McGovern Centennial Gardens

This beautifully presented garden in Houston is a serene oasis in the heart of the city. It features a thoughtfully arranged array of flora that creates an atmosphere of tranquility and calm. Even during our January visit, despite the chilly weather, the garden offered an impressive display of greenery and vibrant plant life, demonstrating its year-round appeal. The pathways are well-maintained, making it easy to stroll and take in the natural beauty at your own pace. There are plenty of spaces to pause and reflect, from charming benches to shaded nooks that encourage relaxation. The garden’s design caters to both casual visitors looking for a peaceful escape and plant enthusiasts eager to explore the diversity of its flora. Whether you’re a local or just passing through, this garden is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking a quiet retreat in the midst of Houston’s bustling urban landscape. It’s a testament to how thoughtfully designed green spaces can bring a touch of nature’s magic to a city setting.

Beautiful and serene. This garden is spread out with a lot to see as you wander through or sit and stay for a while. You are able to rent the space for a private event like a wedding or work mixer. The stroll to the top of the mount was easy and gave such a Birds Eye view of the garden areas from above.

McGovern Centennial Gardens in Houston is beautifully blends nature and art. The garden features themed areas like the Rose Garden and Arid Garden, providing a diverse experience for visitors. The highlight is the striking grass pyramid, offering stunning views of the surroundings. The gardens are well-maintained, making it a perfect spot for leisurely walks or family outings. Overall, it’s a lovely place to unwind and appreciate nature in the heart of the city. The gardens offer venues for weddings and private gatherings, including the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion and Celebration Garden for various occasions

It's free, it's beautiful, it has public restrooms. What more can you ask for? I really love the vegetable garden, it's fun to see and smell all the herbs and see what fruit they're growing. And they give all the food they grow to the Houston Food Bank. I love sitting at the top of the Mount on a cool, windy day. You can hear anything playing at the pavilion, too.

The prettiest place in Houston IMO. Beautiful garden, waterfalls, place to relax. Rose garden has so many varieties maintained carefully. View from the top is so nice.

McGovern Centennial Garden is one of our favorite parks in Houston! It offers serene greenery, five themed gardens, a sculpture walk, a garden pavilion, a pagoda, a central lawn, fountains, and convenient restrooms. We noticed three different entry points to access the garden. Free admission. The highlight is the stunning 30 ft tall and 175 ft wide zoysia grass hill, designed like a layered cake, with a spiral wheelchair-accessible path leading to a summit with 360-degree panoramic views. The cascading waterfall and reflection pool in front add to the beauty. The park is dog-friendly, and the Promenade at the entrance is perfect for photos. The garden’s ever-blooming flowers always draw us back for more!

Beautiful area to relax, walk, and enjoy its beautiful flowers and its habitants as we saw bees, squirrels, lizards, and even a rabbit. Loved it there. There are plenty of areas to sit with or without tables, a clean bathroom, and lots of green 💚!

This garden is so well kept and beautiful. It would be the perfect scene for a wedding proposal or maybe a picnic(I which I'm not sure one can have). When we went to visit it was around 1 in the afternoon and there weren't many people around. We enjoyed it so much and we look forward to going back and enjoying this beautiful scenery!

Impressed with the beauty and tranquility of the gardens in Herman Park. Usually you'd pay to visit these nice places back home, so it was a nice to get to walk through them on our last day in Houston. Interesting sculptures celebrating famous people throughout history (MLK, Gandhi, Confucius) and a special section of sculptures dedicated to many South/Central American country's past leaders and special people in Houston's history. Small rose garden and water fall that resembles Mayan temples (if they were made of grass and had a waterfall on one side). Surprised they allowed dogs inside these gardens (which isn't bad for me - love dogs, but I can't image this being allowed back home).

