Tucked into a leafy bend of Buffalo Bayou in River Oaks, Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens is one of Houston’s most beautiful places to spend a slow, happy day. This 14-acre estate is the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s house museum for American decorative arts, and the former home of beloved Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg.
The mansion, designed by architect John F. Staub and built in 1927-1928, holds some 4,700 objects across 28 period rooms, from furniture and silver to ceramics and paintings made between the 1630s and the 1870s. Miss Hogg insisted that as many trees as possible be saved when the house was built, and the gardens still grow around that original woodland, in themed rooms filled with azaleas, camellias and quiet statues, including Clio, muse of history, and Diana in her garden.
Visitors can tour the house on their own or with a docent, then wander the gardens at their own pace, crossing the swinging bridge over the bayou. Bayou Bend is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with last admission at 4 p.m. Happy City News happily recommends it as Houston’s loveliest blend of art, history and nature.
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress
