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Market Square Park – Visiting Houston’s Parks, One Week at a Time

by Jill Jarvis Leave a Comment

Houston Mural
Address: 301 Milam Houston, Texas 77002 (Milam and Preston)
Cost: Free
Appropriate Age: Any age. Dogs and people welcome.

Market Square Park is one of our favorite Houston parks, and we’ve reviewed it many times before. That said, it is missing from the weekly park series so I want to tell you all about it again!

Market Square Park
Market Square Park is in Downtown’s Historic District and original town center. In 1836 this park was started as Congress Square and was renamed a few years later to Market Square.

Market Square “burned through” 3 City Hall buildings and finally became a parking lot. In 2010, the renovated park was reopened. And it is awesome!

Market Square Park Fountain
The park has fountains, gardens, art work, a Niko Nikos cafe, shaded seating, trees to climb, grass to run in and two fenced dog areas. The park is only one block by one block, but a lot is packed into this urban space! And right across the street is my favorite “Houston is Inspired” mural by Gonzo247!

Market Square Park is about ten blocks from Discovery Green, but it has an attitude all its own. The park is busy but not crowded. There are frequent events, but on a much smaller scale. All in all, it is much calmer and a good place to relax with the family.

Niko Nikos Patio
My kids and I visit this park frequently. We grab lunch at Niko Nikos and then I sip iced tea as they run and climb trees. It’s easy to watch them from the raised patio.

After lunch we walk the few blocks to our favorite mysterious red button on the bayou. We press it and giggle until we can take no more and head down to the bayou trail.

View from Preston Street Bridge at Buffalo Bayou
From here, we either wonder to the waterfall at the Wortham Center or slip in the back bayou entrance to the Downtown Aquarium. When it’s warm, we play in the splashpad (which is free) before heading back to Market Square.

At Market Square, metered street parking is available and is free after 6:00pm or on Sunday. There is a hidden bathroom in the Niko Nikos building. If you ask the staff, they can unlock the unmarked door.

For more details on the park, go HERE!

Filed Under: All, Downtown Houston, Parks, Things to do March 7, 2014

About Jill Jarvis

Jill Jarvis is the owner of JillBJarvis.com, a BigKidSmallCity.com and Things to Do in Houston, with Kids, blog!

She is the mom of 4 and started the website years ago... when she was tired of constantly cleaning up the same mess in the family room.

Another mom showed her that you could just go do fun things in Houston, without hours of planning.

This inspired the blog and changed everything about how she enjoyed life in Houston, with kids!

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jill-jarvis-bigkidsmallcity-circle-300 Welcome!  JillBJarvis.com is the go-to blog for things to do in Houston with kids!  It is upbeat and dedicated to making our big city feel small.   START HERE!    

On this website you will find a full list of Houston weekly events, things to do around the city, travel ideas and resources for parents.

I know just what it’s like to be overwhelmed by work, life and family. I spent a lot of years traveling for work, missing big milestones for my kids and feeling bad about everything.

I started this website to make a list of all the events happening around Houston and then pick one to enjoy with my kids. And instead of thinking of all the things I was missing, I started to enjoy the things we were doing together.

If you are a parent that is feeling overwhelmed by all the things you could be doing in Houston… please just use our weekly lists and daily posts as suggestions. Pick one thing to do with your family and intentionally ignore the rest!

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