Welcome to Houston’s First Ward!
The First Ward was formed in 1840 and is one of the city’s original four wards. Its early residents were railroad workers or shopkeepers, making the prevailing housing stock mostly modest Queen Anne cottages and Craftsman bungalows built between 1890 and 1930.
A few of our favorite walkable restaurants include:
*Tejas Brewery: Three stories of food, beer, cocktails, coffee, with a spectacular view of downtown Houston..
*Julep: a fun cocktail bar in an area bordered by many colorful historic bungalows.
*Staunton’s City Bites—great local burgers
*Freebirds World Burrito (Sawyer Heights)
Short Drive Downtown: POST is a multi-use space redesigned from the old downtown post office.
The area galleries include Sawyer Yards. A creative campus with studios, galleries, and events.
The Alley Theatre is one of the largest U.S. professional nonprofit theatres outside of New York City. The Alley has been awarded the Tony Award® for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Pulitzer Prize for one of its premieres, and the Texas Medal of Arts Award. Ask us about theatre ticket discounts.
Walk to Momentum Climbing Gym
Buffalo Bayou Park: Buffalo Bayou Park is the 160-acre green space just west of downtown Houston.
Johnny Steele Dog Park (with messy water feature) inside Buffalo Bayou Park
Memorial Park is a short drive.
Memorial Park Golf Course—Home of Texas Children’s Houston Open. Mar 24-30, 2025
One of the best municipal courses in the nation and is visited by more than 60,000 patrons each year. It has hosted many famous golfers, including Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Jimmy Demaret.
For more Ideas and Activities: Check out SecretHouston.com and @secrethouston for an endless catalog of where to go and what to do for every area of interest, including “Secret Guides.”