Rienzi, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The moment I walked in, I thought: “The Versailles of Texas…!” Go & see rare, exquisite art & artifacts from around the globe. You won’t be disappointed!

What a cool little place. I had no idea it was in Houston and was delighted to take a tour! We were the only ones on the entire tour and it was super neat to see some very cool collections of plates, sculptures, and paintings. The garden out back is also beautiful and simply lovely to walk around. This place deserves more publicity as it was a very unique thing to do here in H Town, I really enjoyed it and found a “hidden gem” activity. Very neat to explore if you’ve never been!

This Museum was very well taken care of. The door guide was very sweet and very informative. They allowed us to ask so many questions and she gave the best answers she could possibly give. She was very kind to the children and help them with answers to their questions. She took her time out to explain to them something that would help them understand the reference of its meaning. Over all this is a must see!

This art gallery is a historical and artful look at examples of Mexican, English, French, and Spanish art gathered together in this beautiful historic home, in River Oaks along the buffalo bayou. The collection ranges from 1700-1950 and belonged to an influential couple, Carrol and Harris Masterson in Houston's high society built in 1952.

A wonderful slice of Houston history and nice artwork. The grounds are well maintained and was happy to have had the chance to visit. Was able to get a tour, I’m not sure if there always one available but it made the experience more enjoyable and educational.

Absolutely lovely tour and tour guide. It is about an hour long and guided inside. Beautiful artworks and furniture. Mainly European, but also some Spanish and Asian inspired art. If you are into art history you will enjoy this

Worst museum I've ever been to. It was kind of eerie honestly. You can't enter without payment and thent he guides follow you around the whole time, even if you ask to be self-guided. The house itself feels haunted but that's just my opinion.

The Rienzi is a little gem in the middle of the city. The gardens are gorgeous and well maintained and the house is stunning. Dustin ing our visit, docents we’re in the rooms throughout the house to give details of the room and little bits of information about the Mastersons. I had no idea the family supported the arts to the degree which they did and most of the arts in Houston are a result of their generosity. There are events held at the house throughout the year. It’s a lovely place to spend some time wandering through the gardens or sitting by the pool.

Decided to come to the beautiful Bayou Bend Gardens in Houston on a warm Houston day. The audio self guided tour on our phone was perfect for us as we winded through the 2 floors of Ima Hoggs home built in 1928. Appreciated the a/ c after being in 100+ degree days in Htown. The staff was lively and helpful with wonderful stories as they guided us to each room. We learned that IMA' s father put nails on their home's banister to keep kids from sliding down banister after her brother fell off it and broke his arm. We also learned that Margaret Thratcher slept in the housekeeper quarters when she visited with President Bush. After a tour of her home, we maraudered through the gardens . It was quiet ,peaceful, and wonderful to catch the end of the day before they closed. Plan on returning when everything is lit up for the December holidays .

Ive been to Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens around 5 times and always love this place! It's a hidden gem in the heart of Houston. For adults its $7.50 and you pay at the "museum" area then can drive down to the garden area. They will double check you have a ticket/sticker before you enter the garden area. The house/mansion is only for the house tour so if you do not pay for it, I don't believe you can enter. This is definitely a place for pictures and dressing cute. You are not able to bring food/drinks (except water), dogs, or "professional photographer". I think there is a high fee for professional photographers but you can take pictures with your phone. Every time I have gone recently there has been construction around the entrance and towards the houses so you cannot walk by the "neighborhood" attached to the garden. I would recommend anyone who enjoys parks to Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. I will most likely be coming back!

Looking for a new experience, our local friends took us to Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. It is part of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). We visited on a weekday, and there were no crowds. Plenty of parking for everyone. To enter the grounds you cross this terrific pedestrian walking bridge called the Hogg Bridge. Cool place for photo opps. Best not to take too long on the bridge because the staff will ask you to keep moving for safety reasons. We entered through the gift shop. They did a temperature scan of each one of us, and masks were required at the time of our visit. We chose to do both the house tour and garden tour. There is no tour guide, but they do have a detailed audio guide that you should download to learn as you go through each station. They only allowed a maximum total of 5 people per group. The house is the former home of Houston Philanthropist Ima Hogg. Inside each room you will see so many antique furnishings, paintings, plus more. Make sure not to touch anything and no flash photography people!!! The gardens were not blooming so we had bad timing in regards to that. Still, it was fun walking and exploring the grounds. Overall, it was well spent afternoon at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. Most of the staff was good. Two of the staff members were EXEPTIONAL!!! Wish I had remembered their names for a shout out. They said that Christmas time is a great time to come back because the place is all decorated! Hope to do that one day.

