Things to Do in Timbergrove Houston: Woods, Bayou, Beer

At a glance

Where: Inside the 610 Loop, just west of the Heights, along TC Jester Boulevard and White Oak Bayou
Hours: Varies by place; check each official site before you go
Cost: Parks, trails and the sprayground are free; food and drink extra
Parking: Mostly street parking near the parks; restaurant lots on W 18th, Ella and W 11th
Time needed: Half a day for the outdoors; a full day with meals and a taproom

Timbergrove and Lazybrook don't shout. They're two quiet, deed-restricted neighborhoods of 1950s ranch houses just west of the Heights, and most people only see them through a windshield on TC Jester Boulevard. Get out of the car and you'll find 20 acres of native woods, a bayou trail that runs north and south for miles, a log-cabin restaurant on the water and a cluster of patios and taprooms along the eastern edge.

In Timbergrove, the woods won: neighbors fought to keep a 20-acre forest from being developed, and it's now a nature preserve where more than 150 bird species have been recorded.

This guide covers the things worth the trip: parks and trails first, then where to eat and drink, a few things that happen on a schedule, and a one-day route you can save.

Where Timbergrove and Lazybrook are

For this guide, "Timbergrove" means the two neighborhoods the city groups as the Lazybrook/Timbergrove Super Neighborhood, inside the 610 Loop. Roughly: Loop 610 to the north and west, Durham Drive to the east, and the stretch around West 11th Street to the south, with White Oak Bayou and TC Jester Boulevard running through the middle. Timbergrove Manor sits mostly south of West 18th Street and straddles West 11th. Lazybrook sits north of West 18th, with White Oak Bayou forming its eastern edge.

The city's official super neighborhood also reaches outside the Loop to the northwest, but the things visitors come for are inside it. A few of our picks sit just over the line on Ella Boulevard, West 19th and Bevis Street, where Timbergrove shades into the Heights. We say so where it matters.

Things locals don't always know

The nature preserve was once Hogg family land. The site passed from Will Hogg's estate to the University of Texas, which sold the 21-acre parcel to HISD in 1949 for $64,079.63. The City of Houston bought it from HISD in 2007, after years of neighborhood campaigning.
There's a fault line under the brewery. Eureka Heights Brewing is named for the Eureka Heights fault system, which the brewery says runs beneath it. It notes a railroad tower is named after the fault, too.
The neighborhoods are named for what's around them. Timbergrove Manor was named for its pines and Lazybrook for White Oak Bayou.
One of Houston's largest bat roosts is a bike ride away. The Houston Parks Board lists Watonga Parkway Park, on the same White Oak Bayou trail, as home to one of the city's largest bat roosts.

Parks and the outdoors

Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve

This is the reason to come. The preserve at 2400 W 11th St, between West TC Jester and Ella Boulevard, is 20 acres of native Texas forest that was known as West 11th Street Park until the city renamed it in 2021 to honor a neighbor who helped save it. The Friends group describes it as the largest tract of native forest inside the Loop to be added to the city's parks inventory in recent years.

What to do:

Walk the half-mile loop. The outer loop is crushed granite, relatively flat, and the preserve's own site calls it suitable for toddlers and people needing an accessible route. There's more than a mile of nature trail in all.
Bring binoculars. The Friends group has recorded 158 bird species here, including great horned owls and pileated and red-headed woodpeckers, plus 44 butterfly species.
Join a bird walk. The Friends group runs weekly morning and monthly evening bird walks, plus guided tree walks. Check their site for the current schedule.
Take the phone tour. The "Wireless Wilderness" self-guided tour lets you learn as you walk.

Go early. The preserve's own advice is that birds are most active in the cool morning hours, and it suggests water, sunscreen, insect repellent and long socks.

White Oak Bayou Greenway trail

The greenway runs right through the neighborhood, following the bayou alongside TC Jester Boulevard. Head north and it reaches T.C. Jester Park and Watonga Parkway Park. Head south instead and the greenway keeps going toward downtown: the Houston Parks Board says it has more than 18 miles of greenspace and trail within city limits, ending at Allen's Landing, where White Oak meets Buffalo Bayou. It also crosses the Heights hike-and-bike trail three times, so you can loop into the Heights without touching a road.

T.C. Jester Park and dog park

Ride or walk north on the trail and you reach T.C. Jester Park at 4201 West T.C. Jester Blvd, just outside the Loop. Its dog park, which opened in 2009, has a 31,000-square-foot run for big dogs and a 16,000-square-foot run for small dogs, with benches and dog fountains in both.

Watonga Parkway Park at dusk

Keep going north on the same trail and you reach Watonga Parkway Park, which the Houston Parks Board lists as home to one of Houston's largest bat roosts. On a warm evening, time your ride for sunset. For the city's best-known bat show, see our Buffalo Bayou Park guide.

Jaycee Park sprayground

Jaycee Park, at 1300 Seamist in the western part of Timbergrove, has a free sprayground with timed spouts set among oversized butterflies and leaves in the paving, plus benches for parents who'd rather stay dry. The sprayground opened in 2011. On a July afternoon, it's the move. More ideas in our free kids activities guide.

Eat and drink

Rainbow Lodge

Rainbow Lodge, at 2011 Ella Blvd on the banks of White Oak Bayou, is the area's landmark meal. It's a log cabin more than a century old, serving wild game (elk, bison, venison, quail) alongside steaks and Gulf seafood, with two kitchen gardens on site. Have a drink at the Tied Fly Bar, which the lodge describes as a hand-carved rainbow trout stream. It's typically open Tuesday to Sunday, with Sunday brunch, a Friday burger and live music on Fridays. Check the official site before you go.

