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Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Hours, Address, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Reviews: 4.5/5

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Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

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Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
4.5
2,732
#9 of 346 things to do in Houston
Art Museums
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10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
12:15 PM - 7:00 PM
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About
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is the largest cultural institution in the southwest region of the United States. The Museum’s encyclopedic collections of nearly 70,000 objects cover world cultures dating from antiquity to the present and include in-depth holdings of American art, European paintings, Pre-Columbian and African gold, decorative arts and design, photography, prints and drawings, 20th- and 21st-century painting and sculpture, and Latin American art.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: The Museum District
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Restaurants
1,488 within 3 miles
Lucille's
280
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Contemporary • Vegetarian Friendly
Monarch
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284 ft$$ - $$$ • American • Bar • Vegetarian Friendly
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215
0.2 mi$ • Quick Bites • Mexican • Southwestern
MF Sushi
45
0.3 mi$$$$ • Japanese • Seafood • Sushi
Cafe Leonelli
8
522 ft$$ - $$$ • Italian • Central-Italian
The Park Grill
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0.1 mi$ • American • Deli
Java Lava Brew
11
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Cafe
Fia's Pizzeria
1
0.1 mi$ • Italian • American • Pizza
Barnaby's Cafe Museum District
111
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Cafe • Vegetarian Friendly
Le Jardnier
1
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97
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0.3 miSpeciality Museums
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4
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
2,732 reviews
Excellent
1,941
Very good
641
Average
118
Poor
21
Terrible
11
volcanogirl
Texas13,374 contributions
A Fantastic Museum with Something for Everyone
Jun 2021
We've been MFAH members for years and always enjoy the rotating exhibits at the museum. We recently went for the Hockney/Van Gogh exhibit and really enjoyed it. Love Hockney's big exuberant nature paintings with his bold graphic strokes and vibrant colors - viewing them is like walking through an enchanted forest. The show is perfectly titled The Joy of Nature. Van Gogh's paintings by contrast seem very subdued, but you can see how they served as inspiration for Hockney. There are several other nice exhibits coming this year - everything from O'Keeffe to Monet and Matisse. I'd recommend getting a museum membership as individual exhibits can be pricey. While you're there, don't miss James Turrell's beautiful light tunnel that connects two of the buildings and the outdoor sculpture garden that has Kapoor's Cloud Column. There's a brand new museum building this year and two new restaurants. Wonderful to see this gorgeous museum continuing to expand. Admission to the general museum is free on Thursdays. Best parking is in the parking garage to the left of the original MFAH building. There's something for everyone here, and we really look forward to going back.
Written June 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
volcanogirl
Texas13,374 contributions
A Wonderful Place to Spend the Day
Mar 2022
We've been MFAH museum members for years and always enjoy their rotating exhibits. For this visit we saw Incomparable Impressionism and the M.C. Escher exhibit. Both were excellent. Enjoyed seeing all the Monet and Renoir paintings full of beautiful gardens, rosy-cheeked children, people dancing, and just enjoying life in general. M.C. Escher's art by contrast was mathematical, measured, brooding, and full of symmetry. Nice to see such variety. Museum signage could be improved a little bit. Adding temporary signs directing guests toward the exhibits would be really helpful. The museum has grown so much and is now spread across three large buildings. Parking is available for a fee in the MFAH parking garage. There's also a good indoor/outdoor cafe where you can enjoy lunch and a pretty sculpture garden across from the museum. This is a wonderful place to spend the day.
Written April 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
CarolChE73
Allentown, PA52 contributions
Not crowded even though it was a free visit day
Apr 2021
I enjoyed my visit to this museum, but could not find the parking garage to save my life. It was not where Google said it was. I even asked a policeman and he couldn't tell me. I wound up parking a few blocks away on the street. For future reference, it is to the left of the main entrance (between Main and Fannin Streets). Since it was a free day, I spent $20 an the special exhibit of Van Gogh and an English artist inspired by him, named Hockney. I enjoyed that presentation. The rest of the museum had small collections of a variety of art. You could see a lot of art history in a small amount of time. I liked the Museum of Natural Sciences better if you have to choose one.
Written April 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Sam Zuo
Los Angeles, CA90 contributions
A great place to visit in Houston
Sep 2021
