Things to Do
Willow Waterhole Greenway is gaining prominence as a notable Houston destination as more people discover us and more granting entities recognize us. And it’s no wonder: This unique 291-acre water detention, prairie conservation, and outdoor recreation complex offers something for everyone, from simple solitude and nature appreciation to volunteer projects for individuals and groups. Here are just some of the things to do at the Willow Waterhole Greenway.
Bird Surveys — Join the count
Have you ever been on an organized bird watch? You can do this almost every month at the Greenway. Houston’s Nature Discovery Center partners with Houston Audubon to conduct bird surveys each month except December. Participants meet at 7 AM on third Saturdays at The Gathering Place, 5310 S. Willow Dr. During a single 2-hour count, birders have identified from 30 to 50 resident and migrating bird species, with an annual count of more than 250 species.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has added Willow Waterhole Greenway to its “Upper Texas Coast - Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail—Buffalo Bayou Loop” map.
Visit Houston Audubon and learn about the monthly Willow Waterhole bird surveys.
Boating — Paddle around
Where else in near southwest Houston can you float your boat? It’s easy to do from the grassy banks of Willow Waterhole’s lakes. Nonmotorized boats—canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats—are welcome. Bring your own or rent one from any of several shops in the Houston area.
Float your boat. The water’s fine, and it’s never crowded.
Conservation — Volunteer singly or as a group
The Conservancy relies on its many volunteers to help maintain the greenspaces, lakes, and amenities, to host events, and to fundraise for projects. We often partner with neighborhood civic clubs, community organizations, scout troops, garden clubs, and interested individuals. Volunteers are at work constantly whether or not you see them: planting and trimming trees, mulching and watering them, culling non-native vegetation, clearing brush, mowing, and landscaping. We welcome your contributions. For more information or to schedule a workday, contact info@willowwaterhole.org.
It takes a village to keep the Greenway maintained year round. Volunteer your group or just bring a bag to collect trash while you walk..
Facebook — Share your photos
The Willow Waterhole Facebook page shows you what’s happening at the park in real time. Enjoy the photos that have been posted, join the conversation.
Family Fun — Do something different
Here’s a quick list of fun things to do at Willow Waterhole with your family, kids, pets, and friends. Some are listed separately in this Things to Do section.
Have a picnic at one of the green tables or on a blanket under a tree.
Take some photos and share them with friends.
Meet your friends or hold a club meeting under a giant oak tree.
Throw a birthday party and let the kids enjoy the out-of-doors.
Catch a fish for support, and teach a child to fish.
Create sidewalk art with colored chalk, and let the kids play hopscotch.
Take your dogs for a walk or run (on a leash).
Admire the carvings and sculptures near the Bob Schwartz Gazebo.
Find a grassy area and play tee-ball or wiffleball ball with the kids.
Arrange a family or pet photoshoot with the bluebonnets.
Find a maintenance or conservation project and offer your help.
Grab some bags and pick up trash as you walk the trails.
Identify as many birds and bird songs as you can.
Join an Audubon Houston bird survey.
Create a charcoal or watercolor painting of a lake scene.
Slide a canoe or kayak into the water and paddle around a lake.
Walk a different lake every day until you’ve circled all six.
Bicycle on the Greenway’s hilly trails.
Attend one of the many cross-country meets and cheer on the runners.
Take a quiet walk in the park. You’ll meet the nicest people, and dogs.
No need to go to countryside for your pet’s bluebonnet portrait. Watch Facebook to find peak blooming season at the Greenway.
Fishing — Catch your supper
Imagine catching a large catfish for supper just a couple of miles from home. You can do that, or at least try, in four of the Willow Waterhole’s wet-bottom lakes: Westbury, Willow, Prairie, and Triangle. The lakes hold water all year long, regardless of the weather, collected from underground seepage, rain, and bayou overflow. Between 2016 and 2019, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stocked the four lakes with bass, catfish, and sunfish, so the fish are now plentiful and mature, some as large as 2 pounds. Unfortunately, plenty of carp also call the lakes their home. Despite their reputation, these “bottom feeders” are considered good eating by some, but they are invasive and need to be removed. If you catch one, please don’t throw it back into the lake.
