Texas is the third largest state in population, the second largest in land mass and the first in state pride. Find out why at the exhibit honoring Texas, its historic figures and rich legacy of determination at the Houston Museum of Natural Science now through Sept. 5. The exhibit highlights legendary Texas icons, explores Texas historic events and showcases fascinating Texas artifacts. March 2nd this year marked the 175th Anniversary of Texas Independence. Come explore Texas! The Exhibition and experience what makes residents of the Lone Star State beam with pride.
 
Request a Greet to the Houston Museum of Natural Science located in Hermann Park. Permanent features of the museum include the Burke Baker Planetarium, Cockrell Butterfly Center and the Wortham IMAX Theater. There are also 10 permanent exhibits including a spectacular look at gems and minerals, and a sophisticated energy exhibit that explores advanced technology in the oil and gas industry. Experience Houston with an insider and request a museum Greet today.

 
Houston is proud to be a founding member of the Global Greeter Network. The same personal Greet experiences offered by Houston Greeters are available in 28 cities around the world. Remember the Global Greeter Network as vacation planning is under way. Currently Globlal Greeter locations include nine cities in France, two in Australia, five in the United Kingdom, two in Germany, two in Serbia, along with The Hague, Belgium, Xiamen, Buenos Aires, Toronto, New York and Chicago. Visit the Global Greeter website for more information at www.globalgreeternetwork.info.

The Shell Eco-marathon challenges high school and college student teams from around the world to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency and design, build and test energy efficient vehicles. Imagination and engineering come together at these annual events in the Americas, Europe and Asia; the winners are the teams that go the farthest distance using the least amount of energy. The Americas marathon is April 14-17 at Houston’s Discovery Green.

The winning team last year achieved 2,487.5 miles per gallon in the “Prototype” category. Come see the energy of student teams and the excitement of extreme mileage in downtown Houston.

Discovery Green is a 12-acre park created by a public-private partnership between the City of Houston and the non-profit Discovery Green Conservancy. To learn more, Houston Greeters offers a free Greet of Discovery Green on Sunday, May 1 and Sunday, June 5 at 1 p.m. beginning at the Alkek Building near the children’s fountain at Discovery Green.

Jake Goldstein didn’t plan on meeting his future wife, one of the founding directors of Houston Greeters, when he came to Houston for the Art Car Parade in 2007. He drove his tiki-bar decorated art car across country from California to participate in the parade, which has become the largest in the country. Along the parade route he met Amy Dinn, moved to Houston, they married and the road led Jake to becoming a volunteer Greeter for the Art Car Museum and Parade.

A health care project manager, Jake has conducted several greets for international visitors from England and Australia and enjoys sharing the Art Car Museum with them. Jake is now building a stained glass art car to compete this month in Goliad, Texas, in the Texas Mile Race.

The Art Car Museum is a private institution dedicated to contemporary art. Its emphasis is on art cars, fine arts and artists that are rarely seen in other cultural institutions. The museum’s mission is to elevate awareness of the political, economic and personal dimensions of art. It is located at 140 Heights Blvd and open Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information visit www.artcarmuseum.com.

Bernice Beckerman used to perform with the Houston Symphony and now she orchestrates greets of downtown Houston, the museum district and the Texas Medical Center.

A musician her whole life, Bernice played the violin and the viola with symphonies in Minneapolis and Dallas before coming to Houston. After retiring from the Houston Symphony, she was intent on staying busy. So she joined Exploritas, a not-for-profit organization and the world’s largest educational and travel organization for older adults. She started the program in Houston and hosted groups touring the city and the arts area.

“It is fun to show off what you know and there are so many things about Houston to discover,” said Bernice. “Then I read about Houston Greeters and it seemed like a natural thing to do after Exploritas because I enjoy meeting people.”

A couple from Russia explored the Texas Medical Center with Bernice and they were impressed by the size of the area and learned it employs more than 70,000 persons. She has also conducted a walking tour of the outdoor sculptures in downtown Houston where she enjoys showing people the architecture and shares the view from Chase Tower’s Sky Lobby on the 60th floor.

“There are some fun things that you don’t always see at first glance downtown,” says Bernice. “Houston Greeters changes the perception of the city for those who haven’t seen it. I enjoy being a part of that.”