Things to Do in Conroe TX: Downtown, Lake, State Forest

At a glance

Where: City of Conroe, about 40 miles north of downtown Houston on I-45, plus the east side of Lake Conroe and Jones State Forest
Hours: Varies by stop: Main Street Market typically Saturdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; Jones State Forest daylight hours; check official sites
Cost: Downtown, the market, state forest trails, city parks and Heritage Place concerts are free; theatre, cruises and festivals are ticketed
Parking: Street parking and public lots around the courthouse square; lots at parks and the forest
Time needed: A full day; Saturday lines up the market, taprooms and the lake

Conroe started life as a sawmill on Stewarts Creek and a railroad stop called Conroe's Switch. Then, in December 1931, George W. Strake struck oil a few miles southeast of town, and the population jumped from a few hundred to thousands almost overnight. The Handbook of Texas says that for a while Conroe briefly claimed more millionaires per resident than any other town in the country.

The money moved on, but the town it built is still here: a courthouse square with a 1930s movie palace, a Saturday market, two forests within a short drive and a 22,000-acre lake on the edge of town. It's about 40 miles north of downtown Houston on I-45, close enough for an easy day and far enough to feel like you've left.

Here's the line to remember: Houston's backup water supply is also one of its favourite weekend lakes. Lake Conroe was built in 1973, and the City of Houston owns two-thirds of its water rights.

How we define Conroe here: the City of Conroe, plus the two places most visitors come for that sit just beyond its downtown: the east side of Lake Conroe (including a couple of lake outings with Willis and Montgomery addresses) and W. Goodrich Jones State Forest on the road toward The Woodlands. Sam Houston National Forest is an add-on; The Woodlands and Spring get their own guides.

Four things even regulars may not know

Conroe was once "Conroe's Switch." Lumberman Isaac Conroe, a former Union cavalry officer, opened his sawmill in 1881 and became the first postmaster when the railroad stop got a post office in 1884.
The Crighton Theatre's restoration was paid for by the town, not the government. Locals raised $365,000 in the late 1970s with no government grants, and bought the 330 seats at $200 apiece.
Jones State Forest was Texas's first USDA-recognized Children's Forest, named in 2011 and only the 18th in the nation.
The Southern Empress paddlewheeler arrived in 27 pieces. The 131-foot sternwheeler, built in 1983, was cut into sections, trucked in and put back together on Lake Conroe.

Things to do in Conroe, TX

1. Walk the courthouse square and find the art benches

Start at the Montgomery County Courthouse and wander the compact blocks of Main, Simonton and Metcalf streets around it: antique shops, boutiques, galleries, taverns and restaurants, most of them locally owned.

Make it a game: Visit Conroe counts 13 art benches scattered through the downtown arts and entertainment district, and the Downtown Conroe Association keeps the business directory.

2. Shop the Main Street Market on a Saturday

The Downtown Conroe Association runs Main Street Market Saturdays at the Montgomery County Courthouse, typically 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with local vendors set up around the square. If you like this kind of morning, our Houston farmers markets guide has more.

3. Catch a show at the Crighton Theatre

Mayor Harry M. Crighton built the Crighton Theatre on North Main Street, and it opened on November 26, 1935. It was modelled on Houston's Majestic Theatre, built from native stone, and given 40 feet of space above the stage for vaudeville acts that never came. The movies stopped in the mid-1960s. A community-funded restoration brought it back as a live theatre in 1979.

Today it's home to Stage-Right Productions and Christian Youth Theatre, with musicals, plays and tribute concerts through the season. The box office at 234 North Main Street is typically open Tuesday to Friday afternoons and on show days. Check the site for the current season.

4. See local art at the Madeley building

The Conroe Art League gallery shares the Madeley Fine Art Gallery space at 127 Simonton Street, in a building that Visit Conroe dates to 1911. Expect rotating shows of work by Texas artists. It's typically open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday.