You’ll need a Texas fishing license if you are 17 or older. Find our fishing regulations here and link to obtain a license here.
Bring your fishing rod and lawn chair, and catch your supper!
Flood Control — Learn how the basin works
If you’ve lived here long, you are probably familiar with the damage that bayous can cause during high-water events and with the mitigation work done recently to Brays Bayou and its bridges. But how many of you know about Willow Waterhole Bayou and how its basin complex of six lakes works to prevent flooding? Learn how and you will amaze your friends and neighbors! See the section on Flood Control.
Weirs separating Scout and Heron Lakes from Willow Waterhole Bayou are part of the system that controls the passive flow of floodwater from and back into the bayou.
Gardening — Dig in the dirt
The Greenway’s Native Prairie Garden is a “pocket prairie” added to educate the public about native prairie grasses and wildflowers. The garden is located on Gasmer Dr. near the banks of Triangle Lake. The plants were provided in 2018 by the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. Even though the grasses and wildflowers generally grow wild, volunteers are always needed to weed and reseed this small garden’s plants, to remove invasive grasses, to replace dead plants, and to maintain plant labels and walkways. The volunteer gardeners are individuals like you and members of various local garden clubs and the Native Prairies Association of Texas. If you would like to help, contact info@willowwaterhole.org.
Wander around the Native Prairie Garden and see if you recognize some of the plants from your backyard or the roadside.
Levitt Pavilion Houston — Watch it grow
In a few years, Willow Waterhole Greenway will share the stage and limelight with a new venue: Levitt Pavilion Houston, an outdoor music stage with seating for up to 5,000 people. The pavilion’s future site is the former Shell Oil Gasmer Technology Center, adjacent to the Greenway. The Shell site will also be home to Energy Capital Park, a 29-acre park that will incorporate many of the Shell Oil structures already onsite. The park and Pavilion will connect seamlessly with Willow Waterhole Greenway. Please consider supporting efforts to fund the Greenway’s future neighbor, and get ready to watch “Levitt” become Houston’s next big outdoor destination.
In the not-so-distant future, you’ll be able to bring the family and enjoy 40 free concerts a year at Levitt Pavilion Houston.
Music on the Go — Enjoy the orchestra with a view
You can now enjoy the music of a professional orchestra from a Greenway bench any day of the year. An Eagle Scout project completed in 2023 brings the professional ROCO Chamber Orchestra to you with the click of your camera and a QR code. The group created its “ROCO on the Go” program to provide free access to their music online. Find one of the QR codes posted around the Greenway, scan the QR code with your phone’s camera, and enjoy concert.
MusicFEST and Halloween — Save the date
The Greenway’s largest and best known event is October’s annual one-day MusicFEST, always the last Saturday in October and always free. Come enjoy up to 8 hours of music by professional musicians and area school instrumental groups. The festival offers music for all tastes: R&B, Texas blues, Latin, reggae, brass bands, contemporary jazz, rock, blues, and urban contemporary. The event also has participating artists, nonprofit booth displays, and food trucks with diverse food offerings.
Halloween’s Trunk or Treat event is now incorporated into MusicFEST, making the day even more fun for the entire family.
Come enjoy the day. Feel free to dress in costume and bring your lawn chair. Parking is free, and a free shuttle bus operates from 11 AM and 7 PM between the Westbury High School parking lot and the Bob Schwartz Gazebo at the end of Dryad St.
MusicFEST always depends on a small army of volunteers, especially high school students, to set up the stage, move equipment, install tables and tents, staff various exhibits and activities, guide visitors and musicians, and pack everything up when finished. Volunteer opportunities are posted on the MusicFEST webpage in September.
Bring the kids to MusicFEST, which is now combined with Halloween activities. They’ll have fun while you enjoy the music.
Save the date now for our annual, all-day, free, last-Saturday October MusicFEST.
Oak Tree “Classes” — Invite some friends
The Greenway is home to two ancient live oak trees—the Rafferty Memorial Oak on S. Willow Dr. and a second oak on Triangle Lake—both surrounded by giant granite boulders. The shade provided by the trees makes these “outdoor classrooms” comfortable for much of the year. Invite your friends or a club to meet under one of them, and enjoy the view.