Stardate: August 13, 2023 - 10:50 AM. Scorching! McGovern Centennial Gardens proudly showcases some greenery, a grass pyramid that lets you ascend to new heights and take in all the sun, and lawn chairs for gazing at the grass pyramid and some cute mini fountains. For a change of scenery, you can take a leisurely stroll in the rose garden, admiring the protective plant coverings designed to shield the bushes from the heat. After you are done exploring the great pyramid, you can sit in the nearby pagoda that will make you contemplate life's mysteries while you explore the Tudor Family Pine Hill Walk. You can ask yourself a question "Now what?? What else does this great showpiece offer?" The garden is also conveniently adjacent to the Hermann Park trail, perfect for walking or running. It's also close to the Miller Outdoor Theatre for your entertainment needs. The gardens offer little escape from Houston's extreme hot and muggy weather. Nearby cafes are scarce, with few cool drinks in summer and no cozy refuge in winter. Umbrellas and sunscreen are essentials. In summary, McGovern Centennial Gardens is undeniably attractive, with its lush greenery, grass pyramid, and serene rose garden. In terms of practicality, the garden doesn't offer much beyond its striking appearance akin to a mantle showpiece, much like Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park. It's somewhat surprising that these serene attractions are the first things that come to mind when people are asked about "fun" activities in Houston.

McGovern Is a great place to walk around with the family and enjoy nature. Plenty of space. The garden and the plants were beautiful and so were all of the old beautiful trees! I would love to come back during the fall!

Beautiful place to stop by for a walk or just to spend some time admiring nature and taking a step back from the bustle of the city. There's a nice gravel path for walking and enjoying the various flora there.

An amazing space with great venue vibe and atmosphere. Whoever designed this did a fantastic job

My husband and I love McGovern Centennial Gardens, so much so that we got married there! We love the rose garden, fountain, and light hiking around the grounds!

Visiting from NY and this is probably my favorite park I've visited. I was lucky to find a shady area (there are not many and the sun is blazing) and sat for about an hour after waking the premises for some time. It's beautiful and well up kept. The garden plants and flowers are beautiful abundant and vibrant. They are very strict about photography so if you plan to take professional pictures or use professional camera be ware you need a permit. Aside from the lack of shade, this is a must visit. If i would have found it earlier i probably would have come very day to sit around and read.

Really nice park/garden to walk around. Very clean and lots of green. I really like the water fountains and this spiral walk up to the top. You get a really nice view of everything when you reach the top. This is a great place for a nice family walk, picnic or just to get some fresh air. Wish I had more time to really walk around more and to the sides. Seems to have a lot to look at. They close at 7 and I got there a bit late so not much time to really look around. We saw a lot of kids having there prom and graduation photos being taken. I'll be back!

Love this place. Not too crowded and has so many good views to sit back and relax. They maintain the park very good with keeping up on flowers. If you are at Hermann park or science museum then it's right across from them.

Beautiful urban garden in the museum district. Surprising to find so many different ecosystems--woodland, arid, rose, vegetable and sculpture gardens-- and more. Climb the path that winds past a man made "waterfall" up to the top of a mount that offers a panoramic view of the park. Picture perfect on a breezy, sunny winter day. The Family Garden is full of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Fun to experience the scents, colors and touch that are grown in the garden. Many sculptures are scattered throughout the garden ranging from Ghandi to MLK to a sculpture walk, ranging from the explorer Cabeza de Vaca to José de San Martin who helped liberate Argentina. The friendship pavilion was donated by Houston's sister city, Taipei, during the US bicentennial. The Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion can host special events. Great way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Gorgeous free park with easy parking, clean restrooms, water feature and great for pets and families. Rose garden is cute wish they had more varieties than just the knock out roses. The veggie garden is usually fun to visit too. Highly recommended!

A pocket park within Hermann Park. It is located at the North end of Hermann park close to Miller Outdoor Theater. Free 3 hours public parking at the front entrance. Beautiful flower garden and a magnificent waterfall tower anchor this gem. One can ascend to the summit of the water tower by a circular path for a stunning 360 degree view. In addition to beautiful flowers, there are also various green plants, bushes, and a pond. Space can be rented for special event.

This lovely serene park is located in the middle of the museum district right across the street from the natural science museum. Such a beautiful place for a date at this time. Plenty of outdoor space overlooking the museum district and boy is it a scene! It's absolutely stunning and the architecture of this park is something that you need to whitness at least once when visiting Houston. Esthetically this is one of my favorite city parks to walk around and enjoy the marvels of what the gardens offer. Its always a please! Highly recommended!