Hughie's

Hughie's Tavern & Viet Grill, at 1802 W 18th St, is Lazybrook's neighborhood tavern: Vietnamese classics like shaking beef next to American comfort food, with a local craft beer list and cocktails. There's a second location on North Shepherd, but this is the Timbergrove one.

Eureka Heights Brewing

Eureka Heights, at 941 W 18th St, a few blocks east of TC Jester, is the area's taproom. Expect 22-plus taps, food trucks parked outside, a pinball arcade and a brewery that talks openly about wanting your dog there. Wednesday is trivia night, and Thursday brings a running club and bingo. For more taprooms, see our Houston breweries guide.

Cactus Cove

On the western edge of Timbergrove at 3333 W 11th St, Cactus Cove is a bar and grill built around its patio, with big-screen TVs, trivia and weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Cavatore

Cavatore, at 2120 Ella Blvd, is a family-run Italian restaurant with private dining rooms and live piano music Thursday to Saturday evenings. It's closed on Sundays and serves lunch on weekdays only, so plan around that.

Just over the line: West 19th and Bevis

A few blocks east, where Timbergrove meets the Heights, there's more. Big Star Bar (1005 W 19th St) is a neighborhood bar with a large outdoor patio. New Magnolia Brewing (1616 Bevis St) is a family-run brewery named for the original Magnolia Brewery that stood on Buffalo Bayou downtown, and it hosts a weekly Wednesday comedy open mic. For the full picture, see our Heights restaurant guide and best bars in Houston.

Things that happen on a schedule

Bird walks at the Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve: weekly mornings and monthly evenings.
Run the Grove 5K: the Timbergrove Manor Neighborhood Association's 5K and kids' fun run, held in spring. Check TMNA's site for the date.
Trivia at Eureka Heights on Wednesdays, and the running club on Thursdays.
Live music Fridays at Rainbow Lodge and piano nights Thursday to Saturday at Cavatore.
Comedy open mic on Wednesdays at New Magnolia Brewing.

Schedules change, so confirm on each official site before you build a night around one.

Save this: a Timbergrove day

Early morning: walk the half-mile loop at the Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve while the birds are active.
Mid-morning: pick up the White Oak Bayou trail and walk or ride north along TC Jester toward T.C. Jester Park (bring the dog).
Lunch: shaking beef and a local beer at Hughie's on West 18th.
Afternoon: let the kids loose at the Jaycee Park sprayground, or skip ahead to pinball and a pint at Eureka Heights.
Dinner: wild game in the log cabin at Rainbow Lodge, or a Thursday-to-Saturday piano night at Cavatore.
Dusk, on a warm evening: ride north to Watonga Parkway Park and watch for the bats.

Tips and best time to visit

Go in the morning or the cool months. October through April is the most comfortable time for the trail and the preserve. In summer, walk early and save the sprayground for the afternoon.
Bring bug spray. The preserve's own visitor advice includes insect repellent and long socks.
Respect the bayou. White Oak Bayou rises fast in heavy rain. Stay off low trail sections when water is high or after a storm.
This is a residential neighborhood. Keep noise down, don't block driveways, and leave the preserve as you found it.

Getting there and parking

Timbergrove sits inside the 610 Loop, northwest of downtown and just west of the Heights. TC Jester Boulevard, Ella Boulevard, West 18th Street and West 11th Street are the main ways in. From Loop 610, TC Jester and Ella are the most direct exits.

Parking is mostly on the street near the parks and in restaurant lots along West 18th, Ella and West 11th. Park legally and considerately on residential streets. The easiest arrival is by bike: the White Oak Bayou trail connects to the Heights hike-and-bike trail and runs south toward downtown, where it links to the Buffalo Bayou trail.

Nearby

Things to do in the Heights: 19th Street shops, the hike-and-bike trail and more, minutes east.
The Heights area guide for the bigger neighborhood picture.
Memorial Park, the city's big urban forest, a short drive south.
Things to do in Spring Branch, just west across the Loop.
Our best parks in Houston guide for more green space.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Timbergrove in Houston?

Timbergrove Manor and Lazybrook are adjoining neighborhoods inside the 610 Loop, northwest of downtown and just west of the Heights, along White Oak Bayou and TC Jester Boulevard.

What is the Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve?

It's a 20-acre native forest at 2400 W 11th St, formerly West 11th Street Park. It has a half-mile loop trail, more than a mile of nature trails, and 158 recorded bird species.

Is the White Oak Bayou trail connected to the Heights trail?

Yes. The Houston Parks Board says the White Oak Bayou Greenway trail crosses the Heights hike-and-bike trail three times and continues toward downtown, where it links to the Buffalo Bayou trail.

Is there a dog park near Timbergrove?

Yes. T.C. Jester Park at 4201 West T.C. Jester Blvd has a city dog park with separate runs for big and small dogs, reachable on the White Oak Bayou trail.

What are the best places to eat in Timbergrove?

Rainbow Lodge for wild game in a log cabin on the bayou, Hughie's for Vietnamese and American comfort food, Cavatore for Italian with piano nights, and Cactus Cove for a patio and weekend brunch.

Is there a splash pad in Timbergrove?

Yes. Jaycee Park at 1300 Seamist has a free sprayground that opened in 2011, with timed spouts and benches for parents.

Things to Do in Timbergrove and Lazybrook, Houston