and alongside Acres Homes along the bayou corridor. The trail is paved, ADA-accessible, and largely shaded through this stretch. Pick it up at TC Jester Park or at the Watonga Boulevard parking area along the bayou. Our hiking trails near Houston guide covers the full system.

Only in Acres Homes

The Watonga Boulevard bat colony

4721 Watonga Blvd bridge · viewing at dusk, year-round · free

Almost nobody outside the neighborhood knows this exists. Around 100,000 Mexican free-tailed bats roost under the Watonga Boulevard bridge along the White Oak Bayou Greenway — one of the largest urban bat colonies in Houston, a few miles from Acres Homes' center. Texas Parks and Wildlife maintains an official page for this site. Show up about 20 minutes before sunset and watch them spiral out from under the bridge in a column that lasts several minutes. An ADA-accessible viewing platform, an educational kiosk, and park benches line the bayou here. The best viewing is April through October. Admission is free. Free things to do in Houston has more no-cost ideas across the city.

Acres Home Chamber Farmers Market

6112 Wheatley St and rotating mobile locations · first and third Saturdays; Wheatley St location 10 am–3 pm, mobile locations 10 am–2 pm

The Acres Home Chamber Farmers Market addresses one of the neighborhood's longstanding challenges: Acres Homes is a recognized food desert. The market brings together local farmers, home gardeners, artisans, cooking demonstrations, live music, and a youth entrepreneurship section on alternating Saturdays. The market rotates between the Wheatley Street location and mobile stops at North Shepherd Drive and Pinemont Drive. Check the current schedule at ahcfarmersmarket.com before you go. More resources in our Houston farmers markets guide.

Shepard-Acres Homes Library READ mural

8501 W Montgomery Rd · Mon–Fri 10 am–6 pm (Thu noon–8 pm); Sat 10 am–5 pm · free

Houston artist Reginald Charles Adams created the exterior mural on this branch library in 2017, working with local students on the design. The result is a patchwork quilt pattern in earth tones and primary colors, titled READ, that wraps the building's facade along the W. Montgomery Road corridor. The library hosts community programs and serves as a neighborhood event space. It is one of the few pieces of large-scale public art anchored in the neighborhood.

History and roots

Galilee Missionary Baptist Church

6616 D.S. Bailey Lane, Acres Homes

Galilee Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1913 under a brush arbor — one of the first permanent institutions established in what would become Acres Homes. The Wright Land Company sold the land to church trustees in 1915. The street in front was renamed D.S. Bailey Lane in 1979 to honor a church leader, and the church holds a Texas Historical Commission historical marker. It remains an active congregation. Drive by the site to see the marker and the historic building.

The February trail ride

Annual, February, en route to Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Park · pvtra.org

Every February, the Prairie View Trail Riders Association (PVTRA) runs one of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's oldest trail rides — a route that passes directly through Acres Homes' streets. Founded in 1957 and known as the Mother of Black Trails for its role in pioneering inclusive trail riding in Houston, the PVTRA covers roughly 80 miles through Fairbanks, Greater Inwood, Acres Homes, and northwest Houston before arriving at NRG Park. Standing on the sidewalk and watching several hundred riders on horseback move through the neighborhood is one of Houston's most distinctive free spectacles. Check pvtra.org for the current year's route and dates, which shift slightly each February.

Save this: a Saturday in Acres Homes

Start at Jackie's Kitchen on Mangum Road for breakfast from 6 am. Drive north to Burns Original BBQ on De Priest Street — arrive well before 2 pm to avoid selling out. Walk the White Oak Bayou Greenway from the TC Jester Park trailhead. Swing by the Watonga Boulevard bridge at dusk — about 30 minutes from TC Jester. If it is a first or third Saturday, add the Acres Home Farmers Market at Wheatley Street to the morning.

• Breakfast: Jackie's Kitchen, Mangum Rd (daily from 6 am)
• BBQ: Burns Original BBQ, De Priest St (Tue–Sat, arrive before 2 pm to avoid sell-outs)
• Mural: Shepard-Acres Homes Library, W Montgomery Rd (Mon–Sat)
• Trail: White Oak Bayou Greenway from TC Jester Park (daily, free)
• Bats: Watonga Blvd bridge at dusk (best April–October, free)
• Market: Acres Home Farmers Market, Wheatley St (1st and 3rd Sat, 10 am–3 pm)

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Acres Homes in Houston?

Acres Homes is a neighborhood in northwest Houston, roughly bounded by W. Little York Road to the north, Shepherd Drive to the east, W. Montgomery Road to the south, and Ella Boulevard to the west. It sits about ten miles northwest of downtown Houston in ZIP codes 77088, 77091 and 77092.

What is Acres Homes, Houston known for?

Acres Homes is known as one of the South's largest historically Black communities and for its BBQ and soul food tradition, most notably Burns Original BBQ on De Priest Street. The neighborhood also retains a rural character rare in a major city, with some residential lots still supporting horses and livestock inside Houston city limits.

Is there really a bat colony in Acres Homes?

Yes. Around 100,000 Mexican free-tailed bats roost under the Watonga Boulevard bridge along the White Oak Bayou Greenway in the Acres Homes area. Texas Parks and Wildlife maintains an official page for the site, which has an ADA-accessible viewing platform. Arrive about 20 minutes before sunset to watch them emerge.

When is the Acres Homes Trail Ride?

The Prairie View Trail Riders Association (PVTRA) trail ride passes through Acres Homes each February, en route to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at NRG Park. Exact dates shift slightly each year; check pvtra.org for the current route and schedule.

What are the best restaurants in Acres Homes?

Burns Original BBQ on De Priest Street is the neighborhood's most celebrated spot, known for chopped beef sandwiches, housemade chaurice links, and a 10-pound baked potato. Log Cabin Restaurant on Dalview Street has served soul food since the 1900s. Jamaica Pon Di Road on Victory Drive serves Jamaican cooking built from family recipes. Jackie's Kitchen on Mangum Road opens at 6 am for breakfast.

Is TC Jester Park in Acres Homes?

TC Jester Park (4201 W TC Jester Blvd) borders the southern edge of Acres Homes and is the most fully equipped park in the area. It has a seasonal pool with waterslides, a large off-leash dog run, disc golf, and trail access to the White Oak Bayou Greenway. Admission is free and the park is open daily 6 am to 11 pm.