One of my favorite parks/gardens in Houston. So many nice things to visit and see while you walk and get some steps in. I always absorb the good energy here. So many nice planted flowers and landscaping. Lots of animals like squirrels, butterflies etc. Very relaxing. If I lived closer to this park I would be here a lot more often. If you live near the heights or memorial area this is a must see park. When I lived in the heights I would come here all the time. So many nice statues scattered throughout the park. Some very nice water attractions as well. Lots of nice trials for walking running jogging etc. They have food trucks that post up of you get hungry. You can also rent bikes as well. Lots to do at this park. Great for photography shoots too.

Wonderful area for a picnic Great walk with statues Amazing for a sunday funday They usually have ice cream trucks for refreshments

Nice place for photo ops. Very relaxing & serene. They had a few food trucks out in front that sold milkshakes & slushies as well as food. The place is very clean & has its own parking lot where parking is free. You can park by the zoo & walk, but it is a long walk from Hermann Park. Well maybe to me it was long since I had my 6 yr old with me. I couldn't see him doing that in the Texas heat, so we drove over. This place has additional trails on the outside of it that you can access from the inside. They have restrooms, vending machines & water fountains. Very nice addition to Houston. There's seating right when you enter. Admission is free.

A beautiful and relaxing garden to take a stroll in. You can take a walk through the rose garden filled with blooming pink roses. You can also just sit on the bench underneath the arches. There is also a Confucius statue nearby and a small little temple to relax in. My favorite was the green dome with the waterfall as you walk up to the top. You get a view of the entire park. There is also a botanical garden. It's fun just to walk around and be educated about the different plants. The area has a fountain which is great for taking pictures for a special occasion. It's a bonus if the weather is nice and not too hot. Herman Park is also right around the corner. Parking is Herman or there is street parkings. Overall, definitely check it out if you're new in town.

I feel terrible for neglecting this beautiful park for so many years. It's such a beautiful place to visit. I first visited some time many years ago, but I've found myself back here twice in the last three days. I was approached with the idea of having a picnic here and my response was "people have picnics there?". Sure enough when I arrived I saw people scattered throughout the park having their own little picnic and enjoying the weather. We found a little spot off in the corner, laid down our blankets, and just enjoyed the nice the weather and some good food (I picked up Al's Quick Stop and Teahouse drinks for us prior). This park has become my favorite after that little picnic.

I often visited a Japanese garden in Hermann Park.Regarding McGovern Gardens, I was not interested in it. I just wanted to check bluebonnets flowers in McGovern Garden. I visited on Sunday, April 5th 2020.t was less crowded than a regular Sunday because of coronavirus. Some of the people were walking.I tried to make 6 feet social distance. The garden was big.I tried to find bluebonnets.I saw many statues such as Simon Bolivar and Jose Rizal.I couldn't see the flowers. When I saw Mahatma Gandhi's statue, The flowers are located behind Gandhi. It looked like Gandhi protected the flowers. I walked around the park.I found a toro -stone lantern which was a gift from Chiba City in Japan.I also found a famous pavilion from Taipei Taiwan. There was a statue of Confucious who was a Chinese philosopher. It looked like some Western Style garden. However, I saw some diversity in the garden. Please visit here!

Really pretty collection of gardens near the museum. It's nice for an afternoon to walk around and see all the flowers and plants. It's beautiful and even when it's packed you can usually find parking. Gardens are well maintained and always blooming. One of my fave spots in Houston!

Be a tourist in your own town , bring out of town guest for a cute photo-op , or have a wedding ! Beautifully manicured lawn, wide variety of flowers, easily walkable , and chairs to sit and rest/talk There is free parking just up the street (about a block) and entrance to the garden is free Highly recommend !

