Ensemble Theatre-The oldest and most distinguished professional theater in the Southwest devoted to the African-American experience. The Ensemble boast two stages and a full season of productions. At 3535 Main St. For information, call 713/520-0055

Alley Theatre
One of the oldest professional theater companies in the country, as its names implies, began in an alley; no longer roughing it, the theatre has long since moved to a post-modernist structure housing two stages; the troupe was awarded a Tony Award as an outstanding regional theater; 713-228-8421; http://www.alleytheatre.org

Jones Hall
Home of the Houston Symphony and Society for the Performing Arts; a venue for international solo artists, orchestras and dance companies; 713-224-7575, http://www.houstonsymphony.org and 713-227-4772, http://www.spahouston.org
 

Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Recently opened, this iconic structure features a sweeping glass facade that faces the downtown skyline and a 2,650-seat auditorium with a star-studded ceiling, home for Theatre Under the Stars; the popular Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) troup calls it home; destined to be a popular venue for touring R&B and Jazz artists; 713-678-5440; http://www.tuts.com
 

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston features art from Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas from antiquity to the present; includes an outdoor sculpture garden, the Glassell School of Art, many temporary exhibitions and public programs, and weekly showings of Hollywood classics and foreign films; MFAH is the nations sixth largest art museum; the Straus Collection of Renaissance and 18th-century art and the Beck Collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art are superb; works by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse and Paul Gaugin are equally inspiring; 1001 Bissonnet; 713-639-7300; http://www.mfah.org
 

Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston
Housed in a metal-sheathed parallelogram; changing exhibits of modern-day masters, thrill enthusiastic patrons; 5216 Montrose at Bissonnet; 713-284-8250; http://www.camh.org
 

The Menil Collection
World-renowned art collectors John and Dominique de Menil, created this exceptional 15,000-piece museum of Byzantine art to the 20th-century schools of Cubism, Minimalism, Surrealist works; 1515 Sul Ross; 713-525-9400; http://www.menil.org
 

Rothko Chapel
The eight-sided structure adorned only by 14 paintings by modern artist Mark Rothko; reflecting pool in front contains Barnet Newman's memorial sculpture to the Martin Luther King, Jr. is called "Broken Obelisk"; 3900 Yupon at Sul Ross, 713-524-9839; http://www.menil.org/rothko.html