Located in Houston's Museum District, the Holocaust Museum displays film footage, artifacts, photographs and documents that give a glimpse of what life was like in pre-World War II Europe, moving through laws that restricted Jewish freedoms, and on toward Hitler's "Final Solution." Visitors can also see a railway car from 1942, the same kind used to carry millions of Jews to their deaths, and a rescue boat used by courageous Danes to ferry more than 7,200 Jews to safety.
NOTE: The museum is not recommended for children under the age of 10.
How to get to the Holocaust Museum Houston:
The museum is located at 5401 Caroline St., one block north of Binz/Bissonnet Street and two blocks east of Fannin Street.
Heading south on Interstate 59, take the Fannin exit, and then turn left on Binz. Go two blocks to Caroline and take a left. The next stop is at Calumet. The Museum is on the corner of Calumet and Caroline.
Via public transportation:
Take the Houston METRORail to the Museum District stop. Walk two blocks east to Caroline Street. Turn left on Caroline and continue two more blocks to the museum.
Parking:
Parking is available directly in front of the museum off the Caroline Street entrance. On-street parking is also available on both sides of the museum.
Admission and Hours:
Museum members, students with valid school ID: Free
Non-members: $12
Seniors (65+) and active-duty military: $8
On Thursdays, the museum is free from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., as well as on Memorial Day, D-Day, Kristallnacht, and International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday : Noon - 5 p.m.
Must see/do at the Holocaust Museum Houston:
Guided tours are available on Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. These provide vistors with context for the exhibits and opportunity to ask questions of tour guides. They add an excellent layer of information and connection to the experience. Visitors should also be sure to see both the railway car and the rescue boat, located in a courtyeard outside the exhibit space. The juxtaposition between the two is a tangible reminder of the horrors endured by the Jews at the hands of their Nazi oppressors and the knowledge that many people put their lives at risk to stand up to the Nazis and help save Jews.
Other places to see/things to do neat the Holocaust Museum Houston:
The Health Museum, located two blocks south and two blocks east of the Holocaust Museum Houston, at 1515 Hermann Dr., provides interactive displays, movies and visiting exhibits, dedicated to the human body, health and medical science. Five blocks west of the museum, the Contemporary Arts Museum, at 5216 Montrose Blvd., offers an array of changing exhibits dedicated to showcasing the best in modern art by artists working in multiple media.
Holly Beretto is a Houston-based writer covering the arts, food and wine, travel and interesting personalities for a variety of local and regional publications. She is currently at work on her first book, a pictorial history of St. Michael Catholic Church, to be published by Bright Sky Press in late 2015.