Anything fun/unusual to do or see east of Houston?

I live in Houston and have a day off work Friday. I wanted to explore some of the areas east of Houston and wondered if anyone knew of anything exciting or unusual to do/see around there – I’m really interested in Texas history and architectural/nature photography, if that helps.

Some places I was thinking of were the San Jacinto monument (haven’t been since I was a kid) and wandering around Texas City (saw there’s a memorial for the 1947 industrial disaster).

Thanks in advance!