Memorial Park Kinder Land Bridge & Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie Grand Opening Celebration

Event Zones & Maps

*IN ORDER FOR GUESTS TO ENJOY A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, LAST EVENT ENTRY WILL BE 4PM.*

Great Prairie Adventure

*IN ORDER FOR GUESTS TO ENJOY A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, LAST EVENT ENTRY WILL BE 4PM.*

Become a prairie explorer and collect stamps in your very own passport booklet to earn special prizes.

Spanish Version of Great Prairie Adventure

Picnic Zone

*IN ORDER FOR GUESTS TO ENJOY A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, LAST EVENT ENTRY WILL BE 4PM.*

The Picnic zone will include live music, face painting, food, and drinks. Guests are invited to “BYOP” (Bring Your Own Picnic – no glass containers, please). Picnic baskets with provisions courtesy of H-E-B will be available for free while supplies last. Additional food and drink from an array of food trucks will be available to purchase onsite.

Parking & Shuttles

LAST ENTRY INTO EVENT: 4PM. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND OFF-SITE PARKING ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Shuttle Service

Free shuttles will be provided to the Biggest Picnic in Texas. See the parking and shuttle map for details and routes. Shuttles are ADA accessible.

Schedule:

• Shuttles run approximately every 15-20 minutes.
• First shuttle pick-up: 9:45am
• Last shuttle pick-up: 4:00pm
• Final shuttle return & drop-off: 6pm

Offsite shuttle pick-ups include:

• Lot H at 1643 Memorial Drive (paid parking)
• Houston Arboretum and Nature Center (paid parking)

Ride Share

Ride Share drop is located in Picnic Loop near the Biggest Picnic Main Gates, as indicated on the above map.

Onsite Parking

Free and paid parking in Memorial Park will be available first come, first served as usual, with the following exceptions:

• Picnic Loop will be closed to public parking.
• ADA parking is available in Picnic Loop with display of permit. The Biggest Picnic in Texas and the Great Prairie Adventure activities are accessible for all abilities. Shuttle services are also ADA accessible for those parking in on-site or off-site lots.
• The Cullen Running Trails Center parking lot will be closed to public parking; however, the building will be open for restroom access, and for visitor information.

Public Transportation

Bus Stations near to Memorial Park Land Bridge and Prairie:

• Woodway Dr @ Memorial Drive (8 min walk)
• W Loop N @ Woodway Drive (12 min walk)
• N Post Oak Ln @ Woodway Drive (16 min walk)

Bus Lines to Memorial Park Land Bridge & Prairie:

• 20     Magnolia Park Transit Center – Eastbound
• 84     Northwest Transit Center – Northbound
• 47     Northwest Transit Center – Northbound

Bicycle

• Bike valet will be available at the Main Gates in Picnic Loop.
• Bike racks will be provided at the event Main Gates in Picnic Loop or at the Cullen Running Trails Center.
• Bikes will not be allowed inside the Great Prairie Adventure zone on opening day.

Know Before You Go

*IN ORDER FOR GUESTS TO ENJOY A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, LAST EVENT ENTRY WILL BE 4PM.*

NOT PERMITTED INSIDE EVENT ZONE

• No glass containers
• No pets, except for service animals
• No bicycles. Please secure bikes in the racks provided at
  event entry gates.
• No scooters, skateboards, or other similar devices
• No drones, remote control aircraft or other similar devices
• No smoking
• No picnicking inside the Great Prairie Adventure zone
• No sale or marketing of external goods, services
  or organizations
• No tents, lawn chairs, or lounge chairs

Please Remember:

• Strollers and wagons must be collapsible (if riding shuttles)
• Stay on designated paths
• Lost and Found Headquarters: Cullen Running Trails Center
  (7575 N. Picnic Ln., Houston TX 77007) 713.863.8403

Event FAQs

*IN ORDER FOR GUESTS TO ENJOY A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, LAST EVENT ENTRY WILL BE 4PM.*

Getting There

See the Parking & Shuttles tab for information on public parking, shuttle schedule, handicap parking, ride share, public transportation, and ADA accessibility.

Help Us Grow

Help our new prairie grow! Please stay on designated paths inside the event zones.

What to Bring & What Not to Bring:

The following are not permitted in Memorial Park:

• No glass containers
• No smoking
• No drones, remote control aircraft, or other similar devices

The following are not permitted inside the Great Prairie Adventure zone on Opening Day. Please plan accordingly if you are taking shuttles, public transportation, or ride share to the event.