5. Do First Friday or Third Thursday downtown

On the first Friday of the month, the Downtown Conroe Association's First Friday Sip N' Shop runs from about 5 to 9 p.m., with drink specials, live music and one-night discounts in downtown shops and taverns.

On the third Thursday, Live on the Block brings music and food trucks to the block outside the association's office at 210 North Main Street, typically 5 to 8 p.m. Both are free to walk around. Confirm dates on the association's events page before you drive up.

6. Picnic at a free concert at Heritage Place

Heritage Place, the city's downtown event park at 500 Metcalf Street, has a stage, gazebo and lawn. In spring and summer it hosts a free Thursday-evening concert series once a month: bring chairs, a blanket and your own food, but no glass. Food trucks usually show up. The months shift from year to year, so check the City of Conroe special events page for the current schedule.

7. Learn the county story at the Heritage Museum

The Heritage Museum of Montgomery County sits in Candy Cane Park at 1506 I-45 North: a permanent collection plus rotating exhibits on the people who shaped the county, including programs on its Black and Latino history. It's typically open Wednesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

8. Hike the pines at W. Goodrich Jones State Forest

Jones State Forest covers 1,722 acres of pine woods off FM 1488, about a mile and a half west of I-45. Texas A&M bought the land in 1926 and in 1949 named it for William Goodrich Jones, the "Father of Forestry in Texas."

There are nearly 17 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding and biking. Look for the federally endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, which the forest manages habitat for. It's open year-round during daylight hours only, and the rule is pack it in, pack it out.

9. Go deeper in Sam Houston National Forest

North of town, Sam Houston National Forest is where Conroe goes for a proper day hike. Visit Conroe points to the 128-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail, the Little Lake Creek Wilderness and the Stubblefield Lake interpretive trail, all in shortleaf and loblolly pine. Call the Forest Service ranger district (936-344-6205) for current maps and trail conditions. Our hiking trails near Houston guide has more day hikes.

10. Get on Lake Conroe

Lake Conroe covers about 22,000 acres with 157 miles of shoreline, according to Visit Conroe. The San Jacinto River Authority impounded it in 1973 as a water supply in a joint venture with the City of Houston, and today it's where the region comes to fish for bass, go boating, paddle and watch the sunset. If you don't own a boat, local marinas rent pontoons, kayaks and paddleboards.

For public launch sites, check the SJRA map of public boat ramps.

11. Take a dinner cruise on the Southern Empress

The Southern Empress is a 131-foot sternwheeler replica that runs public and private cruises on Lake Conroe year-round, from sunset dinner cruises to dueling-piano and murder-mystery nights. It boards at 7035 Kingston Cove Lane in Willis. Book ahead, especially on weekends.

12. Spend a lake day at Margaritaville

On the lake's west side, Margaritaville Lake Resort in Montgomery has a water park, an on-site marina with pontoon, kayak and paddleboard rentals, golf and several restaurants. Check what's open to day visitors before you go.

13. Drink local at Southern Star and B52

Southern Star Brewing opened in Conroe in 2008, says it was the first brewery in Texas to can craft beer, and since 2016 has brewed on a 13-plus-acre site at 3525 North Frazier Street with a taproom over the brewhouse and an outdoor biergarten with a stage. Order the flagship Bombshell Blonde. The taproom keeps weekend-focused hours, so check before you go.

B52 Brewing at 12470 Milroy Lane has a wood-fired kitchen, guest food trucks, trivia and bands on Saturday nights. Want to keep going? See our best breweries in Houston.

14. Let the kids loose in the city parks

Conroe has about 20 city parks. Our picks for visitors:

Carl Barton Jr. Park, at 204 acres the largest in the city, with fishing and a 3-mile trail.
Kasmiersky Park at 889 Old Magnolia Road, with a skate park, a lighted walking trail and an off-leash dog area.
Martin Luther King Jr. Park at 1001 Dr. MLK Jr. Place South, with a splash pad and playground.
McDade Park at 10310 FM 2854 and John Burge Park at 11050 Little Egypt Road, each with an 18-hole disc golf course.

