Since its opening in 2000, Minute Maid Park has become one of baseball's "crown jewels." Throughout the early and mid 1990's the future of Major League Baseball in Houston looked bleak as the team struggled to get a new ballpark built to replace the Astrodome. By 1995, the Astros began looking at possibly relocating to northern Virginia. In November 1996, a referendum was placed on the ballot and voters finally approved it to allow construction of a new ballpark in downtown Houston and keeping the Astros in town.

Located on a 25 acre site in downtown Houston, construction began October 30, 1997. The ballpark was constructed with steel and concrete, with the facade consisting of brick and limestone. The design of the ballpark was greatly influenced by the surrounding neighborhood including the 1911 vintage Union Station that forms the ballpark's main entrance. Part of the design for the ballpark includes a retractable roof that is necessary to keep the summer heat out and to keep the fans cool. The retractable roof consists of three panels that can open or close in 20 minutes. For its first two years the ballpark was known as Enron Field before the company went bankrupt. During part of the 2002 season, the ballpark was known as Astros Field before the naming rights were sold to The Minute Maid Company.

Downtown Aquarium is the product of redeveloping two Downtown Houston Landmarks Fire Station No. 1 and The Central Waterworks Building. This magnificent six-acre entertainment and dining complex is a 500,000-gallon aquatic wonderland, home to over 200 species of aquatic life from around the globe. Features and attractions include a full service restaurant, an upscale bar, a fully equipped ballroom, aquatic & geographic exhibits, an observation tower, a 90-foot Ferris wheel, midway games, a helipad, and an acrylic train tunnel running through the massive shark tank.