SPORTS + OUTDOORS

Discovery Green, the downtown Houston park, presents several exciting new and returning programs this holiday season, enhancing the park's natural features and proving Discovery Green is an attraction not to be missed.

The Ice at Discovery Green was a smash hit with Houstonians last year with more than 100,000 visitors enjoying the experience of outdoor ice skating. The Ice at Discovery Green presented by the Houston Chronicle returns Thursday, November 26, following the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. With evening, weekend and holiday hours and weekly evening programs, it is sure to be a popular holiday activity for Houston families and visitors to the city. The rink will be open daily through Martin Luther King Day, January 18, 2010. Admission is just $10, including skate rental.

New attractions throughout the season include the opportunity to experience a wonderful art exhibition entitled Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet; record personal history by participating in NPR’s StoryCorps Historias; and view the holiday art in the park including David Graeve’s illuminated photo globes and Andy Mann’s Video Tree. All are part of the Downtown Holiday Spectacular comprising a multitude of downtown Houston activities.

“We were thrilled with the response of Houstonians to The Ice at Discovery Green last year,” said Discovery Green Conservancy President Guy Hagstette. “From 80 degree weather to a special December evening with snow flurries, outdoor ice skating was an enjoyable destination for Houstonians of all ages. We look forward to adding Cool Globes, StoryCorps Historias and more to enhance the holiday cheer of downtown Houston.”

Visitors to the park can bring a picnic, or dine at one of the two restaurants, The Grove and The Lake House operated by Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group. Blankets, lawn chairs, and picnics welcome. Food, beer, and wine are also available at The Lake House.

Visit discoverygreen.com for specific dates, more information on these events, dining and other features of the park.

The Ice at Discovery Green
Holiday Skating on Kinder Lake presented by the Houston Chronicle
November 26, 2009 – January 18, 2010

With more than 100,000 park visitors the first year, The Ice at Discovery Green returns to the park on Thanksgiving Day. Make Discovery Green your tradition during the holidays with an array of activities offered for families, couples, and visitors to the city. Skate among the downtown skyline on the model boat basin frozen to a frosty 22 degrees using recycled water from Kinder Lake and powered by renewable energy. Admission $10 includes skate rental and tax.

Weekly programs will be offered including skating stars performances, jazz nights, movie nights, dj nights and skating with Santa. Holiday art exhibits including local artist David Graeve’s illuminated globes featuring photos taken by FUUSA students.

The following weekly programs will be offered:
Mondays – Skating with the Stars
Tuesdays – Jazz on Ice
Thursdays – Silver Screen
Fridays – Cool Tunes Hot Ice with Hot 95.7
Saturdays – Skate with Santa with KUHF
Sundays – Holiday Green Market

The Holiday Green Market returns on Sundays with an array of sustainable gifts and holiday food items. Houstonians of all ages were fascinated with last year’s Ice Carving Event which featured acclaimed ice artists from around the country using chainsaws and blow torches to transform ice into masterpieces. They will return to Discovery Green to battle for the grand prize on Saturday, January 9. Be sure The Ice at Discovery Green is on your holiday itinerary!

Downtown’s Holiday Spectacular will feature two Holiday Trolleys that will connect all of the festive happenings in downtown. FREE to all visitors, the trolleys make it simple for guests to park once and experience multiple downtown destinations during their visit. Twelve trolley pick-up and drop-off stops will be conveniently located close to parking areas and marked with holiday signage (3 stops will be located at Discovery Green).

The trolley service will operate on Fridays (6:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. and 11 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving and New Year’s weekends) and all day Saturdays (11 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.) and Sundays (11 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.) beginning Thanksgiving weekend through the end of New Year’s Eve weekend.

For a map of the route visit www.houstondowntown.com.

Pictured:  detail of a photo by Jeff Fitlow.