Very special place, must see if you enjoy being outside. This huge garden is the perfect place to enjoy the outdoors on a beautiful day. It's so beautiful and located in the museum district with plenty to do and eat in the area. There's always a food truck in the parking lot on the weekends. Parking can be tricky on the weekends so get avoid peak times like 11am or be willing to park outside of the designated parking lot. We love this space so much that we took our engagement and maternity photos here. The garden is huge and offers plenty of beautiful trees, flowers, and other plants. There's also a section that has fruits and veggies. You can walk up "the mount," enjoying the sound from the waterfall and catch a great view of the entire area.

I loved it! It was so beautiful and calming. I loved walking around and seeing all the different plants and artifacts from the garden. There are plenty of places to sit if you get tired or if you just want to chill. I will definitely be going back.

Beautiful and amazing. Why have I never been here before? No idea. It all looks pretty new though so maybe it wasn't me. Great statues and things to see and just plain relaxing. Wish I had come here before but I've been trying to see all of Houston. The weather in the spring is perfect to visit here so don't miss out!

Gorgeous place! Beautifully kept grounds, plenty of space to roam around, and picnic areas. I think it'd be more enjoyable early in the morning or in the afternoons as the midday heat is almost unbearable. Hoping to visit again.

Great urban getaway. Especially for naturalists. Great place for hosting events. Free for general entrance.

If you like gardens, walking trails, and climbing a mountain 'pike's peak style' via an easy walking path to a panoramic high-point houston overlook, this is your place! I first noticed this on the way from the typical museum free parking lot (on way to zoo). You pretty much have to go through or next to it on the way to the Natural Science Museum. Big, beautiful elaborate fountains and pools with lounge chairs to sit in alongside, artificial turf grass area for kids, seasonal massive public gardens with all the veggies you can imagine, incredible gardening for a horticulturalist or even botanist, and a massively impressive trail that encircles a tall grass covered mound with a very impressive waterfall coming down it, just to hit the main keywords. There is an activity center where they have classes too, with signs at each entrance that inform you of the latest events (see pics). I always make a concerted effort to come through here to see what new things are in the garden, to get a great view of the city, and to relax.

Years ago, this location where McGovern Centennial Gardens was something else totally different. What it was mainly the establishment called Houston Garden Center (not the Nursery with the yellow/red umbrella logo) that housed many, rose patches and gardens and the parking lot. But lo and behold, there was a renovation project a few years back (believe started around 2014-2015) in which they would tear down the building there that once served as meeting places and administrative offices, relocated the roses as well as some of the other structures, including the large gazebo that was gifted from Taiwan as a symbol of friendship, as well as made room for additional spaces. We were pretty sad to see the Houston Garden Center go, because we loved looking at the roses there and some of those were huge adult palm sized varieties that my mother-in-law regarded as monstrous. For a long time as we visited Hermann Park and the Houston Zoo, there it was, a high, large mound, for which we weren't sure what to make of, because that was the only thing we can see towering over the construction fences and the rest remained shrouded in mystery. It was not until one day a back that we thought one day, we wondered how the renovation project went for where the HGC was. We were truly amazed at what became of it. Gone were the small parking spaces (that were highly coveted, free extra outdoor parking spaces for the Houston Museum of Natural Science, as there was fee for parking in the parking garage there), and replaced by larger (still free), parking lots that up until our most recent visit offered plenty of parking space. Once we walked in there, the covered entrance area opened our eyes up to water fountains, sitting areas, large lawns, and in the distance, the mound that was the subject for our discussion turned into a spiral walk way that had water cascading down its side and into the large pull of water below. Walking up there gave a pretty nice view of Hermann Park area. The rest of the gardens were divided into different section, on one side was a herb / vegetable / fruit trees garden. On the far end side was where they relocated some of the statues that was part of the rose garden. Another side was where the new rose gardens and the gazebo. I thought it was pretty interesting idea, but honestly I thought the roses had better care when it was at their old location. There is no admission fees for the gardens, but I do believe you can also request to hold special events here for a fee as my best man's sister got married here. All in all, it is a nice place to visit. The garden and surrounding areas were adorned by a sea of azaleas, it was probably one of the reasons so many people were out there. Spring is coming and people like to see signs of new life and growth.

