3 New Ideas for Entertaining in Houston

In October, Houston added 25 brand-new murals across the city. As part of the inaugural Houston Urban Experience (HUE) Mural Festival, nearly 70 artists from around the world unleashed their talents on 20,000 square feet of blank walls all over town, transforming concrete to color in a 170-hour period. Visitors can navigate the 17-mile round-trip path to view all of the masterpieces via self-guided tours using an interactive map app. During next year's festival, a new crop of murals will replace this year's works.

The city recently unveiled Buffalo Bayou Park, a new $58 million transformation project. The 160-acre, 2.3-mile green space has undergone improvements to its trails and bridges and now includes one of the largest dog parks in the city, a nature play area, a visitor center, food service, and several private indoor and outdoor event spaces. Visitors can rent bicycles and paddle crafts through Bayou City Adventures, including stand-up paddleboards, single-person and tandem kayaks, and canoes. Pricing starts at $25. The company also offers teambuilding packages.

Specialty linen rental company House of Hough includes edible elements at its table settings for a personalized touch. The decorative details may be cookies, fruit, or other foods. Owner Clara Hough commented on the setting (pictured), saying "without the cookie, this setting is pretty ordinary, but including one on each plate makes a huge impression."