Houston Takes Flight: Hobby & the 1940 Air Terminal

Before Houston reached for the Moon, it reached for the sky. In 1927, the same year Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, a private landing field opened in a cow pasture on the city's southeast side, and from that muddy strip grew what is today William P. Hobby Airport — the oldest commercial airport in Houston. Its crown jewel is a sleek art deco terminal that opened in 1940, the first real airline terminal in the city, now lovingly preserved as a museum. This drive traces the airfield's rise from pasture to passenger gateway, weaving in a famous chapter when aviator Howard Hughes briefly gave the field his name and built its first control tower. Follow the driving directions between stops. Whether you're catching a flight or just curious, this is where Houston first learned to fly.