Uchi offers elegant, modern fare in an atmosphere that works well for everything from a romantic date to a business dinner with new clients. This central Houston restaurant is inspired by Japanese flavors and techniques, though it serves seafood from around the globe in a series of small, shareable dishes.

You'll find traditional sushi and sashimi, like sea eel with orange and ginger or salmon belly with ikura, but you'll also find a number of unique options, like the "ham and eggs" sushi roll, which combines katsu pork belly with an egg yolk custard and espelette. Other menu items include things like smoked duck confit served with endives and bacon and tempura fried cauliflower, and regulars say you shouldn’t miss the crispy Brussels sprouts served with a squeeze of lemon chili. Finally, you should know that this place is popular and fills up during peak hours, so making a reservation is definitely the way to go.

Uchi
904 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX 77006
(713) 522-4808
www.uchirestaurants.com/houston
www.yelp.com/biz/uchi-houston

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Samson Loo

Whether you’re looking for a new place for your morning jog or an outdoor area where you can play pickup baseball with friends, you’ll find all types of outdoor activities at Bear Creek Pioneers Park. This spacious, well-maintained park spans 2,168 acres of beautiful Texas landscape, and it features convenient paved roads and parking lots that make it easily accessible for visitors.

Once inside the park, you’ll find miles of walking and jogging paths, as well as equestrian trails for horseback riders. Tennis courts and volleyball courts are perfect for a pickup game, while soccer, baseball, and softball fields offer places for local leagues to play. Take a visit to the small zoo to visit the emus, ostriches, and buffalo, then venture over to the wildlife habitat to check out the area’s local wildlife inhabitants.

Bear Creek Pioneers Park
3535 War Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77084
(281) 496-2177
www.visithoustontexas.com/listings/Bear-Creek-Pioneers-Park/20090

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr florian.scholz

If you’re looking for a fun, year-round activity that the whole family will enjoy, a visit to the Houston Zoo is a dependable choice. This spacious zoo is well laid out to create an enjoyable walking route through all of the various animals’ areas, and it offers a close-up look at everything from the creepy, crawly reptiles to the large elephants and giraffes. The paved paths are lined with shady trees and greenery to make a hot Texas afternoon a bit more bearable (no pun intended), and there are a number of indoor animal houses that enable you to tour the zoo even during bad weather.

If you have small children, the Houston Zoo also features a Kids’ Zoo that includes a petting zoo, animal-themed play areas, and playful sea otters that always seem to put on a show of their own.

The Houston Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Free parking is available on Hermann Park Drive, but note that these free lots fill up quickly!

Houston Zoo
6200 Hermann Park Drive
Houston, TX 77030
(713) 533-6500
www.houstonzoo.org
www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g56003-d266874-Reviews-Houston_Zoo-Houston_Texas.html

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/Roger Ahlbrand