Avoid Fourth of July Holiday Traffic Snarls

Hermann Park and the Zoo will see an unusually large number of visitors during the Independence Day Fourth of July holiday.  

 

If the weather is good, it is possible that the Park could see thousands of people on the Fourth.  And with limited parking spaces available in the Park, holiday visitors can expect heavy traffic congestion in and around the area. 

When traffic reaches a saturation point in Hermann Park, Houston Police Department traffic control officers are instructed to make Golf Course Drive, the main thoroughfare through the Park one way from Montrose Blvd. to the North MacGregor exit of the Park. 

But there are alternatives to driving the family car to the Park during peak traffic times.  The METRO bus system or METRORail are both good alternatives to stalking the elusive parking space in Hermann Park. 

METRORail and METRO’s bus system are good alternatives to navigating Memorail Day traffic in search of a parking spot. 

Below are some of the METRO bus routes that
serve the Houston Zoo, Hermann Park, and the Texas Medical Center.  For more METRO bus route information, click here.

Catch METRORail at the Fannin South Park & Ride lot at 1604 West Bellfort or park downtown and catch METRORail at any of the downtown rail stations.

From the south, you can catch METRORail at the Fannin South Park & Ride lot located at 1604 West Bellfort (between Knight and Fannin). Or you can park downtown and catch METRORail at any of the downtown rail stations.

Two METRORail stations serve the Zoo and Hermann Park:  Hermann Park/Rice U Station at Fannin and Sunset, or the Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo Station on Fannin between North MacGregor and Ross Sterling. 

From the Hermann Park/Rice U station enter Hermann Park and turn left down the gravel path to the Park’s Reflection Pool. Turning right, walk along the Reflection Pool to McGovern Lake. Turn left at the lake and follow the path to the Zoo’s front plaza. 

From Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo Station, walk to North MacGregor, cross the street and turn right.  The Houston Zoo’s West Gate entrance is approximately a block away, across the street from Ben Taub Hospital. 

For more information on the METRORail system, including a map, schedule and fares, visit www.ridemetro.org or call METROLine at 713.635.4000.

Share the ride reduce your carbon footprint! Park on level 7 at the parking garage in Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza, 6400 Fannin. 

Three garage entrances offer access from either Fannin or Main Street. If you are visiting the Zoo during the week, please park on level 7. You will need to take the elevators to Level One to gain access to the street. The Zoo’s West entry is located on North MacGregor across from Ben Taub Hospital, a short 7-minute walk from the garage.

1 hr to 1 hr & 20 min. $5.00
1 hr & 21 min. to 1 hr & 40 min. $6.00
1 hr & 41 min. to 2 hrs. $7.00
2 hrs. to 2 hrs. & 20 min. $8.00
2 hrs. & 20 min to 2 hrs. & 40 min $9.00
2 hrs. & 41 min. to 24 hrs. $10.00

Lost ticket:  $10.00

Garage Evening and Weekend Rates:
(in after 5PM and out by 8AM, M-F; All Day Sat and Sun)

Flat Rate:  $6.00

Garage Parking Valet  Rates:
(Open M-F, 7AM until 6PM)

0 1 Hr $10.00
1 Hr to 24 Hrs. $15.00