Home Activities USA Houston The Best of Houston Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

Activity Houston, USA

The Best of Houston Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

3.2 (48 reviews) 1–3 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

48 reviews

3.2

The Best of Houston Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

The Best of Houston Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Find out what makes Houston the most vibrant city in Texas with this self-guided Houston driving tour! As you explore, you’ll see everything that makes Houston unique, from historic districts to stunning parks and the famous Space Center! Revisit historic battles on the Bayou. Stop by Emancipation Park, a centerpiece of Black history in the city. Admire Houston's tallest skyscrapers and uncover the heart of this truly Texan city!

Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.

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At a glance

Duration: 1–3 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–4
Audio guide: English
Operated by: Drive with Action

What is included

Included

Included: Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
Included: Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
Included: Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
Included: Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
Included: Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
Included: Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
Included: One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
Included: Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
Included: Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
Included: Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.

Not included

Not included: No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.

Itinerary

Buffalo Bayou Park

5 min

Next, we'll arrive at the Buffalo Bayou Park, where we'll get a chance to see the enormous cisterns the once quenched the thirst of the entire city! We'll also learn how the city transformed and found new uses for these cisterns once they weren't needed for drinking water any longer.

NOTE: The tour is over 40 miles long, with more than 40+ audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Sam Houston Park

5 min

Our drive takes us past Sam Houston Park next, where a row of preserved historic homes display how Houstonians from all walks of life lived, from freed slaves building new lives for themselves to affluent merchants.
Stop 3

5 min Admission not included

We'll park at City Hall and hear about the challenges of building it during the Great Depression. We'll also get a good look at the statues of Houston's founders which stand before the hall, and learn about how those statues had to wait over 80 years to be built!
Stop 4

5 min

We'll keep driving until we see Pennzoil Place, a pair of huge black towers looming over Houston. Here, we'll pick up some facts about the imposing buildings and the innovative architect behind them.
Stop 5

5 min Admission not included

Our route takes us next through Houston's Historic District, chock full of gorgeous old buildings. We'll also hear about the multiple fires which swept across the old City Hall, and the celebrities like Johnny Carson who have partied in this very district!
JPMorgan Chase Tower

5 min

The next sight we'll see is the Chase Tower, the tallest building in all of Texas. Here, we'll uncover some secrets of its construction, like how the original design was hazardous to air traffic and it sports a helipad that's never been used!
Christ Church Cathedral

5 min Admission not included

Next, we'll park at the Christ Church Cathedral, Houston’s very first religious congregation which dates back to 1859. We'll also hear about the generous stranger who's responsible for a steer's head being part of the church seal.
Daikin Park

5 min Admission not included

Our route then passes Minute Maid Park, the famous baseball stadium designed to imitate the Golden Age of baseball.
Stop 9

5 min

Next, we'll see Emancipation Park, a lovely recreational space with a rich history. We'll hear about emancipation, Juneteenth in Texas, and how this park became an epicenter for the Black community in Houston. Then, we'll get the real facts on some of Houston's most notorious urban legends.
Houston Museum District

5 min Admission not included

As we drive, we'll enter Houston's Museum District, home to fascinating museums covering everything from Black history to natural science to fine arts and beyond. If you want a really deep dive into the city of Houston, this is the place to be.
Hermann Park

10 min

Next, we'll pass Hermann Park, home to plenty of attractions for the little ones, including an entire zoo featuring cheetahs, chimps, and more!
Rice University

5 min Admission not included

Our route brings us through the Rice University campus next, where we'll get some insight into the founder and hear about a baffling--and very ambitious--senior prank conducted by an alum known only as "The Mastermind."
Stop 13

5 min Admission not included

Next, we'll see the subject of the prank itself: the William Marsh Rice Statue, and learn about how the pranksters banded together to protect one of their own from repercussions.
James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyscape

10 min

As we continue through the Rice campus, we'll see the strange, pyramid-shaped building known as Skyspace. Here, we'll get a quick rundown of what this odd building is for, and how you can experience its beautiful sky viewings for yourself.
Stop 15

