Hermann Park - Houston, TX
Posted by: 
JimmyEv
N 29° 43.053 W 095° 23.246
15R E 269054 N 3289874
Beautifully landscaped Hermann Park is Houston’s most-developed park, holding treasures like the Houston Zoo, Miller Outdoor Theater, the Houston Garden Center, a reflecting basin, fountains, statues and a Japanese Garden.
Waymark Code: WMYYF
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/18/2006
Views: 217
Donated to the city in 1914 by Board of Parks Commissioner George H Hermann, the 445 acres of Hermann Park contain a plethora of diversions. At the northern entrance to the park, a series of plazas is created by intersecting streets. The plazas have been filled with civic monuments: the Mecom Fountain; an equestrian statue of General Sam Houston pointing into the park; and a Cancer Survivors Plaza, with plaques detailing facts about cancer.
From Main Street, a reflecting pool, lined with huge live oaks, leads from the Sam Houston statue to an obelisk, the Pioneer Memorial. A grassy, man-made hill slopes down to the stage of the Miller Outdoor Theater. The theater has both covered and uncovered seating. Free performances are held here from March through November by Houston’s major theater groups – the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony, Theater Under the Stars (TUTS), and the Houston Ballet.
The 8-acre McGovern Lake is the center of the park. The lake contains three islands, fountains, and a wetland. On the east shore of the lake is a pine grove containing a picnic area. On the west shore is the Playground for All Children, featuring picnic pavilions and a play area with dancing fountains. A miniature train runs around the lake, and pedal boats can be rented.
The south entrance to the park is marked by a statue of Confederate War Hero Dick Dowling. A paved hike and bike trail, running from MacGregor Park to far southwest Houston along Brays Bayou, passes through this section of the park. The south side of the Bayou is the small, wild area of the park. The area contains a small pavilion and some short nature trails. Stables and a bridle path also go through this part of the park.
The park also is home to the Houston Zoo, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Garden Center, a Japanese Garden and an 18-hole golf course.
The coordinates are for the picnic area near the zoo. Additional waypoints:
- Pedal Boats: N29 43.044 W095 23.392
- Train: N29 43.004 W095 23.397
- Pioneer Memorial: N29 43.118 W095 23.456
- Japanese Garden: N29 43.131 W095 23.493
- Houston Garden Center: N29 43.269 W095 23.317
- Miller Outdoor Theater: N29 43.166 W095 23.334
- Sam Houston Statue: N29 43.296 W095 23.457
- Cancer Survivors Plaza: N29 43.411 W095 23.433
- Mecom Fountain: N29 43.444 W095 23.459
- Pavilion: N29 42.991 W095 23.687
- Children’s Area: N29 42.989 W095 23.621
- Dick Dowling Statue: N29 42.613 W095 23.483
- Nature Pavilion: N29 42.478 W095 23.066
- Nature Trail: N29 42.598 W095 23.078