Its a good thing Houston has lots of parks that you don't have to pay for. I always like it like that. Whenever I think of parks, I always think of how it helps the environment and the ecosystem..call me a tree hugger.. and don't care. We are connected as a family to benefit from each other: the plants give off oxygen so we can breathe in and we release (other than raw air from our bodies) carbon dioxide that helps the plants survive in their natural habitat. I definitely like this park mostly because it displays a lot of what I like which is gardens. I took my boyfriend here because we both love gardens and have a passion for botany..he immediately fell in love with this place. The maintenance guy that works here is pretty cool; he always tries to take your picture while you are viewing the family garden (that's the one with all the vegetables and fruit trees), I honestly can't remember his name right now, but will leave it as a tip when I think of it. He also has a garden himself.. The thought that they actually had another underdeveloped garden here before doesn't ring a bell to me, but I'm sure glad they decided to build this one up and create a space for it. Its so peaceful here well when it isn't hot or humid.. The only thing I don't like about this park is the fact that the plants don't have name-tags to them; you can't identify the name of the plant, so if you wanna plant some in your own personal garden. They are wonderful to look at, but without having a name to the face..it pretty much disappoints me. If you enjoy walking, nature, and gardens you will adore this park. The parking is pretty convenient though I can't promise that you'll park under a shade tree.

This was an unexpected treat on our vacation visit to Houston. We were intending to just walk the adjacent Herman Park and found this spot around their closing time and made a note to return. The next morning we were planning a day at the Museum and arrived 30 minutes before the museum opened so we got a chance to stop and smell the roses - literally. The grounds and fountain are beautiful and I was so pleased there is no admission fee. There is a gift shop that sells lite fair but that's the only thing with a fee. I would love to go back again in the spring when everything is in bloom. Recommended for all ages and abilities.

McGovern Centennial Gardens is definitely a breath of beautiful fresh air in the middle of Houston. Regardless of the infamous Houston heat, this park/garden is worth the stroll through. Whether you're on a date with the significant other, taking the kids out, or just wanting to enjoy the great outdoors, I recommend coming here. It features many quaint walking paths, rose garden, multiple nice water fountains, benches to sit on, and a plethora of other scenic attractions to catch your eye. The main attraction though is the circular hill with the waterfall on it. It has a walking path that winds around the circumference of the hill, and at the top you're blessed with one of the most picturesque/iconic Houston views. What's also nice is the location of the gardens. Within walking distance is the Museums, Hermann Park, Miller Outdoor Theatre, and the Houston Zoo. Enjoy, Houston!

It is a cool park but the two main problems with it are too many people and much too limited hours to fully enjoy the space. It is a chill place to camp out with a book, your school work, or your iPad if you time it exactly correct when you can snag a table. This is almost always impossible since there are too many people. Too many people means it is no longer peaceful with the gurgling water since the various shrieks of children and people talking far too loudly for a peaceful environment wrecks shop on the intended serenity. Then of course you need to contribute to the noise yourself by repeatedly Frank Costanza-ing "SERENITY NOW!!!!!!!!!" to the world. With less people, or more white noise to envelop the tables this park would be better as far as serenity goes. With less people, or many more tables possible to grab for a study sesh this would be better as far as a non-coffeeshop second study spot about town. I climbed the thingy in the park and the view was neat. I recommend doing that whether or not you intend to stick around to read/study/think about life.

This place is super awesome. It's surprising that Houston actually has something as beautiful as this place. Although the scenery is artificially made, I think it's worthy enough to be photographed for a magazine cover. On the gorgeous day that I went, there were people everywhere just strolling up the hill, taking graduation pictures, and even having a little picnic. It's a very nice addition to Herman park. The actual size of this garden isn't too big. You may end up spending about 30-40 minutes here. The only negative is finding parking. You can take a chance parking at the zoo for free, but on the weekends or holiday, it gets packed. I was stuck in that New York style traffic jam parking lot for almost 30 minutes. My advise is to park far away and just walk to the park. If you don't mind paying a bunch of money, you can park in the Science Museum parking lot.

