Things To Do This Weekend: Arbor Day Events, Concerts, And More

HOUSTON, TX — If you have a little cabin fever after Houston’s bout with the Icepocalypse this week, you can almost always find something to do in your community.

The weather will be warmer this weekend, and that means it’s the perfect time to get a little fresh air.

While there’s a charge to attend some of these events, there are some that are free and a whole lot of fun.

Here are a few happening this weekend near you.

• Taste of the Town|The Woodlands| Thursday 4-8 pm: Taste of the Town is a paradise for gourmands interested in sustainable and healthy dining. For the past decade, more than 25 local restaurants gather at the festival to offer samplings of their Texas-grown and prepared dishes. The festival also hosts a competition among the featured restaurants, with awards in categories including best dessert or best booth design. With additional activities for children like face painting and personalized chef-hat crafting, the festival has events to entertain the whole family.
• Hello, Trees! A Walking Serenade| Discovery Green in Houston| 6am-11pm Daily: An interactive art installation that uses public participation to create an immersive light and sound experience that is unique to each visitor, will remain on view from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through Feb. 25. To create the park's first original commission, Montreal-based design studio Daily tous les jours drew inspiration from the majestic oak trees that form Discovery Green’s Brown Foundation Promenade. Participation is free. Click here for more information.
• 9th Annual Chili Quest and Beer Fest|Galveston, TX | Friday and Saturday| Not to fear, the Chili & Beer is here, again! For the past eight years Yagas has brought a diverse crowd of Chili & Beer lovers from all over the nation to Galveston, TX. This years festival will consist of the ever so popular Chili & Beer tasting with a ton of added perks. Get ready for live music, a 5K Fun Run/Walk, a washer pitching tournament, a jackpot margarita contest, vendors and a historical strand merchant walk-about. As if that doesn’t fulfill all of your festival needs, returning this year is the expanded Beer Festival.
• The Sandlot Cast Meet and Greet at Baybrook Mall|Saturday, 1-4 pm| “You’re Killing Me, Smalls.” Meet four actors from the movie The Sandlot and get an autograph or snap a photo at this meet and greet at Baybrook Mall. Tickets start at $20.
• Galveston Restaurant Week|Galveston, TX| Thursday-Sunday| Galveston Island proudly welcomes visitors to Galveston Restaurant Week, where patrons can choose from Galveston's most delightful and delicious eateries for prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menus - in attractive price you're sure to savor. Participating in Galveston Restaurant Week is easy! No tickets or passes are required! Food lovers may simply dine out at as many participating restaurants as they like during Galveston Restaurant Week. Two and/or 3-course dinners will be priced between $20-$35; and 2-course lunches, breakfasts, & brunches will cost between $10-$20. Reservations are strongly recommended to make sure you're able to sample your favorite flavors! The public is invited to experience cuisine that will amplify your palate and highlight the fun of dining on Galveston Island. Quite simply, this culinary tradition promises to "celebrate delicious!" like no other event of the year.
• Steel Magnolias Movie Screening Party|Alamo Drafthouse Mason Park| Take in a chick flick on Friday, and journey to a truly southern beauty parlor, where the gossip is free, but a hairdo will cost ya. Alamo Drafthouse Mason Park. Tickets are $12.99. 7:30pm.
• Tour the WWII Museum|Cypress, TX| West Houston Airport| Saturday 10 am-3 pm— Don’t miss your chance to check out the Houston Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and get up close to some of the planes that won WWII. This is a free event the 1st and 3rd Saturday at the West Houston Airport from 10 am – 3 pm. Located 2 miles north of I-10 east off Barker Cypress on Groschke Rd.

Arbor Day Events

• Celebrate Arbor Day — Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center’s Arbor Day celebration, January 21, 10 am – 4 pm. Activities and events highlight local forest trees and include information on tree planting and care. Take home a free sapling, to boot! Located at 20634 Kenswick, Humble.
• Arbor Day at Houston Arboretum & Nature Center. Enjoy free fun activities for the whole family Saturday 10 am – 2 pm including guided tree hikes, woodturning demonstrations, crafts, seed and sapling giveaways, and more. Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is located at 4501 Woodway Drive.
• Arbor Day in The Woodlands | FREE – Celebrate Arbor Day with free tree seedlings, a birthday party for Puffy Pine Cone, inflatables, face painters, and music at Hughes Landing. Saturday 10am to 2pm.
• Come on out and plant a tree this weekend. Houstonians will plant 1,000 trees Saturday along the eastern border of Memorial Park as part of Arbor Day. Bring the kids, too, but they must be 8 years old to plant. This event partners Trees for Houston and Memorial Park Conservancy for Memorial Park’s largest volunteer event this year. Individuals wanting to volunteer must sign up here. Breakfast is provided. Located at Memorial Park Vale-Asche Foundation Playground, 6799 Haskell Street.

Music and Concerts Happening in Your Town:

• Walter’s Downtown for a concert benefiting Houstonian Ashey Clos, who is battling cancer: Features Wild Moccasins, Buxton, BLACKIE, Narcons, Young Mammals, and Limb. Tickets are $10.
• Houston Civic Symphony concert Enjoy an evening of free classical music thanks to the Friday, 7 pm, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. The program features Mendelssohn, Gabrieli and more. Located at 717 Sage Rd.
• Church of the King performs at WFDD’s Central Green Park in Katy Friday, 7 pm. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome. Located at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd.
• Aimee Mann in Concert at The Heights Theater: An intimate concert in The Heights Theater promoting her latest album, Mental Illness. Tickets start at $28.

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