Bayou Bend is not actually a park, but a museum (part of the MFAH system). It's the former home of Houston philanthropist, Ima Hogg. Her mansion is available to tour, but if you're like us and prefer the outdoors to the stuffy inside of a decorative mansion, garden-only tickets are also available. The cost for house tour + gardens is $12.50 (for adults), $11 with student ID. Garden only tickets are $7.50 for adults, $6 with student ID. You will first need to go into the main museum entrance to buy tickets from the gift shop. Then, proceed (either via driving or walking) ~1 mile down the road to the garden/house parking lot. It is a little pricey to visit, so I would encourage you to visit in the spring when the flowers are in full bloom. Also keep in mind the hours when planning your visit. It's only open until 5p every day of the week (closed on Mondays). This wouldn't be one to visit after a long day at work. I recommend giving yourself 2-3 hours to enjoy the gardens. There's 14 acres of land to explore here. Ms. Ima Hogg had an absolutely gorgeous garden in her backyard. Come well-dressed because the sculptures and gardens offer great photo opportunities. Take a look at our photos below!

VISITING BAYOU BEND: -Guided tours are available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 10am - 140pm; Friday and Saturday: 10am - 1145am. Tours begin approximately every 15-20 minutes. -Reservations are not required. -Self-guided tours are available outside of the guided tour times. -Guided tours are suspended during August (self-guided tours are available all day). -The guided tour options include either a highlights tour (1 hour) or a study tour (1.5 hours). The longer tour includes more rooms and more in-depth info. Personally, I felt like the 1 hour tour was sufficient for me. -Tickets must be purchased at the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center (6003 Memorial Drive). There is a relatively small parking lot. While you are there, you can also watch an orientation video and check out a room with information (as well as some artifacts) relating to the Hogg family. I'd recommend carving out a few minutes to do this before your tour so you don't have to come back. After you buy tickets for a designated tour time, you make a right on Westcott and take that down until you hit a large parking lot. That's where you'll park for the house tour. To get to the house, you cross a cool suspension bridge. An employee will meet you on the other side and direct you to the cottage, where you'll meet your docent. -The tour: you cannot bring a purse on the tour but they have free lockers at the cottage. There is a bathroom at the cottage but not at the house area. Finally, you can't bring a water bottle on the tour. This was a bit disconcerting for me since I'm 6 months pregnant and always thirsty. The docents were really understanding and offered to have me leave my water bottle with the house guard, just in case I needed to have quick access to it. I will say that the house is air-conditioned and pretty comfortable. There is some stair-climbing involved but nothing too intense. Overall, I really enjoyed learning about Ima Hogg and her contributions. She's kind of a big deal in the Houston area (making strides in education, mental health, and the arts). I'm glad I chose the 1 hour highlights tour - it provided just enough information for me. I came on a Tuesday morning and had a docent all to myself. I'm glad I didn't do the self-guided tour because I was able to ask questions. The set-up of the house is a little different from what you'd expect. Only two rooms are reflective of the exact furniture set-up during Ima Hogg's time there. The rest of the rooms are furnished using furniture from the relevant time period and intended to showcase different design elements/styles prevalent during that time. The gardens are also quite lovely. Make sure you carve out some time after your tour to explore them. You can also pay a reduced admission and just visit the gardens. Big thanks to my docent, Mary. She was friendly and knowledgeable and made me feel comfortable during my solo tour. Everyone I encountered was really sweet and amicable, aside from the dude working the register at the cottage gift shop. That being said, the gift shop itself is pretty great. It's small however the selections were well-curated and unique. Recommended if you enjoy historic homes, gardens, and local history. I tried to include as much info here as possible but their webpage (part of the MFAH website) is very thorough and useful.

Took my father while he was sick and he absolutely loved it. Amazing acres of open field and I love it

Lovely place for a stroll among calm gardens and to get a glimpse of the previous century's way of life.

I'm a native Houstonian and somehow managed to miss this one! I love the gardens at the Hogg mansion - it's like being in The Secret Garden! A great time to explore here is during the annual Azalea Trail - expect to see gorgeous floral displays!!

WOWWWW!!! Been a Houstonian my entire life and how have I never been here!? This place is amazing. Peaceful, tranquil and beautiful. $25 for 2 tickets to enter. There is a tour you can take inside of the mansion. Creepy but worth it. My favorite part was exploring the gardens and taking a long stroll getting lost around the bayou bend paths. Breathtaking gardens and scultures.. great date idea and great for family/friends as well.

Came here to visit the gardens. The bridge is beautiful and the gardens as well. There is a quaint ticketing office/gift shop, and the employees are very helpful. The phone website audio tour works moderately well - there are times where it'll say press XXX for more info, but it doesn't work with the website format. I tried dialing in, but the numbers weren't aligned properly with the tour. They are suspending in person tours during the pandemic. Overall, a beautiful place to visit that would be undoubtedly even more beautiful in the springtime when the flowers blossom.

Exploring Houston and my friend found this place. We decided to check it out. Wanted to do a little walking/hiking. There's not a lot to walk here but the scenery is nice. We didn't not go into the historical house. I think this would be a cute place for a wedding. I think it's about 12 bucks to get in. That is for the garden only. No historical house. Parking is free.

