The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (70 page)

If you really want to try your wings, sign up for an airplane ride. While those in specialized vintage planes may run hundreds of dollars, other show flights may cost as little as $40—a bargain by flying standards.

For those in your group who haven’t been fully struck with aero-obsession, Oshkosh offers other diversions. They include the
Barlow Planetarium
(1478 Midway Rd., Menasha, 920-832-2848,
www.barlowplanetarium.com
, shows from $7); the
Paine Art Center and Gardens
(1410 Algoma Blvd., 920-235-6903,
www.thepaine.org
, $9), a 1920s-era mansion turned museum; and the
Bergstrom-Mahler Museum
(165 N. Park Ave., Neenah, 920-751-4658,
www.paperweightmuseum.com
), home to one of the world’s finest collections of glass paperweights.

And as for the burning question: Are Oshkosh B’gosh children’s overalls made here? The answer is no longer, though the company keeps a corporate office here.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh,
3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, WI 54902, 920-426-4800,
www.airventure.org
.

Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau,
920-303-9200,
www.visitoshkosh.com
.

join the art parade

HOUSTON, TEXAS

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

—
ARTIST PABLO PICASSO (1881–1973)

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Houston ranks as the nation’s fifth largest arts scene, says a recent study by Americans for the Arts. But what sets it apart from New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London, says Houston Arts Alliance CEO Jonathon Glus, is the wide range of visual arts, from the funky Art Car Parade and Beer Can House to major museums.

For sheer exuberant self-expression, few displays in the country beat Houston’s annual rite of spring, the Art Car Parade, organized by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, an organization that promotes self-expression through art. Since 1988, Houstonians (and now, out-of-towners in for the fun) have transformed cars, bicycles, lawn mowers, go-karts, roller skates, motorcycles—just about any kind of personal conveyance—into rolling works of joy.

A giant sunflower affixed to a curvy auto painted spring green, a Beetle with another full-scale Beetle affixed on its roof upside down and painted to match, a psychedelic Flower Power mobile, a sedan topped with a hand swiped from a giant, a winged plaid-covered hot rod with its driver in plaid pajamas, a bicycle transformed into 1950s-style ice-cream cart. All have joined the caravan of 250-plus vehicles that parades down Allen Avenue on a Saturday afternoon in early May.

The spectacle is so popular that it’s grown into a weekend of events. Thursday night kicks off with the Art Car Ball street party ($25–$30), featuring live entertainment. Friday morning, a phalanx of cars visits local schools, hospitals, and community centers as part of the Main Street Drag. Friday night, supporters gather at the downtown Discovery Green for a sneak peek at the parade participants.

On Saturday comes the parade itself. Many people arrive in the morning to watch the cars line up near the intersection of Allen Parkway and Taft Street. About 100,000 enthusiasts turn out for the free frolic, angling for views along Allen Parkway between Taft and Bagby Streets in downtown.

The festivities officially begin at 1 p.m., and the parade sometimes even features a celebrity grand marshal. (In 2010, Dan Aykroyd was the honoree.) If you’d like to see the event in comfort and style, $125 will buy you a bleacher seat and box lunch at the VIPit Party. The money goes to defray parade costs. Creating an art car isn’t cheap. To honor both effort and creativity, a panel of judges awards $10,000 in prizes. These are handed out on Sunday at the Art Car Brunch and Awards Ceremony.

HOUSTON’S OTHER ARTY SIDE

Oil money and a wildcatting spirit of independence have made Houston an unexpected center for visual arts that’s well worth a visit any time of year. Houston’s
Museum District
(www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org) alone is home to 19 museums. Note: Museums don’t open until midday on Sunday and are closed on Monday.

The private
Menil Collection
(1515 Sul Ross St., 713-525-9400,
www.menil.org
), created by the late Houston collectors John and Dominique de Menil, is Houston’s must-see museum. Set in a tranquil residential neighborhood, its airy main space—designed by Renzo Piano—is home to ceremonial masks from Africa and Oceania plus modern paintings by Magritte, Picasso, and Tanguy. A second Piano-designed space houses sculptures, paintings, and works on paper by Cy Twombly. Two blocks away stand a pair of chapels; one built to house fragments of an ancient Byzantine fresco (4011 Yupon St.), the other for a series of monochromatic paintings by Mark Rothko (3900 Yupon St.). All are free.

Another important stop for art lovers is the
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
(1001 Bissonnet St., 713-639-7300,
www.mfah.org
, $7). Founded in the 1920s, today’s MFA features exhibition buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe and Rafael Moneo and a sculpture garden designed by Isamu Noguchi. Collections include Native American art, Renaissance and baroque masterpieces, Impressionist works, antiquities, modern and Old World masters, Asian and African art, and pre-Columbian gold. Don’t miss the light tunnel by contemporary artist James Turrell and the thought-provoking “End Game” sculpture by Damien Hirst. Plan to spend the day here; you’ll need that and more.

If you’re into the gallery scene, a number of galleries, including a half dozen galleries on quiet Colquitt Street, lie a short taxi ride from the Museum of Fine Arts, including the following:

 
Goldesberry Gallery.
A gallery dedicated to contemporary crafts.
2625 Colquitt St., 713-528-0405,
www.goldesberrygallery.com
.

 
McClain Gallery.
This blue-chip gallery has shown the works of Frank Stella, Julian Schnabel, Cy Twombly, and James Rosenquist.
2242 Richmond Ave., 713-520-9988,
www.mcclaingallery.com
.

 
Meredith Long Gallery.
Opened in 1957 by Houston art-scene pioneer Meredith Long, this gallery with longtime New York connections lists Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, and Jules Olitski among its artists.
2323 San Felipe St., 713-523-6671,
www.meredithlonggallery.com
.

 
Texas Gallery.
Fredericka Hunter owns this River Oaks district space focusing on contemporary artists.
2012 Peden St., 713-524-1593,
www.texgal.com
.

 
Sicardi Gallery.
Next door to the McClain Gallery, the Sicardi specializes in contemporary Latin American artists.
2246 Richmond Ave., 713-529-1313,
www.sicardi.com
.

The Orange Show also acts as steward for two of the city’s funkiest year-round attractions. The
Orange Show Monument
(2402 Munger St., $1) is a massive, 3,000-square-foot folk art installation including a pond, museum, and upper deck, single-handedly built over 22 years by a late postal worker. The
Beer Can House
(222 Malone St., $2) was started in 1968 by a retired upholsterer who reportedly got sick of mowing the grass; the yard and house are now a monument to recycling, featuring an estimated 50,000 cans. Both attractions are open Saturdays and Sundays (12 p.m.–5 p.m.).