• No pets on opening day, except for service animals
• No bicycles, scooters, skateboards or other similar devices on opening day. Please secure bikes in the racks provided at entry gates.
• No glass containers
• No drones, remote control aircraft, or other similar devices
• No smoking
• No picnicking inside the Great Prairie Adventure zone. Please enjoy food and beverage inside the Biggest Picnic or VIP Experience zones only.
• No tents, lawn chairs or lounge chairs
• No sale or marketing of external goods, services, or organizations
• Strollers and wagons must be collapsible (if riding event shuttles)

Food and Beverage

Enjoy food and beverages in the following zones:

Biggest Picnic Event Zone

• Picnic basket giveaway courtesy of H-E-B (One basket per household. Free while supplies last.)
• Food and beverages can be purchased from the array of vendors onsite.
• Or, bring your own picnic (BYOP)! No glass containers, please.

Clay Family Eastern Glades

• Food and beverages can be purchased from the array of vendors onsite.
• Please enjoy your picnic outside of the Great Prairie Adventure Zone.

Please, no picnicking inside The Great Prairie Adventure.

Bicycles

• We welcome you to ride your bike to the event, but bikes will not be allowed inside the Great Prairie Adventure zone on opening day. Please use the bike racks provided at the event Main Gates in Picnic Loop or at the Cullen Running Trails Center. Bike valet will be available at the Main Gates in Picnic Loop.

Pets

• Sorry, no pets inside the Great Prairie Adventure zone on opening day, with the exception of service animals. When the project fully opens, Memorial Park rules apply: dogs are welcome, but must be leashed at all times. Dogs and their owners must stay on the designated paths.

Lost and Found

Lost and Found headquarters are located at the Cullen Running Trails Center at 7575 N Picnic Lane. Unclaimed items from opening day will be available for pick-up at this address starting the day after the event.

When can I come back to the Land Bridge & Prairie?

The Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie project and its accompanying paid parking lot will fully open to the public on Monday, February 13.

Additional questions? Email us at comments@memorialparkconservancy.org or call 713.863.8403.

About the Land Bridge & Prairie

*IN ORDER FOR GUESTS TO ENJOY A COMPLETE EXPERIENCE, LAST EVENT ENTRY WILL BE 4PM.*

Celebrate.

Join us to celebrate history-in-the-making at “The Biggest Picnic in Texas.”  Memorial Park is enjoyed by more than 4 million visitors per year who come from 170 regional zip codes.  Memorial Park is a place for ALL Houstonians, and all are invited to be a part of two days of festivities marking the opening of Memorial Park’s 100-acre Land Bridge and Prairie.  At “The Biggest Picnic in Texas,” enjoy food, music, giveaways and activities for all ages. Be among the first to traverse the two 35-foot Kinder Land Bridge hills that connect the north and south sides of Memorial Park’s 1,500 acres. Explore the expansive project featuring wildlife viewing stations, trails and boardwalks, and a “Scramble” path to the top; and take in the dramatic views of the Uptown and Downtown skylines and Memorial Park itself from this new vantage point.

Educate.

Come and learn about the largest urban prairie restoration in Texas and the critical importance that prairies play in the Gulf Coast’s cultural and ecological history. This project is the largest urban prairie restoration in Texas. Prairies were where the buffalo roamed and where Indigenous peoples thrived.  Prairies are where the vaqueros and cowboys ranched. Prairies were central to our regional economy until only recently.  And prairies play a critical role ensuring a healthier and more resilient environment through their capacity to absorb stormwater, sequester carbon and foster biodiversity. Today, less than 1% of native Gulf Coast prairie remains.

Differentiate.

The Land Bridge and Prairie project distinguishes not only Memorial Park, but also Houston on a national level. The project was recently featured in the New York Times as one of eleven global innovative architectural projects with the potential to “transform our way of thinking, our work, our connections to local community.” This project demonstrates complex design, planning and engineering to address multiple needs. These primary needs include:

• Creating a place for all Houstonians to enjoy and safely access all of Memorial Park with the new land bridges over the 6-lane Memorial Drive
• Reconnecting wildlife and storm water corridors previously severed by Memorial Drive
• Creating a more resilient landscape in the face of increasing environmental
• Increasing the number of species that thrive in Memorial Park.

This project was built using approximately 500,000 cubic yards of soil from within the Park, saving over 60,000 trucks from traveling through our freeway system.  The area’s nutrient-deficient soils were enriched using compost created from green material from Memorial Park.  The Land Bridge and Prairie’s 100-acre space will not only be a special place for Houstonians to make memories for generations but will very importantly differentiate Houston at the national level.

While revealing Houston’s past, Memorial Park’s Land Bridge and Prairie will help position our great city for its bright future.

Read more about the Land Bridge & Prairie project here.