Beautiful hidden spot and the grounds are kept exceptionally clean. However my only Issue is while we were taking a picture of the bridge, not on the bridge the attendant walked across to have us cross over immediately which I throughly was weird. Once you enter the museum they have strict rules. I understand they want to preserve the history but it was not that full and sometimes you accidentally rub against things causing a loud alarm to go off Other than that the attendants are very educated about the history behind this beautiful governors daughters home and all the different architecture. It's such an informative trip and the way they have preserved this home is exceptional. While some things such as the wall papers are not original they have replicated it well. It is worth a visit. You are transformed into a different time as you walk through the grounds and there's so many nice trials and walkways throughout that you can spend any of time there. The cost is 12.50 a person which is also a great price considering how much they take care of this establishment

What a wonderful way to spend a day at these beautiful gardens. Take the historical tour of the mansion where Ima Hogg lived. It has interesting artifacts and it has been beautifully restored. This is a must see if your touring the houston area. The gift shop is nice and the workers are super friendly and helpful. Parking is free and accessible.

I went to this location to enjoy myself before the start of my holiday. Upon arrival to the gardens,  I proceeded into the cottage house where a senior man  approached me and asking where I am from.  I told the staff I'm from New York. He took a pause and looked at me, as if scanning me like a robot. He then asked without hesitation 'are you asian'. Of course I am person of different ethnic origins. He tried to speak a different language to me that I'm not familiar with, not once but twice. The language he spoke to me was"xiexie and ni hao" I can't believe someone of this age  could be overconfident to bluntly ask me this question. I think he has forgotten America is a country made up of diverse of different cultures. After this incident, I was so disappointed at how unprofessional the staff is. The tour was a total waste of my time.

The house, garden and collection are all lovely. The app they've made for the house is honestly not very good. There isn't enough information on the objects nor does it include important objects like the many wonderful paintings in the home. The staff here all need to be retrained asap (with the exception of one kind security man who was the first person we encountered in the house). They are the rudest group of museum employees I have met in a long time. The man selling tickets was awful - wouldn't take the time to look at my business card (I am a fellow museum employee - not for the MFAH but for elsewhere). It is common courtesy for museums to extend a discount to other museum workers. Funny enough, the main campus at MFAH had no problem with this! The woman in the gazebo near the house was clearly not thrilled to see visitors. Security in the house followed us around each room with about 6 inches of distance, sighing loudly. We were the ONLY people in the house, there was no reason to rush us and the museum wasn't closing for another 2 hours. I felt so uncomfortable, I couldn't wait to leave. Having been to the main MFAH campus, I am not surprised by the lack of manners in your visitor services/security employees. I wouldn't come back here.

This place is really nothing to write home about. The gardens are well tended but they are boring and nothing to see. The employees are " texas wierd". If youve been to any gardens world wide this one sucks. The " house" is just some dead rich broads belongings in a dusty house. Waste of time if you ask me.

This place is fantastic! We went for the Christmas village and it was so pretty. I absolutely think it's worth the trip. The lights were everywhere and they were beautiful! They had a cotton snowball fight for the kids, which was a lot of fun. A tent with wine for purchase, a Christmas tree and Santa for pictures. There was also a short movie about the spirit of the bayou bend house giving Santa a hard time getting in the house( kind of funny). The house tours were limited to a few rooms downstairs, but it was a cute little act with hired actors. They were also showing cartoons on one side of the garden.I will definitely be back to see the grounds during the daytime. MFAH did a fantastic job with Bayou Bend.

This is always a spectacular destination in Houston for ALL persons whether in a historical, horticulturist, adventurous or playful mood. i love it as a place to enjoy the beauty of outdoor Houston because it's well shaded and you can break your trip into parts to include the air conditioned mansion so you don't swelter when it's the usual hot and humid, which it can be any time of year anyway. But in looking for things to do outdoors, it ranks up there in the top 5 things to do in H-town and is one of the few gardens in the Houston area, sadly, until the Houston Botanic Garden opens in the near future. It's in a nice location for us, near downtown and many great food venues, being just off Memorial Drive. The initial walk from the parking lot is over a grand suspension bridge from which it gets its name Bayou Bend. It's an odd feeling to be walking across something so robust looking and to feel the motions of the entire bridge like an earthquake, especially noticeable when you stop to look at the views, which are, until the end of the bridge, free. It obviously costs to get in and a bit more to tour the mansion, but it's well worth it! They have lockers, bathrooms, an information desk and very detailed maps. The headset audio tour may be good in the mansion, but for the gardens I would rather listen to nature I think. If I were by myself, I may do it though. Goes without saying that everyone is helpful and friendly, so don't hesitate to ask questions, as you will probably get more out of it than simple rote answers! You can probably spend hours wandering the trails and gardens themselves. There are many secluded areas with beautiful benches to sit and reflect and gaze high at the towering trees. Very peaceful and serene. I love how almost everything is meticulously labeled so we know what we are looking at, so I'm learning even when i don't feel like it. The mansion I think is a must for first timers. We've been a few times just for the gardens, but the rooms are so cool, and again, well labeled and historically significant to the area. It's a trip back in time and it's easy to picture yourself in this era. I remember the vacuum cleaner in the broom closet by the kitchen, talk about before its time! Look for it. Overall this is easily a five star business and a must for any Houstonian and a good idea for tourists and guests. Don't forget they have historical events so keep an eye out if you want an extra special visit.

