Every day the KPRC 2 News team works hard to uncover the news and stories Houstonians need to understand the city, its culture, sports and entertainment. When they’re not reporting, writing, and investigating, they like to spend time with their families and friends at Discovery Green!

As part of Discovery Green’s 15^th anniversary celebration, we’ve been interviewing park goers about their treasured Discovery Green memories. We wanted to document how this vibrant green space has grown over the years into the downtown community center it’s become since opening in 2008.

The reporters at KPRC 2 were the perfect place to start. The news station has been a partner of Discovery Green’s from the beginning, helping the Conservancy staff connect to the community and discover what makes Houston such a great city to live in. When Discovery Green first opened, KPRC 2 was instrumental in getting the word out to Houstonians about this new downtown Houston amenity. The station’s weather camera overlooked Discovery Green, giving viewers a bird-eye view of all the park had to offer. It’s impossible to overstate how significant KPRC 2’s support has been in making Discovery Green the iconic community gathering place that it is.

Take a moment to get to know these KPRC2 reporters and anchors. Then, take a moment to share your Discovery Green story. You could find it written about here in Discovery Green’s new Spotlight Magazine.

Amy Davis is a two-time Emmy-award winning investigative reporter and passionate consumer advocate. She was born, raised and educated in Houston. If you’ve got questions about saving money, she’s got answers.

“My favorite memories at Discovery Green have been on the tiny little hill off at the corner of the park that a lot of people probably don’t even think of as an attraction. I have three children and they all gravitate to that hill. So, when we think we’re done playing at the park, the playground, the water feature, when we get ready to go, they can spend an hour or two just rolling down that hill, running down that hill, tumbling down that hill and they love it. It’s awesome to be in the middle of the city, looking at the skyscrapers all around us and this lush green lawn, rolling down this hill. That’s what I think of when I think of Discovery Green is my kids tumbling down the hill.”

Anavid Reyes is a proud Latina, Houstonian and traffic reporter who loves her family, food and being outdoors – all reasons why she also loves Discovery Green.

“I’m a huge foodie and what better spot to take a picnic then here at Discovery Green where you’re surrounded by all the beautiful Houston culinary melting pot of the city…  This is a great spot to come with family and friends and enjoy some great food.

One of my first times here at Discovery Green was years back when we had the NFL experience at the George R Brown. And it was so amazing. Such a great experience. I was in line to get my tickets and I turned around and saw the beautiful downtown skyline and it was beautiful. I wasn’t working in Houston at the time, I was in Abilene, Texas and I remember thinking to myself that one day I’m going to make it back home to work here in this amazing city and I did at KPRC!”

Derrick Shore is a three-time Emmy award winning reporter, producer and the co-host of Houston Life. A frequent emcee at Discovery Green events, you can also find him with his partner Brandon enjoying a cocktail at The Grove.

“Every time I have the chance to be on stage here at Discovery Green it means so much to me because walking up those steps, looking out into that sea of diverse faces in the crowd whether it’s hosting an Olympics watch party for NBC, or Rainbow on the Green, even our Holiday Lights Spectacular that happens every December. The magic here is being able to connect with community. And yes, it’s a beautiful space, the green space is huge, but the fact that people come to that space, and you can connect with those people, have a conversation with those people, meet someone for a completely different part of town. This space offers a chance to be able to connect with people unlike many spaces in Houston.

When I was growing up, I was raised by a single mom so when we would find activities to do we needed to find not just low cost activities, but no cost activities.   And it is so cool that any family can come out here enjoy the splash pad, enjoy the greenery. It doesn’t cost a dime to enjoy its beauty and connect with other people.”

Justin Stapleton is a meteorologist for KPRC2 making sure Houston gets the info it needs to stay safe and plan a great day (at Discovery Green!)

“One of the biggest memories I have is when my girls were very little. We had just moved to town, and they were here for the summer. We were like ‘what are we going to do?’ That’s when we found the splash pad here at Discovery Green. It’s one of the coolest things about Discovery Green and downtown… You can go in there and get wet and then dry yourself off during the summertime.”

Keith Garvin is an Emmy and Edward R Murrow award-winning reporter and evening anchor at KPRC2 who has lived and worked in Houston since 2012. He’s an avid hiker, outdoorsman, husband and father to “four awesome daughters.”

“My family and I have lived here in Houston for 10 years, but we actually visited Discovery Green well before then. One of our daughters was a cheerleader so we would come to George R Brown for cheerleader competitions. If you know anything about cheerleader competitions, they’re very kinetic and very loud. A lot is going on so we would come outside from time to time to take a break. We discovered Discovery Green, and it was just this peaceful, quiet place that really gave us a respite from all the craziness that was going on.

For us when we have family and friends in town, the first place we take them is Discovery Green because it’s just a beautiful place and they’re so amazed. They’re like, ‘Wow this is in the middle of downtown Houston? This green space?’ … Discovery Green is a backdrop for us just to have amazing conversation and catch up and just talk about life. It really allows you to sort of take a break if you will, or kind of step back from the hustle and bustle and reconnect.

Owen Conflenti is a morning anchor at KPRC2 and has lived in Houston with his family since 2005.

“I think my coolest memory of Discovery Green was a promotional night when Anthony Yanez and I played tennis out on the ice. I don’t remember what it was for, but it was a promotion of something. Yanez and I won though for sure. I discover a piece of my childhood when I go ice skating at Discovery Green.