Houston Restaurant Weeks and Moon Mania Take Center Stage in Texas’ Most Creative City

As the end of July beckons and the coronavirus pandemic realities show no signs of changing, people across Houston are getting creative about how they choose to hold events and happenings – because life is too short to sit around and do nothing.

Whether held virtually or in-person, these are some events that’ll keep you busy this weekend (and beyond).

Field Trip to the Moon

A trip to the moon would be really nice right about now. Just imagine escaping somewhere far, far away, removed from all this craziness here on earth. Well, since that’s not really an option for 2020, we can at least settle on taking a virtual field trip there.

This Friday, July 31, the Houston Geological Society will be hosting a super cool speaker and Q&A session with Dr. Harrison H. Schmitt, AKA Apollo 17 Astronaut and Lunar Module Pilot and geologist. He’s the real deal.

The Zoom event will take you back to 1972, when he and fellow astronaut Gene Cernan spent a total of 75 hours on the moon. Dr. Schmitt will unearth (pun intended) his lunar geological findings with guests and participants – just be sure you sign up for your spot before the virtual event, in advance as registration closes Thursday afternoon. Tickets are $35 for non-HGS members.

Houston Restaurant Weeks

Houston Restaurant Weeks is finally here and there’s never been a more important time to participate in the month long culinary celebration. Between the passing of HRW’s beloved founder Cleverley Stone in May and the devastating effects of COVID-19 on restaurants big and small, this is a chance to step out of your comfort zone (i.e. your home) and venture to the reduced capacity restaurants that help make Houston the city you love.

If sitting in a dining room or outside on a restaurant patio isn’t in your comfort zone yet, you can still get all your brunch, lunch and dinner favorites by takeout or delivery. Consider it this year’s quarantine special.

The list of participating restaurants is as extensive as in years past, so go ahead and peruse it to show some #supportlocal love. And don’t forget, your participation in Houston Restaurant Weeks also helps support the Houston Food Bank, which is more vital than ever in these coronavirus times.

Things kick off this Saturday, August 1 and run through Monday, September 7.

Pieces of the Moon

Let’s stick with the moon theme, especially since the 51st anniversary of the moon landing was just last week.

This weekend marks the final days of Nick Flint’s play Pieces of the Moon, a virtual show co-produced by Stages and One Year Lease Theater Company. The play, set in 1969, is a thoughtful reflection of the era – when NASA’s exciting adventure to the moon played out alongside the dramas of domestic and foreign affairs. The production will feature stories told through the Apollo 11 astronauts and poet Gil Scott-Heron‘s works, revealing how two Americas seemingly existed at the same time.

The final show streams on Sunday, August 2 at 7 pm. Tickets are free, but reservations are required.