I've lived in Houston my entire life and did not know this garden existed until recent months. I visited for engagement pictures with my fiancé shortly after we announced our engagement. The weather was a bit dreary out, but the gardens themselves have beautiful sculptures and greenery for great backdrops and backgrounds. We honestly felt as though we were in a whole different city. The parking lot for the gardens themselves is a bit hidden, and you have to cross a bridge in order to make it to the park- this is how hidden the grounds actually are. You have to pay a fee in order to enter, but it was worth the cost. My brother photographed us with a regular sony digital camera, with no issue at entrance, but I believe the experience may be a bit more complicated with professional camera equipment. All in all, I would definitely revisit for future photo shoots.

I am surprised to find out this place has only 53 reviews so far (5/29/2018). Then, this is still a hidden gem for visitors. This place reminds me Atlanta History Center in Atlanta GA (even on the way to get here). Gardens are beautiful and a good amount of walking paths (most of them are not wheelchair accessible friendly). Also there are lockers that you can store your belongings (free of charge). During hot days, it might be challenging for younger kids and elderly people (carrying a water bottle). Parking: Free of charge Tickets: There are multiple options. One thing that I would recommend is to purchase the House tour together (about $5 extra). Don't forget to ask some questions to the people who are working inside of the House

We decided to have a Houston Bucket List Day and included Bayou Bend on our itinerary for the day! We showed up just as they opened on a Sunday. Turns out it was Family Day, which seemed really sweet. However, there was a pretty long line to tour the house due to the event. It was a warm, muggy day, so I didn't feel like waiting to tour a crowded house, but we did wander around the gardens for a bit. They're quite lovely, but not too extensive. Still, quite nice on a pretty day. (Not sure it's worth paying for, so I wouldn't go unless you're planning on touring the house as well.)

What a hidden treasure this house and gardens turned out to be. Ima Hogg left behind a beautiful home and lush gardens to share with Houston. The azaleas were in full bloom which made the visit even more enjoyable. The docents are super friendly and knowledgeable. The manicured gardens, you tour at your own pace. Really lovely. Even the entrance which is reached via a suspension bridge is a part of the overall experience. Really good value for money.

A few stars, though I wish I could give more. It's a beautiful property with lots to see. Mostly stroller friendly with exception of very few paths and the house tour. One location for bathrooms, with two stalls in the ladies room. Sweet little cottage gift shop with lots of gardening books. They do sell water at the cottage, though I recommend bringing your own because they ran out. Lots to see and appreciate and marvel at. The house tour was where we had the most problems. The employees working inside should really understand that they can make or break people's experience there. One employee, who you ran into at the top of the stairs, just grunted and mumbled orders, which was rude as heck, and if he doesn't like his job, he should go elsewhere. Upstairs, in the room with the TOUCHABLE EXHIBIT, there are no signs saying NOT to touch them, so as we opened each drawer to marvel at the contents inside, one of the employees was visibly panicking telling us not to touch them. We respect rules, but if you have nothing posted, and the exhibit is set up like the other museums in Sugarland and Houston, we're gonna assume we can open the drawers. Not to mention, each drawer has a lock on it. So why the museum wouldn't post a sign saying to not touch the clearly touchable exhibit or lock the drawers is beyond me. We also felt rushed through each room and can't imagine having time to listen or read through the whole guided tour with the glares from employees and rate they were pushing people through. Look, we paid to see this house, we're not going to rush through it. And we forced ourselves to slow down so we could truly appreciate it, as what the original owner would've liked. Overall, it was an okay visit. I'd like to come back when the azaleas are in bloom, which the nice employee at the gift shop said was in Feb and March. Would we come back otherwise? Probably not. The house was beautiful inside and out, as were the gardens, but the rudeness of the employees and the rate that they were trying to get us to go through the house, really took away from the experience.

