Mini Mural Inspired Outings Around Houston

The Mini Mural Project is continuing to beautify the city one utility box at a time. As the proud sponsor of the first one to appear in the Heights – right on the esplanade of Heights Boulevard – I love seeing all the new Mini Murals popping up all over Houston.
Explore the new artworks by creating your own Mini Mural inspired outings around the city. Use the handy online Mini Murals map to locate your favorite murals and pair with a nearby Houston destination. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Feel the dragonfly love at the corner of Waugh and Allen Parkway before hitting the Buffalo Bayou Hike and Bike Trails to spot your own lovebugs among the native trees, grasses and wildflowers lining the paths. Be sure to download the “Buffalo Bayou Revealed” audio tour to serve as your soundtrack as you view Houston’s city skyline and the bayou.

Admire the portrait of Barbara Jordan, who served in US House of Representatives from 1973-1979, before heading to the nearby African-American Library at the Gregory School where you can learn more about Barbara Jordan and other notable African-American Houstonians. The exhibits at the Gregory School are a great introduction to the history and heritage of the area. Meditate on your visit in the recently completed Historic Freedmen’s Town Labyrinth with a downtown skyline view.

Take in the quadriptych of art history masterpieces, from Michelangelo to Mondrian, before touring the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. There you can find Kees Van Dongen’s painting, The Corn Poppy, aka Girl with the Red Hat, a portrait just as intriguing as the mural’s take on Vemeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Imagine the mural’s Van Gogh’s Starry Night as you walk through the James Turrell neon and ambient light-filled tunnel.  


Time travel with the ode to the cassette tape at the corner of 19th and Yale before you browse the bins at Vinyl Edge Records, located just down 19th St. You might even find a cassette or two to take home! 


Find your literary inspiration at my favorite Mini Mural on Heights Boulevard before taking a trip to the historic Heights Neighborhood Library. Research local history and learn more about the trolley that used to run along Heights Boulevard, as pictured in the mural. 

Be sure to share your own Mini Mural inspired outings on my Why I Love Houston Facebook Page!

Kathlyn