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The Galleria, beyond the mall
Texas's biggest mall has an ice rink in the basement, a 64 foot wall of falling water down the street and a giant pastrami sandwich waiting on Post Oak.
Most people come to the Galleria to shop and leave. Big mistake. Uptown, the business district around the mall, has some of the best free sights in the city, a rooftop movie screen and a deli that's been stacking pastrami since 1999. Memorial Park, the biggest green space inside the Loop, is right up the road.
It's a car town, sure. Wide boulevards, glass towers, valet stands. But once you park, a few of the best stops are close enough to walk between, and the people watching inside the mall is top tier.
The Galleria vibe and a short history
Developer Gerald D. Hines opened the Galleria on November 16, 1970. He modeled it on the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, with a glass barrel vault over the main hall, and put an ice rink right in the middle. It's reportedly the first rink ever built inside a mall. Today it's the largest mall in Texas, with about 2.4 million square feet and more than 400 stores, owned by Simon.
Hines kept building. Williams Tower went up next door in 1983, 64 stories designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee, and it's still the tallest building in Houston outside downtown. Two years later the Waterwall opened at its foot. The rest of Uptown filled in with office towers, hotels and steakhouses along Post Oak Boulevard, which is why it feels like a second downtown. It's flashier and a little more suburban than the real one.
Things to do in the Galleria and Uptown
Start at the mall, walk or drive down Post Oak to the Waterwall, and end at a rooftop or the park.
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Uptown
The Galleria and its ice rink
5085 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056Over 400 stores under glass ceilings, from department stores to luxury brands. The year-round ice rink sits on the lower level under the central atrium, and you can skate or just lean on the rail and watch.
Watching beginners wobble around while designer bags walk by above is a real Houston experience.
TipSkate on a weekday afternoon. Weekends are a zoo.
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Uptown
Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
2800 S Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056A 64 foot curved wall of falling water, one foot for each story of Williams Tower next door. Philip Johnson and John Burgee designed it and it's been running since 1985.
Walk into the middle of the horseshoe and the roar drowns out the city. Free, and at night it's lit up.
TipStand dead center for the full surround sound.
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Uptown
Williams Tower
2800 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056The 64 story glass tower above the Waterwall, opened in 1983. It's the tallest building in Houston outside downtown and was once the tallest skyscraper in the country outside a central business district.
There's no public observation deck. The show is at night, when a 7,000 watt beacon on top sweeps the sky and can be seen up to about 40 miles away.
TipLook for the beacon from the Waterwall lawn after dark.
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Uptown
Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown
1700 Post Oak Blvd, 5th Level, Houston, TX 77056Open air movies on top of the BLVD Place garage. Two screens run at once, and wireless headphones keep the soundtracks from bleeding into each other.
Adirondack chairs, a full bar and mostly cult classics and crowd favorites. More on our movie page.
TipGo October through April and bring a layer.
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Memorial Park
Memorial Park
About 1,466 acres just north of Uptown, mostly inside the 610 Loop. From 1917 to 1923 it was Camp Logan, a World War I Army training camp, before the city turned it into a memorial park.
The Seymour Lieberman Exercise Trail is a crushed granite loop of about 3 miles. The Eastern Glades opened in 2020, and the Land Bridge and Prairie opened in 2023, a 100 acre native prairie that crosses over a six lane road.
TipWalk the Land Bridge at sunset for a skyline view.
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Memorial Park
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
4501 Woodway Dr, Houston, TX 77024Free trails and a free nature center on the west edge of Memorial Park. Leashed dogs are welcome.
Stay on the paths. There are venomous snakes and poisonous plants out there.
TipThere's a second entrance on the 610 side.
Where to eat around the Galleria
Uptown eats big. Steakhouses, Tex-Mex and one of the best delis in Texas. All were open and taking diners in 2026.
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Uptown
Kenny & Ziggy's New York Delicatessen
1743 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056Ziggy Gruber opened it in 1999 after Kenny Friedman asked him to bring a real New York deli to Houston. It moved down Post Oak to its current spot in 2022.
The pastrami and corned beef sandwiches are absurdly tall. The menu is a novel. Split a sandwich or take half home.
TipOne sandwich feeds two. Don't be a hero.
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Uptown
The Original Ninfa's Uptown
1700 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056The Uptown sibling of the Navigation Boulevard legend. Steak fajitas, queso flameado and the shrimp diablo are the orders.
Same building as the rooftop cinema, so dinner and a movie is one parking job.
TipFajitas here, then go up to the roof for the movie.
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Galleria
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse Galleria
5839 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77057The Pappas family's high end steakhouse, with select cuts dry aged in house. The dry aged porterhouse is the flex.
A splurge. Save it for a birthday or a big win.
TipGo dry aged or go home.
A perfect Galleria day and night
Start with a morning loop on the Memorial Park trail or a quiet walk at the Arboretum. Late lunch at Kenny & Ziggy's, one sandwich, two people. Wander the Galleria, watch the skaters, maybe take a lap yourself. Around sunset, head to the Waterwall and stand in the middle until the beacon on Williams Tower kicks on. Dinner at Ninfa's Uptown, then take the elevator up to Rooftop Cinema Club for a late movie. Let somebody else drive home, Uptown traffic is bad enough sober.
Getting around the Galleria
This is a driving part of town, but METRO buses run along Post Oak and Westheimer, and rideshare is easy. Garages at the mall and along Post Oak are plentiful, though weekend and holiday traffic around the Galleria is legendary.
Neighborhoods next door
Rice Village is a short drive southeast. Montrose is east down Westheimer. The Heights is up 610 past Memorial Park. Want more free weird stuff? Check our things to see list, and the munchies map for late eats.
Questions about Galleria
Does the Houston Galleria have an ice rink?
Yes. The Galleria has a year-round ice rink on the lower level under the central atrium. It's reportedly the first rink ever built inside a mall, and it's been there since the mall opened in 1970.
Is Waterwall Park free?
Yes. Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park at 2800 S Post Oak Blvd is free and open to the public. The 64 foot fountain has been running since 1985 and is lit at night.
Can you go to the top of Williams Tower?
No. Williams Tower has no public observation deck. The best view of it is from the Waterwall at night, when the rotating beacon on top sweeps the sky.
How big is the Houston Galleria?
It's the largest mall in Texas, with about 2.4 million square feet of leasable space and more than 400 stores. Simon owns and manages it.
What is there to do near the Galleria at night?
Catch a movie at Rooftop Cinema Club on Post Oak, see the Waterwall lit up with the Williams Tower beacon sweeping overhead, or get dinner at Ninfa's Uptown or Pappas Bros.
Is weed legal in Houston?
No. Recreational weed is illegal statewide, and the 2026 state hemp ban took THCA flower and delta-8 off shop shelves. Our first-timer page explains the details.