Enter from Main Street or Fannin. One of the best things about coming down Main is going under the canopy of live oaks that lines this end of the street. The first thing you'll see in the park is the equestrian statue of General Sam Houston, the man after whom the city was named. The statue shows Houston pointing toward the San Jacinto battleground, many miles away.
Turn left and follow Hermann Circle Drive. The first building to the left is the Houston Museum of Natural Science. There's a parking garage behind the museum. The museum includes exhibits on nature, geology, anthropology, paleontology, space exploration, chemistry, mineralogy and energy. There's also a planetarium, IMAX theater and butterfly pavilion on the premises.
Continue to the southeast to the Houston Garden Center. You can park here if you plan to see the attractions at this end of the park. The Garden Center is where the Houston Rose Society and other garden clubs hold meetings.
Head south and you'll come to the Miller Outdoor Theatre, which also features ample parking. This venue hosts all sorts of free performing arts events for adults and children. It's closed only during Houston's brief winter.
Go southwest and you can rent a pedal boat for use on McGregor Lake, or head due west by the south end of the Mary Gibbs and Jesse H. Jones Reflection Pool and over to the Japanese Garden, which is laid out in a traditional style and includes a tea house.
Proceed southwest to the playground, formally known as the Buddy Carruth Playground for All Children. The name is telling: the playground was carefully designed for the enjoyment of children of all ages and all levels of ability, including children with physical challenges.
Retrace your steps and go back to the Miller Outdoor Theatre because you will probably want to move your car to get closer to the Houston Zoo. The main entrance of the zoo is just south of McGregor Lake and east of the playground, while there's a secondary entrance southeast of the playground, off McGregor Street. There's parking at the former and none at the latter. There are over 4,500 animals living in the zoo and it takes at least half a day or longer to enjoy them all. When you finish at the zoo, take your kids for a ride all around the park on board the Hermann Park Train.
Drive in via the east side of the park if you want to use the golf course. You can access the course by means of other roads in the park, but the entrance at the McGregor and Almeda intersection leads straight to the parking lot and clubhouse. The 18-hole course is open to the public.
