Houston is experiencing a tasteful sprawl with new art venues and inviting green spaces.

Houston, Texas—the calf-roping, carnivorous capital of the 50 states. Not quite. This city of more than 2 million Texans is a cultural melting pot as the home of a vibrant arts scene, thriving ethnic neighborhoods, and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Opportunities abound for arts connoisseurs and sports enthusiasts alike: Houston is one of a handful of American cities to house professional theater companies for each of the major arts disciplines, and sports fans can rally behind Houston's professional teams, the Astros, Rockets, and Texans.