The first time I tried to come here, it was actually closed =( I had to wait a few months before it was open to the public to visit it. They are still finishing it up and it won't be complete for awhile, but until then it is at least open to the public. The views are wheelchair/stroller accessible. It's located right across the street from the museum of natural science just in case GPS acts up. Once inside, the main attraction is the spiraling hill. You do have to make circles up, there is no shortcut, but as you walk up you get to see all of your surroundings. This park is beautiful and now there is another way to get up to see it from high above. I cannot wait for the greenery to grow upon the canopies along the sides. It looks like they are going to have a space for food service and potentially for weddings and events?! If so this will be my location of choice if it's within budget!

This is a BEAUTIFUL place to visit in Houston. Whether you're a local or a visitor you should check this place out, and PLEASE don't let heat be a deterrent- there's normally an ice cream vendor nearby to take care of you :) The McGovern Gardens opened up pretty recently within the past 5 years and is an amazing addition addition to the Houston museum district. It features a community garden, a Japanese garden, and a self sustaining hilltop with a small water fixture. This is an amazing place for a walk or for a photo shoot! So happy this exists.

Really nice and relaxing garden to spend a great afternoon looking at various botanic, walking up a mountain with waterfalls, and people watching. The parking lot was jam packed in the early afternoon but not unmanageable to find a spot. The gardens appear well maintained and the guards seem to enforce safety for the little ones playing near the fountains right by the entrance. In contrary, it was not safe or pleasant on the mountain in which we circled up to the top in order to get a nice aerial view of the vicinity, because several kids (parents next to them) were splashing the water with their hands onto pedestrians that were making way to the peak. I don't understand why these parents don't control their kids and don't see how it is perfectly fine to splash water on other people who don't intend to get wet. There are places with splash pads for those looking for fun with water. This is just not the place to do it. I was shocked to see several people stop in their tracks to wait for the kids to take a break from splashing and then crossing like it's a game of some sort. It's not! And it's not appropriate. For the safety of children and comfort of the general public please have a guard watch over the waterfalls. The arids were beautiful and so was the rose garden. I also enjoyed the architecture and Confucius statue. Great place for pictures.

Wanna know where you can find the highest hilltop point in Houston? Check out the city's newest garden and event space, McGovern Centennial Gardens. It's a 15-acre park complete with a 30-foot mount overlooking the Med Center and Museum District, rose gardens, herb gardens, fountains and sculptures, and even an area where weddings and other ceremonies can take place. ...They already have 60+ events scheduled for the new year. And the entry pavilion was designed by architect Peter Bohlin, the famous designer of Apple stores. He was actually in attendance at the Hermann Park Conservancy members event.

Being a big fan of the old Garden Center with the flowers, I was not happy when I saw that the park was closed and under construction. It turns out that the Hermann Park Conservancy knew what they were doing and the new Centennial Gardens is absolutely beautiful. You can have a great view if you go up the little mountain or just relax around the park. Having gone up there 3 times in one setting, I can tell you that it's actually quite a bit of a workout so if you have elderly or out of shape people in your group, you may want to take it slow. The only negative I have is a lot of photographers seem to act like they own the place and plop their tripod right in front of hill and block the view of other photographers trying to take pictures. It seems a bit hypocritical for me of all people to say that since I love photography but common courtesy of just taking your picture and getting out of the way seems lost on many. Continuing with putting my fellow photographers on blast, I think that a lot of professional wedding and portrait photographers are also abusing the courtesy given to them and taking up a disproportionate use of the park for their business and blocking the pathways and sooner or later they shouldn't be too shocked if professional photography is either banned or requires a permit. It always starts out being open until people start abusing it. Just sayin'. Oh, and watch out for unruly children running down the hill. But anyway, don't let that get in the way of your enjoyment. It's a beautiful park.

I have been to several gardens and this one is by far my favorite. I've been here with my boyfriend many times and we keep coming back because it has such a beautiful sight. Reaching the top of the hill to overlook the entire garden is a magnificent view. There is a lot to see and do here and it is such a peaceful environment to connect with nature. It is always well kept. The perfect time to visit the garden is during the spring when it's not too hot or too cold. I've loved all my experience here, and I will keep returning. I recommended visiting this garden if you haven't already done so. And afterwards you can just walk over to Hermann park.

