On Saturday, August 27, grab your party hats and venture out to downtown, because Houston is celebrating its 186th birthday with Mayor Sylvester Turner! Mister McKinney, the chairperson of the annual City’s Happy Birthday Houston, invites Houstonians and tourists for a late afternoon of free and fun quality time.

“Our city was founded on August 30, 1836, by the Allen brothers who paid approximately $1.40 per acre for more than 6,000 acres near Buffalo Bayou,” The Heritage Society’s executive director, Alison Bell said. “This year, to commemorate Houston turning 186 years young, we will co-host free activities from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney's Historic Houston.”

The free Hounique activities for all ages include the following: Happy Birthday Houston bus tours of Downtown by Mister McKinney of Mister McKinney's Historic Houston, two free historic house tours, cake cutting with Mayor Sylvester Turner, book signing with the authors of Oldest Houston, and gallery entrance to two gallery exhibits Woman: Spirit of the Universe and The Life and Times of Charles Goodnight. No reservations are needed, just show up with a smile and follow the party host at @MisterMcKinneysHistoricHouston and @HoustonHistoryBus.

Someone will also win a weekend stay with a brunch from the C. Baldwin Hotel, named after Charlotte Baldwin Allen, who is known in Texas history as the “Mother of Houston”.

If you cannot make the evening events, The Heritage Society Museum has docent-led historic home private tours of three homes at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and include a birthday dessert, a beverage, and souvenirs for the children. Discounted prices are $12 for seniors (65+ years old); $6 for students (6 to 12 years old); and free for children who are 5 years old and younger.

Parking is free for guests, and our gift shop will be open until 6 p.m. with Houston and Texas themed gifts. For more information, please see https://www.heritagesociety.org/happy-birthday-houston.

More about The Heritage Society: The Heritage Society, a 501 (c)(3) organization, tells the stories of the diverse history of Houston and Texas through collections, exhibits, the arts, educational programs, film, video, and other content. Founded in 1954 by a number of public-spirited Houstonians determined to rescue the 1847 Kellum-Noble House from demolition, The Heritage Society has since saved an additional nine historic buildings, moved them from various locations to join the Kellum-Noble House in Sam Houston Park, and restored them to reflect their respective eras. These 10 buildings, along with the museum gallery, serve as historic reference points and exhibition spaces for more than 23,000 artifacts that document life in Houston from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. To see a 2022 calendar of events, head here. For more information, please contact info@heritagesociety.org.