Beautiful gardens. Very nice staff. For $7.50, it's a nice, different Houston outdoors experience. We opted not to get house tour tickets but might check it out if we come back. Nice to discover stuff like this exists in Houston, and it's very affordable and accessible

If you love historic/antique/nostalgic sights and things, a fan of the MFAH, or curious about much of Houston, DO COME to the Bayou Bend Collection. It's a pretty oasis in the River Oaks areas and the Hogg House (or a mansion tbh) is so very well curated. The tour is docent-lead and I got the pleasure of being toured solo by ms Barrett. She gave extensive information about the house and its many themed rooms. You will be told that the main rooms (you can't go in all of em; most are for open viewing) are curated per ms Hogg's taste. There's Greek influence, Federalist influence, Chippendale, and even a room dating back to the 1600s. Curious about American furniture style and even from different states? You will learn a lot because a lot of the furniture placed in the rooms come from New England states, New York, Philadelphia, etc. My tour lasted about 70 minutes. The bridge is currently closed for repairs due to erosion underneath it. You still go by the address listed in the website to buy tix but you have to drive around (about 3-4min) to Lazy Lane to access the house, but fret not because then you'll see more of the colonial neighbourhood. It's very impressive to have this so very well taken care of in Houston. I'm also told Bayou Bend Collection serves events, esp during Xmas time. They said the best time to visit the gardens is in spring time when all the flowers in the gardens are blooming. What a beautiful place.

My fiancé and I enjoyed strolling the house and gardens! Very nice place to kill some time. The different rooms have different eras of furniture which is super interesting to me! They have lockers in the gift shop where you buy your tickets so you can put your belongings away for free. The staff inside the home was super friendly and educational. They even showed us some photos of when George W Bush had dinner in the dining room there! Not many of the plants in the gardens were blooming when we visited, but still super pretty.

This is an absolute gem--I'm coming from the San Francisco Bay Area and the only thing comparable in my area is Fioli Mansion and Gardens-- while Fioli is lovely, Irma Hogg's home and her collection not to mention the gardens far surpass it. The docents that guided me on the tour today, Virginia and Bill were both knowledgeable and friendly--they made the tour thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend seeing the collection, the home, and the grounds, whether you are a local or visiting from out of town.

The people that work there were rude and unhelpful . I was shocked. Bad experience all around because of the welcome. Just awful.

My review is just of the gardens. I intended to do both the garden and the house but the house is only available via a tour and my timing was off. I did not want to wait another hour before seeing the house so I decided just to tour the garden. It costs 3 dollars for just the garden or 10 for both the house and the garden. The coolest thing is the trip from the parking lot to the grounds. You get to cross a suspension bridge. The gardens themselves are pretty nice and relaxing but the fact that I had to pay to enjoy nature kind of bugged me. I will update once I get inside the house but for the gardens it was nice seeing some of the nicely designed bushes, I guess the 3 dollars goes towards keeping this place very well maintained.

Now this was what we wanted to kick off our Memorial Day weekend. Even though the colorful blooming flowers were limited, it was a wonderful and informative tour through the gardens and the gorgeous historic mansion tucked into the bend of Houston's iconic waterway, Buffalo Bayou. We had been here before for their Christmas season festivities, but this was a unique chance to see what Houston's grand dame of the 20th century had bequeathed her home town. Call ahead to check on whether the plants are in full flower, but it's well worth the trip any time.

Pretty nice that they have activities that center around the Fourth of July with employees dressing up as soldiers from 1776. The gardens is huge too--sitting right in the middle is a mansion. A nice suspension bridge that gets you from A to B--just be careful not to walk with multiple persons it may give way in fall in the water. Distance from the water seemed pretty far. The grass was fairly muddy when my sister and I came as the garden was packed with people for the event. Pink azaleas, roses, tall trees, and a water fountain all paralleled with each other. The employees even served cake and lemonade to celebrate the birth of America. Now the gift shop is like most gift shops it's pricey and for the tourists.

This place is so amazingly beautiful! I can't wait to do a photoshoot here with someone. I'm a photographer and always looking for new places like this. And so festive for the holidays. Perfect for a date night too like just wow. So impressive! I wanna get lost here it's on my bucket list now.

I dragged my parents to Bayou Bend the day after Christmas. The directions on the website were wrong causing some great family bonding - note the element of sarcasm. When we finally found Bayou Bend we had to walk across a narrow suspension bridge crossing a creek to get to the house and grounds. My mother did not appreciate me humming Raiders of the Lost Ark at the top of my lungs. Mostly she was terrified of the bridge shaking back and forth as we walked on it. Yes, it is scary. Go look at the picture I took of it. We got up to the guard booth and the lady tells us we have to wait until 5 pm for the house to re open for the Christmas tour. We waited and then the next set of ladies tell me I had to lock up my purse. WHAT?? I've been in house museums all over the country and have never been told to lock up my purse before. Then the lock ups were falling apart and most of them did not have working locks. Annoying. We toured the gardens before it got dark. I imagine in March that Bayou Bend is magnificent. They have an impressive selection of camellias and they are on the American Camellia Society tour or something like that. Some of the shrubs had fancy splices on them so some creative person is making camellia hybrids. The house was ok. Yes it was just ok. I am jaded though.. growing up on the East Coast I've seen many houses that put Bayou Bend to shame. I can appreciate that Ms. Ima Hogg was one of the first people to bring antique American art to Houston. The house however was not set up that great. It was fanciful stories of old Americana. For example, Room number 1 had a set up for an old Massachusetts Christmas party. I completely did not understand how on earth Massachusetts had anything to do with a house in Houston. By Room 3 of confusion, I finally asked my mom.. What is this??? She said apparently Ms. Hogg collected old American art and this is how they opted to showcase it in the rooms. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... but if nobody had told me that I woulda thought it was kinda silly. Fortunately my mother in her wisdom had it figured out. Sometimes she's smarter than me. Upon exit we were accosted by two large gingerbread people. Funny stuff. I enjoyed that episode the most of the entire tour. My dad asked them if they were afraid of small children munching on them and they both went into dramatic horror at his suggestion.

