"One of the fifty things all Texans should do."
-Texas Monthly Magazine

 

2008 Eyeopener Tours

Out of Town Tour: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
August 27 - September 1

Five days of folk art, mercados, churches, private collections, a U.N World Heritage site, private collections, artists' homes and studios plus world-class Mexican food. THIS TOUR MAY BE SOLD OUT - Please call 713-926-6368 if you'd like to be placed on a waiting list.

September 21st
Houston Southside
Still under development, this tour explores an area of town usually associated with eyesores. However, we're ferreting out the special treats.
Behind the roll-down door of a former air conditioner parts warehouse, husband and wife art car artists have produced a haven for art cars, limited-edition autos, sculpture and collectables. Then we step back in Houston's history to learn about early aviation with a behind-the-scenes look at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum. Watch this space for breaking news about other eye opening stops on this tour.

October 12th
Places of Worship
Houston historian and world traveler Marks Hinton and local architect and out-of-town-Eyeopener guru Larry Harris present our community's richly varied spiritual heritage in a new Places of Worship tour. "Our office buildings and restaurants are where we invent our public selves. Our homes are where we invent our social selves. Our sacred spaces are where we invent our inner selves. Our sacred spaces are not simply buildings where we honor our idea of God. They are landscapes that, when decoded, reveal the creative heart of a people." Aaron Howard, 2002

November 16th
Music Maestro
Still under development, this tour explores music and music-makers in Houston. Stay tuned for more details.

Eyeopener Tour History
On our very first Eyeopener tour in September 1986, we visited John and Mary Milkovisch at the Beer Can House. We met Frank Mann, an unforgettable octogenarian who had flown the Spruce Goose with his friend Howard Hughes, and we saw the astonishing 1/5 scale working model of a Santa Fe steam rail car, built in six months to gain entrance to a steam enthusiasts' society. We saw Priscilla II relative to the world famous , life-saving swimming pig at her home, just blocks off Main Street at Pigdom. When the tour ended at Judge Roy Hofheinz's Celestial Suites at the Astro Village Hotel with a little reception in the mini-Astrodome, it was clear that something wonderful was underway.

Eyeopeners, we called the tour, "places that made you stop, look and look again." At our committee meetings, we tried to outdo each other in bringing the most interesting food, the best story, a great new sighting. Our world expanded to take in great artists creating large scale environments - the Fan Man, Flower Man and Sylvester Williams. Cultural landmarks - C. Davis Barbecue, El Nedo, the Continental Zydeco Ballroom. Places of Worship - Hindu temples in Pearland, Baptist churches in Downtown Houston, and everything in between. We trooped to artists' studios, scoped out the city's murals, public art, gardens, collections, international food markets and architecture. We didn't stay put in Houston either - venturing all around Texas then Atlanta, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago, Phoenix and Las Pozas, Mexico.

Along the way we compiled thousands of images, artist interviews, books and articles. Taken more than 10,000 people on in-depth tours. Made a lot of friends.

Click here to see previous Eyeopener Tours. Each tour is filled with fascinating glimpses of behind the scenes places you thought you knew. You are invited to join the fun. Passion, curiosity and an appetite for life are all you need. For more information on joining us for any of the Eyeopener Tours, please call 713-926-6368 or email oranges@orangeshow.org.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PREVIOUS OUT OF TOWN EYEOPENER TOURS