ABOUT HOUSTON, TEXAS

The New York Times has called Houston possibly the most interesting city in America for young artists. For nearly 100 years, Houston’s rich culture has invigorated the artistic and academic pursuits of students and faculty alike. Houston is one of only six American cities with resident professional companies in all four major performing arts: ballet, opera, theater and symphony. Adjacent to the Rice campus is Houston’s outstanding museum district, including The Museum of Fine Arts, the Contemporary Arts Museum, The Menil Collection, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Students at the Herman Park/Rice University Station

To sum up a day in Houston is to say the opportunities are endless. You can sunbathe on the beach in the morning, mountain bike through a 1,466-acre wood near downtown in the afternoon, and visit the opera that night.

Houston is a vibrant, dynamic city full of opportunity and diversity. Rice students, faculty, and staff take advantage of all that the fourth-largest city in the United States has to offer -- from attending premier performing arts events in the downtown theater district, eating at outstanding restaurants, and shopping at trendy boutiques to cheering on professional sports teams. Best of all, many of these activities, including those in a bustling downtown and thriving Museum District, are easily accessible from the Rice campus. Students also tap into the assets, energy, ideas, and technology of Houston to augment the university’s academic programs.

Visit Houston and prepare to be surprised by our energetic and diverse culture, our cutting-edge technology and healthcare, our space industry, and, yes, the oil and gas industry.

The downtown Theater District is at the heart of the city’s urban renaissance. Host to more than 200 cultural, visual and professional performing arts organizations, the district brings the best of international, national and regional entertainment to the stages of Houston. Wortham Center is home to the Houston Ballet and the Houston Grand Opera, the only opera company in the country to win Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards. Jesse H. Jones Hall houses the world-renowned Houston Symphony; and, the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre is one of the nation’s best residential theater companies. The $102 million Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is a state-of-the-art facility for touring theatrical productions of the Houston Broadway Series and for the producer of musical theater, Theatre Under the Stars.