"Fewer and fewer Americans possess objects that have a patina, old furniture, grandparents pots and pans--the used things, warm with generations of human touch, that Rilke celebrated in The Duino Elegies as being essential to a human landscape. Instead, we have our paper phantoms, transistorized landscapes. A featherweight portable museum." -- Susan Sontag, from a collection of essays entitled On Photography Yep. We have our laptops, digital pictures and books online--as ephemeral as the binary 1's and 0's which are their essence. "New and improved" are bywords for our consumer society. I, for one, treasure the books, furniture, artwork and mementos I've inherited from my grandparents, many of which had been passed down to them in a similar vein. They connect me to my past and help center me as I choose a path I wish to take into the future. I believe our American culture as a whole has a similar need. To that end, Ima Hogg and her old home, Bayou Bend, are priceless treasures. Furniture and decorative art won't raise your adrenaline level. If they do, you probably have an unhealthy fetish and urgently need therapy. If you wish to be entertained by technology-infused interactive displays, please don't visit this extension of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH). On the other hand, if you wish to viscerally experience an environment which reflects the day-to-day needs and tastes of our founding fathers (and mothers), Bayou Bend is a must-see. If you're visiting, there are two significant hurdles you must first negotiate to enter the beautiful gardens that surround the place: (1) Finding the street entrance in the first place. It's at the intersection of Memorial Dr. and Wescott St. If you're driving on Memorial, it's easy to wiz through the intersection and miss it completely. If you're teeing into Memorial whilst driving south on Westcott, the entrance sign should be staring you in the face, but people seem to have a penchant for missing it anyway. I've uploaded a picture of the entrance as seen from Google Map's "Street View" to help prevent you from driving by like many. (2) Crossing the bridge over Buffalo Bayou. It's a narrow pedestrian bridge that shakes and sways with every footfall. There is a sign posted at its entrance that describes in great detail all the conditions that may occur that would prevent you from using the bridge (including the maximum allowable wind velocity). I have a feeling MFAH paid too much for the lawyer that stipulated these conditions. It's a joyfully bouncing experience to walk across and deliberately start the bridge shaking as much as possible (that is, until a dour security guard comes out of the guard house on the other side and shakes her finger at you--oops!). The crossing may result in the adrenaline rush you crave but won't find whilst touring the museum. Others may wish to take a Valium before attempting the crossing. Once safely on the grounds, you can tour them on your own or walk up to a small building on your right which serves as the reception area for those who wish to take a guided tour of the museum. They are scheduled regularly so you normally don't have to wait long if you didn't call ahead to confirm times and make reservations. As you wait for the guide to appear, you can read all about the oil heiress Ima Hogg's philanthropic and cultural contributions to the city and state. You also can read about how she got her unfortunate name. Note: it is an urban legend that she had a sister named Ura. And now we've reached the gist of whether you will have a 5-star experience or something less than that. It's all about the volunteer guides. Their labor of love may not transfer well to you unless you get one of the good ones. If you are sufficiently lucky, you will be guided through a furniture-laced (albeit, low key) adventure that spans centuries and encompasses styles we know as Queen Anne, Dutch, Georgian and Chippendale (sorry ladies--don't let your adrenaline spike--this has nothing to do with dancers). With a little patience and perseverance, you will begin appreciating the lilting s-curves of cabriole legs, claw-and-ball feet, peculiarities of back splats hand-crafted in Newport, Boston, Philadelphia and New York, and all sorts of fanciful finials. "What's a finial?" you may ask. I'm not telling. You will do a lot of walking during the tour, so if you're a bit out of shape, your pulse may actually be elevated before you sit a spell on the upstairs balcony and sip lemonade. The paintings that complement the furnishings are historic and reflect the same discriminating taste Ms. Hogg used when purchasing the other items in the collection. If you're familiar with the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, you'll immediately recognize his distinctive style in a portrait that graces one of the walls. On second thought, I do get an adrenaline rush when I visit Bayou Bend! Do I need therapy?

