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Outdoor Attractions - Houston Hotels .com

One of Houston's best kept secrets is its impressive array of over 200 green spaces and 330 city parks that cover more than 19,000 acres of city-maintained terra firma. Offering biking and running trails, sculpture gardens, outdoor museums, kayaking and much more, Houston's parks offer visitors ample opportunity to experience the great out doors while keeping in shape, both physically and mentally.

On top of every visitor's list should be Houston's famed Hermann Park -- one of city's cultural and recreational crown jewels. Offering something for everyone, the park spans over 445 acres and houses the Miller Outdoor Theatre, the Houston Zoo, the Houston Garden Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the famous Hermann Park Golf Course. Other great parks include The Buffalo Bayou ArtPark, which features a rotating selection of public art; Allen's Landing -- sometimes dubbed Houston's "Plymouth Rock" -- where August and John Allen first stepped foot in Houston as the town's founding residents; and the Buffalo Bayou, Houston's 52-mile recreational/commercial waterway -- a great place for kayaking or long walks along its grassy shores.

A list of Houston's most mentionable parks wouldn't be complete without the addition of Memorial Park. Memorial Park features over 1,460 acres of public use lands, and includes tennis courts, a fitness center, a swimming pool and six miles of beautiful multi-use trails. History buffs and kids who like large boats should check out the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas. Decommissioned in 1948, the battleship now assumes the role of a museum and floating memorial. After touring the war museum and memorial, tone things down a bit by visiting the city's Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden. The garden carries the unofficial title as the city's most beautiful acre, and lays claim to over 20 sculptures by acclaimed international artists spanning the last 200 years.