Miss Ima Hogg (I swear it’s her real name) bequeathed her beautiful home and gardens to the Museum of Fine Arts 50 years ago, and it now stands as one of the Houston’s great architechtural and botanical treasures. Although the home is a showplace of American antiques, it’s the gardens that can take your breath away, especially in the spring. To walk among the azaleas, camellias and tall loblolly pines is like entering another time and place—it’s easy to forget that you’re just five minutes from the skyscrapers of downtown. I count Bayou Bend among the many hidden gems that make Houston such a unique city.