I came on a Saturday around 3:30 and was not able to find parking until 4. Be aware that it is crowded on the weekends and you still have to pay for parking on Saturdays. If the weather is beautiful and the sun is out, enjoy your day here. Great views and great place for a picnic.

The two statues of Gandhi and MLK at the entrance set a theme that reflects well in this space. It is worth taking the spiral up the hill to enjoy the skyscraper panorama.

Instantly fell in love with this place! No doubt that this is the perfect place to bring that special someone and have a picnic or just stroll the magical garden. I would also recommend this as background to anyone who needs to get their pictures done. There were two gardens: rose garden and farmers garden. The rose garden - very Tumblr - smells AHHHMAZING - cute photo background The farmers garden - herbs and vegetables are planted here - it's educational (they have gatherings to learn how to plant and grow certain plants) - well managed In addition, they have seatings, restrooms, and vending machines at the back. Definitely a great place to read while your kids run around the place.

I got asked to show a photography permit just cause I had a nice camera. Are you kidding me?! But prior to being scorned, I saw several people with nice cameras taking pictures of people... Not one of them was approached. I doubt they had permits...since a permit to take professional pictures is $128 (which I later looked up). The worker who approached me was very rude about it. Gave me a sour taste of this place.

What a haven, a refuge, a place of peace and beauty in a natural setting providing a relaxing area for families, walkers with dogs, gorgeous flora, water fountains and water fall, all within walking distance of the Medical Center and Museum District. It says "Houston cares for its people!" Don't know what I would have done without it while a family member was being treated at MD Anderson. A real gem!

I love all things Houston, especially when its something people would be surprised to stumble upon in our concrete jungle. The McGovern Centennial Gardens are gorgeous; I love the feeling of tranquility you get when you walk up the spiral hill to get a view of the surrounding museum district area. Better yet, take some time to read all of the signs about the plants in the gardens, enjoy the small monuments and statues that speckle the walkways, and find yourself in a quiet corner of the large park space. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend afternoon outdoors.

I LOVE that this park exists!! I was looking for a low-key place to enjoy the weather with my bf, and this park has been bookmarked in my yelp app ever since it opened. I'm so glad we went, because we were pleasantly surprised by all of the gardens and greenery that we could just gaze at. My bf likes to build models and was able to take in some inspiration from the gardens. His sister-in-law saw our pictures on facebook, and commented that she wanted to visit when they're in town. There's a beautiful rose garden where they can take pictures of their new daughter. This area is a great setting for natural pictures, as we saw LOTS of photographers out taking engagement photos, etc. We were able to walk over to the Miller Outdoor theater, zoo and Japanese gardens from this park. If you haven't been to this park yet, GO!

This is such an improvement on what was here before! The gardens are BEAUTIFUL. Grab a book and read in the chairs on the far side the hill or bring a blanket and read or hang out on the lawn closer to the hill, and don't miss walking up the hill to experience the view! Stunning gardens! Do NOT miss it when you visit Hermann Park!

Pretty gardens. Lot of fancy flowers and well-kept plant formations(??). I waited here for while in between museum visits. Good place to take pics too!

I saw these free plants here today with my boyfriend and we decided to take some to nurse back to health. On our way back, my boyfriend and I were stopped by a lady(I'm assuming an employee) who questioned us about taking the plants without permission. We informed her that there was a sign stating free and we were willing to walk back and show her but instead, another worker walked back with us and confirmed. The employees here need to work on their communication skills and know what is going on in their park before they stop innocent people and make them feel like a criminal who is stealing plants. Instead we should of been greeted with a smile and "Im so happy to see people who are interested in gardening, maybe y'all would like to come volunteer sometime" like my boyfriend and I had discussed doing beforehand, now we aren't sure.

One of the most beautiful parks I have ever been to! It's open to the public and feel free to bring friends, family, or possibly your cute date. Take a step back and really and enjoy the nice weather, the green grass, and the plants all around you. There's a hill that spirals up and you can seriously see part of Houston from that view. It's right next to Hermann Park and there's just so much to see and do. So many people of all ages come to just relax and enjoy the park.