Bring a book, a friend or group, or a snack, and enjoy the view under a spreading oak.
Park Maintenance — Hone your skills
Scout troops, community organizations, and individuals can find plenty of activities to hone outdoor skills and fulfill individual and group goals that contribute to park maintenance. In the last few years, groups have built kiosks, birdhouses, mile markers, bat houses, bird habitats, trails, footbridges, commemorative markers, and selfie stands. Over the years, more than 50 Eagle and Gold Scout projects have been completed. Of course, as an individual, you can jump in to help at any time just by picking up trash where you see it or by reporting something that needs repair. To schedule a group activity or get more information, contact info@willowwaterhole.org.
Join the hundreds of individuals, Scouts, and groups who have volunteered to help keep the Greenway maintained.
Park Promotion — Get the word out!
If you live in Westbury or nearby, you are no doubt very familiar with Willow Waterhole Greenway. But many people even in southwest Houston are still unaware of its existence. Help us get the word out by posting your photos on your own Facebook and Instagram pages and other social media outlets. Tell your friends and neighbors about us, invite them to MusicFEST in October, share an article or other information with them, and take someone with you to walk in the park. Schedule a field trip for a club or a group of kids, gather some neighbors or friends, plan a meeting at one of the live oak trees. You can also request a presentation about the Greenway for your homeowners association or other club or organization. For information, contact info@willowwaterhole.org.
Help us spread the word about MusicFEST, a fun, free event for the whole famly.
Park Support — Join, donate, volunteer
You can help us operate, maintain, and enhance our 291-acre community park through an annual membership or donation or by volunteering for any of our many projects. Find details on the Support page.
Picnicking — Find a table with a view
Find a picnic table and enjoy the view. Tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the park under shade trees and overlooking lakes. Feel free to spread your meal on a picnic blanket on the grass. Bring the family, meet your friends, read a book, or just enjoy the view and quiet.
Plan a picnic almost any time of the year. Bring the family; meet your friends.
Photos — Share your pictures
The Greenway offers a wide range of subject matter for pictures—birds, flowers, scenery, sunsets, and more. Several (photo) selfie stands with scenic backgrounds can be found along the trails. Send your best pictures to The Watering Hole newsletter.
Trail Walking, Biking, and Running — Get some exercise
More than 10 miles of trails wind around the park’s six lakes. See the Trails map below. Paved and crushed-granite trails are designed for walking, bike riding, jogging, and running. Get in your morning walk, ride your bike, jog on hills and across footbridges, let your pup run (on leash, please), enjoy Houston’s native plants, listen to the birds, cheer on the runners, and just breathe in the fresh air.
The winding, up-and-down trails are great for cross-country runners.
The Watering Hole — Sign up for our newsletter
Keep up with the Greenway, its flora and fauna, conservation and recreational activities, featured volunteers, and new developments by subscribing—free—to The Watering Hole, the Conservancy’s quarterly online newsletter. Send us a request.
Sign up for our quarterly newsletter for news and features about the Greenways.
Willow Waterhole Bayou — Trace its route
Need a map project for your kids or students? Start right here at Willow Waterhole Bayou. Houstonians all know Brays Bayou, but very few know its Willow Waterhole Bayou tributary. Read about it and see its route here.
Using Google map and the information from this website, follow the bayou along its path, see where it flows beneath bridges on neighborhood streets, spot its Harris County flood gauges, check out its unconcreted portion behind The Gathering Place on S. Willow Dr., observe Scout Lake’s weir and culvert that carry floodwater into the rest of the basin, follow the bayou through the Westbury and Willow Meadows neighborhoods, and finally find where it empties into Brays Bayou. You’ll be amazed at how much you will learn about a bayou that you hardly knew existed.
The Willow Waterhole Bayou, or “Ditch,” as it is known to old-timers, can rage in a heavy storm. Find it as a natural ditch or a concrete channel where it empties into Brays Bayou.
Willow Waterhole Trails Map
Hiking and cycling are possible around all six lakes. Trails are being added and upgraded, with 10 miles of trails already available.