I've visited here a couple times. The first time was during a free weekend, where the entire grounds and entry to the house was free. During that visit, I only walked some of the grounds. On a subsequent visit, I toured the remaining portions of the grounds. There were not really that many flowers per se in these gardens on either of my visits, especially during the fall, winter time, or spring. This offshoot of the Museum of Fine Arts should be renamed Bayou Bend Mansion and Grounds, since it's mainly landscaped areas and walking trails along the perimeter of the house and property. I'd advise going in the summer when the tulips and azaleas are blooming. Within the grounds, there are a couple of fountains, marble statues, several park-like benches, and a few small bronze pieces, but most exhibits feature special shrubs, trees, or plants they have planted. To walk the grounds on a regular day, they charge $7.50 per person. If you're on the far southern end of the property, you are only a couple of blocks from the Rienzi. Just walk down Lazy Lane to Kirby Drive. They provide a map of the grounds either in the visitor center building located along Memorial Drive, or in the "cottage building", once you park and walk across the suspension bridge to the actual property. The cottage building is where you pay your admission fee. It is not well marked, so you may need to ask someone at the information booth (the glass enclosure at the end of the bridge.) There are about 30 different stops throughout the self-guided walking tour of the grounds and they're all numbered on the map and within the landscaping. They provide a phone number where you can call and a short narration of each exhibit is given.

Fantastic day with the gardens being my favorite. We spent the afternoon there, enjoying all from the visitor center, to the house and adjacent cottage gift shop, then of course the gardens. All walkways were well maintained and landscaping was interesting. Ended up on the back porch, lounging for an hour, viewing Diana's fountain, before leaving.

Make sure you allow plenty time to tour these ground and the Hogg mansion. Grounds are beautifully landscaped with a historic references.

This place is beautiful...I love it. Bayou Bend is such a wonderfully preserved cultural and historical attraction in Houston. This museum- home and gardens is maintained by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to preserve the legacy of it's founder, Miss Ima Hogg (1882-1975) who moved to Texas as a young child along with her siblings and parents after the Civil War and continued on to contribute greatly philanthropically and culturally in Houston. She loved Texas and had an affinity for exquisite living, culture, and collecting fine housewares and various Americana collectibles of which she always aspired to turn into a museum and she succeeded in doing so with Bayou Bend. The grounds are beautiful to walk through and admire with various gardens (best viewed during spring), sculptures and fountains, wooded ravines, and winding pathways. The museum (home) is fascinating to tour with its many parlors, suites, bedrooms, and specialty rooms dedicated to music, folkart, Texas decorative arts, etc. Various rooms throughout the museum-home are decorated to reflect seven periods of American decorative home styles; Late Renaissance, Early Baroque, Late Baroque, Chippendale, Neoclassical, Grecian, and Rococco Revival...some furniture pieces in the home are over 200 years old. Each room has a docent stationed in it to inform guests about the history of the room and period stylings on display. There are fees to tour the garden and home. I included a photo below of the fees posted in October of 2016; however, there is a completely free of charge family day that is offered at times, but the house tour is a partial tour on such days (does not include an upstairs tour). I don't recall any talk or tour of the kitchen...would have loved to have seen that! Guests must park in the lot and cross the very fun and bouncy suspension bridge to reach the property and admissions kiosk. Parking is free. If you are an enthusiast of architecture, design, art, antiques, and gardening, Bayou Bend is a must see. I just love it...such a wonderful treasure within Houston thanks to Miss Ima Hogg, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and all of the volunteers and staff who contribute(d) their time so we all can revel in the beauty of Bayou Bend.

We've been here a couple of times: once for a sip and stroll through the gardens and for a tour of the Ima Hogg house and once for a viewing of the annual Opera Vista performance. The Opera Vista was slightly more entertaining than the sip and stroll, but Bayou Bend offer much tranquility in a busy city. Perhaps I should go to Bayou Bend and cross it's creepy bridge when it's not crowded for an event. Either way, it's always enjoyable - - not just to us! The birds and bugs love it too!! **Wear repellent**

Besides being smaller than I imagined, this place was gorgeous. When you see some of these gardens, all you think about are WEDDINGS! (If you're ever in Los Angeles, stop by the Huntington Library for a larger-scale version of this place.) We came on the Family Free Day, and it was definitely worth coming for. The house tour was a little long, because you're forced to listen to the friendly docents. I'd rather just walk through, but only because I have the attention span of a kid. The highlights of the day: -beautiful weather (slightly windy, which made walking over the suspension bridge a blast...) -FREE plants and vegetables -FREE refreshments -fun music -random costumed creatures (an ostrich and Easter bunny) -PETTING ZOO with roosters, pigs, goats, bunnies, ducks, etc. (definitely the best part)

I had a great time when I visited the gardens. I got a groupon to go to their twilight tour with h'our dourves and wine. I brought my mom and one of my girl friends. The Gardens were not prepared for all the people that were coming with their groupons. But we got there pretty early so we had tons of food to choose from. The gardens are so pretty! It was so relaxing to walk around and see all the pretty flowers. I had hoped there would have been more of a variety though. But the tulips at the end were amazing. The house was really fun to walk through also. I love old houses and it was so cool to see all the different types of furniture and the house its self! They also have concerts in the gardens, I can't wait to go to one!

