McGovern Centennial Gardens
Find it: 1500 Hermann Drive, Houston, TX 77030
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed Christmas)
Marvin Taylor Exercise Trail at Hermann Park
Live oaks shade the two-mile Marvin Taylor Exercise Trail, which is edged by eco-friendly fitness stations. The trail is composed of decomposed granite and feels safe at night, but anywhere after dark, it is good to exercise with friends and keep vigilant.
Running along a historic carriage route, the trail is named for Marvin Taylor, a community leader who organized neighbors to clean up Hermann Park.
Endorphin booster: Work that body on the TimberForm fitness circuit.
Hours: Daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.
Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza and Glassell School of Art
What this fitness-friendly haven lacks in distance it makes up for with incredible views and elevation gains. There is a grass-covered slope that multitasks as a roof, 360 degrees of city skyline, novel artworks and architecture of sand-blasted concrete and translucent glass.
Start ground-level on the Museum of Fine Art, Houston’s campus at the Brown Foundation, Inc. Plaza. Ascend the long ramp of steps up the green roof to the terrace topping the Glassell School of Art’s new building. Inside, climb the massive raw-concrete staircase as sunlight filters through windows shaped like triangles and rhombuses.
Back on ground level, zip around the plant-filled plaza’s refreshing splashpad fountains, then cool down at the adjoining two-acre Cullen Sculpture Garden.
Endorphin booster: Juice up your fitness session with MFAH Spotify playlist: Songs for Art. “Feel Good” sung by Nina Simone? You bet.
Find it: 5101 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sandy Reed Memorial Trail at Buffalo Bayou Park
Sandy Reed Memorial Trail’s wide 4.8-mile concrete route loops around both banks of Buffalo Bayou between Shepherd Drive and Sabine Street. You will pass towering trees, wildflowers, footbridges, eye-pleasing and eye-teasing sculptures, fountains and the restored Lost Lake. Bonuses: no need to cross streets, pleasant elevation changes and the soothing presence of flowing waters. Tip: To avoid cyclists, hop on the five-foot-wide asphalt Kinder Footpath, flanking the bayou banks.
At night, the lunar-cycle lighting transitions from blue to white in time with the moon phases.
Find it: Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street, between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive
Hours: Daily, lighted areas 6 a.m.-11p.m.
Rice University
Rice University’s 2.9-mile gravel outer loop trail is lined with stately shady oak trees.
For an even more stimulating fitness session, enter the beautiful 300-acre wooded campus and hit the one-mile paved inner loop. You’ll pass cool buildings such as granite-and-marble Lovett Hall and public artworks like Twilight Epiphany,” an entrancing Skyspace by artist James Turrell.
Endorphin booster: The new Rice Public Art app designed by students lists artworks in order of proximity to your phone location, displaying photos and backstories. Or download the Rice public art map.
Find it: 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005
Hours: Daily, dawn til dusk
Seymour Lieberman Exer-Trail at Memorial Park
Memorial Park is where jogging was popularized nationally by Seymour Lieberman in the 1950s and 1960s. Now you can get super-fit on the Seymour Lieberman Exer-Trail, a 2.9-mile crushed granite path that dries quickly after rain. Interval train with exercise stations located trailside and near the tennis center. This pedestrian-only trail is lighted and offers restrooms and water fountains.
The Conservancy opened a new running route in Dec. 2021 on this trail. Panoramas span the city skyline to picturesque oak groves. Working out has a long history here: it was the site of Camp Logan where 70,000 World War I soldiers trained.
Endorphin booster: Have a need for speed? Sprint at the quarter-mile asphalt timing track just north of the tennis center.
Find it: 6501 1/2 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX 77007
Hours: Daily, 5 a.m.-11 p.m.
Brays Bayou Greenway (Texas Medical Center-Hermann Park segment)
The Brays Bayou Greenway Trail is planned to eventually cover 31 miles through rural and urban landscapes. One safe, scenic 1.6-mile segment runs between Fannin Street Metro Station by the Texas Medical Center and the Almeda Road boundary of Hermann Park. The rising and setting sun illuminates the massive buildings and parkland. Tip: take a meditation break Bayou Parkland’s micro-forest near the bayou banks.
Endorphin booster: Bill Coats Bridge spans the banks of Brays Bayou in Hermann Park Bayou Parkland. This cool pedestrian bridge intersecting tubular arches resembles bicycle wheels.
Find it: Fannin Street Metro Station to the Almeda Road edge of Hermann Park
Hours: Daily, dawn til dusk
Houston Nature Center & Arboretum
The free-admission Houston Arboretum’s 1.76-mile Outer Loop and its five shorter self-guided Habitat Hikes. The habitats—Prairie, Woodland, Wetland, Savanna and Ravine—feature naturalists favorite spots, such as ponds attracting wildlife, insect houses and curious trees.
Endorphin booster: The Arboretum and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra curated soundtracks that complement each trail’s ecosystem. Find them here.
Find it: 4501 Woodway Drive, Houston, TX 77024
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m.-dusk
--------------
Source: Chron.com - Robin Soslow
Saved