Candy Cane Park, home to the Heritage Museum, also has the city's aquatic center. See the City of Conroe parks page for hours and reservations.

15. Plan around the big annual events

Montgomery County Fair & Rodeo runs for about 10 days every April at the fairgrounds at 9201 Airport Road, with livestock shows, a CPRA rodeo, concerts, carnival rides and a barbecue cook-off. See mcfa.org. It's a smaller-scale cousin of RodeoHouston.
KidzFest fills downtown on the last Saturday in April.
Taste of Downtown Conroe, a ticketed one-night tasting of downtown restaurants, is held each September. See tasteofdowntownconroe.com.
Christmas brings a tree lighting at Heritage Place, the Toby Powell Conroe Christmas Celebration on the second Saturday in December and the downtown Christmas parade. Our Houston Christmas events guide covers the rest of the region.

Where to eat

Downtown is the place to start. Pacific Yard House fills a 1907 building at 101 Metcalf Street with an American roadhouse menu, 30-plus taps and live music, and serves Sunday brunch. The Red Brick Tavern is downtown's country-music bar, with live bands and rotating craft beers.

For a bigger choice of restaurants, The Woodlands is just down I-45: start with our best restaurants in The Woodlands.

Save this: a perfect Saturday in Conroe

9 a.m. Walk the trails at Jones State Forest while it's cool, and listen for woodpeckers.
10:30 a.m. Drive north to the courthouse square for the Main Street Market.
Noon. Lunch downtown, then hunt the art benches and browse the antique shops.
2 p.m. Look in at the Conroe Art League gallery on Simonton Street.
3:30 p.m. Head to the Southern Star biergarten for a Bombshell Blonde.
Sunset. Get on Lake Conroe, by rental boat or aboard the Southern Empress.
Evening. If the Crighton has a show, end the day under its 1935 marquee.

Tips and best time to visit

Pick spring or fall. April has the fair and KidzFest; October and November are the best hiking weather. Summer is lake season, but go early and bring water.
Saturday is the day. The market, most taprooms and the lake all line up on a Saturday. The Heritage Museum and the art league gallery are closed Sunday and Monday.
Respect the woods. Jones State Forest is a game sanctuary and open daylight hours only. Bring bug spray and stay on trails.
Check hours and weather before you drive. Small museums and taprooms change hours often, and heavy rain can close trails.

Getting there and parking

Conroe is about 40 miles north of downtown Houston on I-45. There's no commuter rail, so you'll want a car.

Downtown has street parking and public lots around the courthouse square. On market and event days, arrive early. Jones State Forest is reached from FM 1488, and the city parks have their own lots.

Nearby

Things to do in The Woodlands, just down I-45.
Things to do in Spring, for Old Town Spring's shops.
Day trips from Houston, if Conroe's put you in a road-trip mood.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is Conroe, TX known for?

Conroe is the Montgomery County seat, known for its historic courthouse-square downtown, the 1935 Crighton Theatre, the 1931 oil boom, and Lake Conroe just northwest of town.

How far is Conroe from Houston?

Conroe is about 40 miles north of downtown Houston on I-45. You'll need a car; there's no commuter rail.

Is there anything free to do in Conroe?

Yes. Walking downtown and the art benches, the Saturday Main Street Market, W. Goodrich Jones State Forest trails, city parks and the spring and summer concerts at Heritage Place are all free.

How big is Lake Conroe?

Visit Conroe lists Lake Conroe at about 22,000 acres with 157 miles of shoreline. The San Jacinto River Authority impounded it in 1973.

When is the Montgomery County Fair?

The Montgomery County Fair & Rodeo runs for about 10 days each April at the fairgrounds at 9201 Airport Road in Conroe. Check mcfa.org for this year's dates.

Where can you hike near Conroe?

W. Goodrich Jones State Forest, off FM 1488, has nearly 17 miles of trails. Sam Houston National Forest, north of town, carries part of the 128-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail.

Things to Do in Conroe, TX: Courthouse Square, Forests and Lake