The garden is nice and green. I love that I don't have to drive too far to get some cute pictures of scenery. It is smaller compared to other gardens, but it's a nice and quiet little area to visit if you're on that side of town. Admissions are $5 if you just go to the garden. There's not much to do or see once you've made one round and it's not very big. I honestly don't think I'll come back anytime soon, but maybe once a year wouldn't be too bad.

Word of caution - bringing a camera may get you turned away, despite what you tell them. Dude at the front is pretty draconian about photography which is cute given the plethora of photos available on this page alone. Also, 7.50 for a small garden? Stick to the arboretum.

Beautiful gardens and house. I would recommend planning ahead and having the guided tour. The furniture was great to see and compare. Plan to spend a few hours otherwise you will have to rush through. All of the staff are very knowledgeable.

Very beautiful place, my family and I had a fun time at the family event. I however am terrified of the swinging bridge, idk if they maintain it or not but it does seem too old for people to still be able to walk over it.

The gardens are so beautiful! I loved being surrounded by flowers, and my daughter loved running through the grass. This is no doubt the perfect place to go to after church on Sundays. They have live music, games for the kids, some refreshments and so much history!

One of my favorite places in Houston. Went to the 1st Christmas Village event and it was great! Very tastefully and artistically done. They paid a lot attention to the details with decorations and the tour of the house. I enjoyed the performance in the house tour. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is bc we had to wait 20 minutes just to cross the bridge n buy the tickets. More people showed up than they had anticipated so we had to wait for people to leave. Also, I think they could use more lights and decorating more areas. Overall, it was a great experience and I hope they do it again next year. * camellia flowers in February and Azalea flowers in March are amazing here.

Thanks to my Siri & AT&T maps, I found this place by accident while trying to go to the actual Museum of fine arts. I believe that places you find by accident usually turn out the be the most memorable and this place did not disappoint. After realizing that this clearly wasn't the museum, we decided to head over the bridge and see what this place was all about. I pretty much fell in love right there while standing on the beautiful, though slightly shaky, bridge hanging over the bayou. We paid $5 each to tour the gardens and off we ventured through lush vegetation and beautiful fountains. The main green "courtyard" so to speak was incredibly beautiful; looking up toward's the Hogg manor from below the stairs was simply striking. We went through each garden and every pathway, taking tons of pictures and videos, of course, and didn't give a darn about the blistering heat. We made our way to the front of the manor and sat down at the patio tables planning out my friend's future wedding at Bayou Bend (I'm not joking)! We spent a few hours at the gardens in total, although it would probably take 30-45 minutes to tour the grounds in its entirety. We just didn't want to leave :D I have to come back in the springtime when all the flowers are in full bloom and take a tour of the house! I feel like this would be a great day- date idea for a nature lover like myself, so fellas, keep this place bookmarked. I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this place before but hopefully all of these reviews will get newbies like me out here to see this hidden gem!

Let's just say this place is where you bring the kids to burn off all that youthful energy. Don't forget sunblock, bug spray, snacks, & lunch!!! Lots of events for the little ones great for all ages.

OK, so when I visit Houston, I always pass Bayou Bend, and it was always on my list of "to dos", yet has always gotten pushed aside. I'm not sure why I hadn't gotten around to paying a visit sooner--this is the home of the MFAH's Americana collection and I am a design, museum, history, and Americana (though I prefer folk arts over fine) obsessive. This week I noticed that there was a special holiday installment --- "Holiday Heroines" for Yuletide. So this finally was bumped up to the top of my Houston sightseeing list. I checked out their website--the house can only be explored via an organized tour (audio on weekends and docent-led during weekdays), and called to make a mandatory reservation. NOTE: Read the website carefully--it stated tours were from 10-11.30 and 1-2.45, and I had assumed that meant 2 tours, so I scheduled for 10am. It turns out the guided tours begin every fifteen minutes. I was told to arrive 10 minutes early...I come running in at 5 after 10 ready to apologize and thinking I'd be turned away until the next tour. It turns out only one other person was in my group and she wasn't there yet. It also turns out that the receptionist would not be finished with her spaghetti-breakfast until 10.15ish; it was at that point I could purchase my ticket and begin my tour. Ms. Binky was my tour guide that morning, and she was sweet, knowledgeable, and encouraged questions and conversation. Everyone volunteering at the museum oozes Texas hospitality, and a handful of them have the cutest nicknames, just like Ms. Binky. Actually, I've found that many of the volunteers and guides at the various smaller museums throughout Houston all have nicknames just as adorable. Bayou Bend, as Liz mentioned, was donated to and now run by the MFAH by Miss Ima Hogg. I learned she was the daughter of Texas' first native-born governor. The furniture is drool-worthy, and the colors chosen for the the second room in the tour absolutely made my week. And I've decided I want a sleeping porch just like Miss Hogg's. Oh, yeah, and a G-7 summit dinner was held in the dining room one year when the first Bush was president. Tours were supposed to be 90 minutes, but Miss Binky was patient, answered our questions, and it lasted almost 2 hours. At the end of the morning, I was given a big hug goodbye.