I happened to visit during the special exhibition of Monet to Matisse. The admission to special exhibition includes the general admission with a few extra dollars. I'd recommend the special admission if you are interested. The museum is huge with three different buildings. I entered through the east building where the special exhibition is located. It also hosted some old western paintings. The west building hosted another special exhibition and worldwide arts. I didn't make it to the north building because of lack of time. I believe it hosts the modern arts. It could take a whole day to carefully go through the exhibits. I really love it that they have a brief introduction about most of the exhibits to help you understand them.
Written September 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Y8807OGrobertw
Spring, TX2 contributions
Hockney Exhibit/Not Van Gogh!
Jun 2021
The Van Gogh/Hockney Exhibit was actually quite nice and we enjoyed viewing the exhibit. HOWEVER, it should have been called the Hockney Exhibit with a few Van Gogh paintings. We did not know anything about Hockney, but did enjoy his bright colorful unusual paintings. But, again, we were expecting to see a LOT more Van Gogh pictures and for the price of the tickets, we were very disappointed. Next time, I will call ahead of time and make sure that what I am planning to see is what is actually there!
Written June 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
pnkgirl27
Katy, TX3,309 contributions
Rockwell and Bacon exhibit
Feb 2020 • Couples
We purchased two adult tickets to see the two exhibitions and it came to $50. It was nicely set up but also crowded on a Sunday to really get close enough to see the pieces of art. They handout individual audio devices which makes people linger longer than normal at each piece if compared to reading the printed information signs. On the positive side, photos were allowed without flash IF you could get close enough to take one.
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Boris E
Harrisonburg, VA793 contributions
No Words Can Describe It!
Jan 2021
Museum of Fine Arts in Houston allowed us to truly enjoy art in its finest form. I could have just spent an entire day in just one of the three buildings that host the classical art period. I just felt in love with all the paintings and sculptures in this building. Even though the other buildings represent different types of modern art, I really did not connect well with them and wished I could have dedicated more time to the classical art period. If you are visiting for the first time Houston, and wanting to see different touristic attractions, please make sure that you purchase the City Pass. It will save you a lot of money, if you are visiting several attractions during your stay. Overall, a great place to visit during a rainy or cold day.
Written January 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Sheryl M
Edmond, OK1,667 contributions
Beautiful Museum, Lovely Cafe, Monet to Picasso and Berthe Morisot .... INCREDIBLE!
Dec 2019
My husband and I were in Houston for two nights, primarily for the Andrea Bocelli concert. A friend told us about the Monet to Picasso and Berthe Morisot exhibit, so we booked tickets online before flying out of OKC. While at the museum, we ate lunch at the Cafe, saw the impressionistic collection, a fraction of the museum's permanent collection, did some Christmas shopping in the museum's gift shop, and got to hear a local youth orchestra performing Christmas selections in the lobby area of the museum. What a beautifully done place. We would love to return!
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
houstontravelingfool
Houston, TX3,592 contributions
The new Kinder Building
Apr 2021 • Couples
Was so looking forward to visiting this new building and it didn’t disappoint. It’s architecturally beautiful, allowing natural light to dance on exhibits throughout the three floors. Its interior staircase reminds me of New York’s Guggenheim. I loved the way the exhibits were spaced out, allowing people to really see each item and not be crowded by whatever was next to it. I had many favorites but LOVED the visual representation of cities’ populations with blown glass objects in various sizes. Most exhibits were quite contemporary, which only added to the drama of the building. All in all, a wonderful way to spend a delightful afternoon. Masks were required and it wasn’t very crowded so social distancing wasn’t an issue. Enjoy.
Written April 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Gary F
Fareham, United Kingdom185 contributions
Fantastic collection of Art, well presented
Nov 2019
A large and very well presented museum over two adjacent buildings (connected). The Museum is easily accessed by train as it is right by one of the stations, and only a 10/15 minute ride from Downtown.

Allow at least a half day if you want to do the galleries justice, there is a lot to see. At the time of our visit there was a very interesting special exhibition (additional fee) that I assume changes regularly through the year.
Highly recommended if you enjoy art!
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is open:
  • Sun - Sun 12:15 PM - 7:00 PM
  • Tue - Wed 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Thu - Thu 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
  • Fri - Sat 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Buy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund.
We recommend booking Museum of Fine Arts, Houston tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 6 Museum of Fine Arts, Houston tours on Tripadvisor
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