Rainy-Day Ideas in Bellaire

In Bellaire a rainy day is not a reason to stay home, only a reason to choose a roof. What follows is sorted by how you want to spend the hours: moving, learning, playing, or sitting down with something warm.

Move

The Bellaire Rec Center, 7008 5th St, is the city's recreation center, and the city lists its hours as Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Its fitness room has treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes, cable machines, benches and dumbbells, and is for ages 16 and older. There is half-court open play basketball, and there are three indoor pickleball courts, first come, first served, where players bring their own paddles and balls. Members get in with a membership, and visitors can pay a daily fee.

Club Pilates, 5103 Bellaire Blvd, is a studio that lists eight class types at four skill levels and invites newcomers to a free 30-minute intro class on its site. It lists weekday hours from 7 a.m. and weekend hours from 8 a.m. Row House, 6702-A Ferris St, is a rowing studio whose site describes five class types that combine rowing with floor work, from 30-minute express classes to a full row of 40 minutes or more, plus a recovery class, and it lists a 5:30 a.m. opening on Tuesday to Thursday. There is more on pilates, yoga and the rest in our fitness and studios guide.

Look and learn

The Bellaire City Library, 5111 Jessamine St, opened in 1951 and lists Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Sunday. The city's page describes databases, Libby e-books and WiFi, and it announces a 75th Anniversary Reading Challenge for all ages beginning October 1.

The Nature Discovery Center, 7112 Newcastle St, posts hours for its Discovery Rooms separately from the park: Tuesday to Friday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school year, and weekends only from June through August. The Dean Neubek Critter Classroom, the center's animal room, is among its named attractions. Check before you go, since the center does not list an admission price on its visit page.

Keep the children busy

These three are the places where someone else runs the hour, which is the whole appeal on a wet afternoon.

In Bellaire a rainy day is not a reason to stay home, only a reason to choose a roof.

- Idea Lab Kids (Bellaire), 5410 Bellaire Blvd, is a STEAM center whose site lists workshops, after-school programs, camps and classes in coding, robotics, drone engineering, culinary arts and movie studio production. - We Rock The Spectrum - Bellaire, 6706 Ferris St, is a sensory gym with open play, an arts and crafts section and classes, and its site describes it as an autism-focused, sensory-safe space for children from toddlers through teens. - Texas Chess Center, 4007 Bellaire Blvd, in Houston across the city line, runs chess classes for children, club nights and tournaments.

Bowl

Sit down with something warm

- Betsy's, 4400 Bellaire Blvd, is the cafe at Evelyn's Park, and its site lists breakfast tacos, smoothies and coffee in the morning and shared plates, sandwiches, burgers and salad bowls later, with wine and beer. It lists hours from 8 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends. - Dandelion Cafe Bellaire, 5405 Bellaire Blvd, is a breakfast cafe whose site names French toast sticks, a black bean tostada, chicken and waffles and buttermilk pancakes, and it lists hours of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Thursday. - McHugh Tea Room & Gifts, 5305 Bissonnet St, serves traditional afternoon tea by reservation, along with lunch and themed teas, and lists itself closed on Tuesday.

A wet Sunday, for example

Sunday is the tricky day, because the library is closed. The recreation center opens at noon and closes at 6 p.m., the Nature Discovery Center's Discovery Rooms post 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Betsy's lists a 9 a.m. start. So a workable Sunday is coffee and something hot at Betsy's, the Discovery Rooms by late morning, and pickleball or the fitness room after lunch. On a Saturday the library and the recreation center are both open by 9 a.m. and 8 a.m., so there is more room to improvise. For a full two-day plan with meals, see the weekend guide, and for children's activities, the guide to things to do with kids.

Before you go

- Look at the Harris County Flood Warning System before you leave the house, because heavy rain can make a familiar route impassable quickly. - Confirm hours by phone or on the place's own page when the weather is bad, since small businesses sometimes close early. - Book McHugh Tea Room & Gifts ahead, as the tea room says reservations are required for afternoon tea. - Bring your own paddle and ball to the recreation center if you want to play indoor pickleball, since the city's page says players must bring their own. - Plan the Nature Discovery Center for a weekend in summer, when the Discovery Rooms are open only on Saturday and Sunday.

Sources

- City of Bellaire, Recreation Center: https://bellairetx.gov/740/Recreation-Center - City of Bellaire, Library: https://www.bellairetx.gov/657/Library - City of Bellaire, Library hours and location: https://www.bellairetx.gov/659/Hours-and-Location - Club Pilates Bellaire: https://www.clubpilates.com/bellaire - Row House Bellaire: https://www.therowhouse.com/location/bellaire - Nature Discovery Center, Visit: https://naturediscoverycenter.org/visit/ - Nature Discovery Center, Russ Pitman Park: https://naturediscoverycenter.org/russ-pitman-park - IDEA Lab Kids, Central Houston: https://www.idealabkids.com/location/central-houston - We Rock the Spectrum Bellaire: https://www.werockthespectrumbellaire.com - Texas Chess Center: https://texaschesscenter.com - Betsy's at Evelyn's Park: https://betsysbellaire.com - Dandelion Cafe: https://dandelionhouston.com - McHugh Tea Room & Gifts: https://mchughtea.com - Harris County Flood Warning System: https://www.harriscountyfws.org/

En español

Un día de lluvia en Bellaire tiene varias opciones bajo techo. El Bellaire Rec Center (7008 5th St) tiene un gimnasio, baloncesto libre y tres canchas de pickleball bajo techo. La Biblioteca de Bellaire (5111 Jessamine St) abre de lunes a sábado, y el Nature Discovery Center (7112 Newcastle St) tiene sus Discovery Rooms. Para los niños hay Idea Lab Kids, We Rock The Spectrum y Texas Chess Center. Betsy's, Dandelion Cafe y McHugh Tea Room sirven café, desayuno y té. Con lluvia fuerte, antes de salir consulte el sistema de alerta de inundaciones del condado de Harris, porque algunas calles se cierran.