5 min Admission not included

We'll keep driving past MacGregor Park and listen to the story of how he revolutionized Houston's transit system by replacing the donkeys it relied on for far too long.
Stop 16

5 min

At the end of the boulevard, look to the right. You should be able to spot the bronze statue of Dr. King. For a full picture of his life and achievements, check out the African American Culture Museum in Midtown.
Stop 17

5 min

As we drive, we'll end up on the Old Spanish Trail. Once upon a time, it spanned the entirety of the country! This trail stretched over 2,750 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. Next, we'll look down get the inside scoop on the importance of oil and gas in Texas's development, and look up at the stars to hear about NASA, the infamous Apollo 13 mission, and world-famous astronomer Carl Sagan.
Stop 18

5 min

The San Jacinto Monument is a 567.31-foot-high column located on the Houston Ship Channel in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, near the city of Houston. The monument is topped with a 220-ton star that commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution.
Discovery Green

5 min

Discovery Green is an 11.78-acre public urban park in Downtown Houston, Texas, bounded by La Branch Street to the west, McKinney Street to the north, Avenida de las Americas to the east, and Lamar Street to the south.
Houston Graffiti Building

5 min Admission not included

Grouping of industrial structures featuring rotating displays of colorful street art & murals.
Holocaust Museum Houston

5 min Admission not included

The Holocaust Museum Houston is located in Houston's Museum District, in the U.S. state of Texas. The Holocaust memorial museum is the fourth largest in the U.S., and opened in 1996. A major commitment of the Holocaust Museum Houston is education.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science

5 min Admission not included

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Passing by

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, located in the Houston Museum District, Houston, is one of the largest museums in the United States. The permanent collection of the museum spans more than 6,000 years of history with approximately 70,000 works from six continents.
Children's Museum Houston

Passing by

Bustling family museum with a wealth of hands-on activities such as a Bubble Lab & a Tot Spot.
James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyscape

Passing by

Built in 2012, the pyramidal structure accommodates 120 people between two levels. Twilight Epiphany is acoustically engineered to host musical performances and to act as a laboratory for Shepherd School of Music students. Constructed of grass, concrete, stone and composite steel, the structure is equipped with an LED light sequence that projects onto the ceiling and through an aperture in the 72-foot square knife-edge roof during sunrise and at sunset. Turrell's composition of light complements the natural light present at twilight, and transforms the Skyspace into a locale for experiencing beauty and reflecting on the surrounding campus and the natural world.
The Health Museum

Passing by

The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science, or The Health Museum in short, is a museum in the Museum District of Houston, Texas. The museum is a member institution of the Texas Medical Center.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Begin from Lamar St @ La Branch St, Houston, TX 77010, USA. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.

End point

Using your ticket

IGNORE THE QR CODE ABOVE

The QR code CANNOT be presented for a ticket onsite.

The QR simply contains your tour access instructions. Please follow these instructions BEFORE you’re onsite because they require WiFi/signal.

1. Download my Action Tour Guide app:

actiontourguide.com/app

2. Sign in/ register with your email (this is will automatically generate a one-time verification sent to your email. That code is NOT your tour password).

3. Go to “My Tours” and select “Enter Password”. Find your password in the instructions email sent by “Action Tour Guide” to you by email and text.

4. Download your tour NOW. Do not wait until you are onsite.

BEFORE YOU START

This is a self-guided audio tour. No guide will meet you.

Entrance tickets, attraction tickets, parking, and transportation are not included.

Your tour has lifetime access with no expiry. Use it on any date—no need to change your booking date.

For walking tours, we recommend headphones.

See how it works: actiontourguide.com/tutorial

NEED HELP?

Setup: actiontourguide.com/redeem

FAQs: actiontourguide.com/faq

Call: 1-508-506-1844

Email: [email protected]

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
Download in advance: Download the Tour Guide app by Action and tour while connected to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal.
Follow the route: Begin at the suggested starting point or join anywhere along the route shown in the app.
Lifetime access: Preview the tour before your trip and revisit the stories, photos, and details afterward.
Supported devices: iPhone with iOS 15+, Android with version 9+, or a GPS-enabled iPad/tablet with cellular capability.
The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.