It was 1900 when Houston got its first park, the Kellem-Noble land backing against the Buffalo Bayou on the edge of town. Sam Houston Park at Bagby and Lamar streets was soon landscaped into a Victorian delight with an old mill, a stream, a rustic bridge, and walking paths. Since 1954 the park has been the home of The Heritage Society that preserves eight historic structures here in the menacing shadow of surrounding skyscrapers. The 19-acre park is a welcome spot to lounge with your dog in downtown Houston.

To stretch out and hike with your dog the call is Brazos Bend State Park, 35 minutes to the southwest. This area at a wide bend in the Brazos Biver is the site of Texas founder Stephen F. Austin