Hi Houston experts. Am travelling from Mexico back to Australia on Continental through Houston. Seems a shame not to see anything of the city/Texas and wondering whether to try and stop over. Would arrive mid a.m. on 5/8, spend night, and fly out p.m. on 6/8. Therefore would have an afternoon, night,and morning in Houston. What would be the must see%26#39;s, where to stay, eat/go at night, if you were sole traveller on that itinerary. Is airport a long way from town etc. Not likely to be back again so probably one only opportunity. Or would it be too hard? Advice appreciated. Thanks. K
2 half days %26amp; night in Houston
It would be tight, but you could make a go of it.
After clearing customs, etc, you realistically wouldn%26#39;t get out until closer to lunch.
You could take a run to the Shanghai River Restaurant (fantastic) for lunch, pop over to the museum district, and take in some activities there. Then, head out for some Texas BBQ for dinner, and rest up (long day), or try to catch a symphony, play, or opera, if that is up your alley. If the timing is right, there is often a good free show in Memorial Park.
The next day, you could do more museum district, or try to make a dash to the Space Center. If you get there early enough, you can definitely fit it into a long morning.
For lunch, if you%26#39;re in the Clear Lake area, look for SW Tookie%26#39;s -- I haven%26#39;t heard if it received hurricane damage, but if not, this is the best burger joint I think I%26#39;ve ever been to. All the burgers are unusual, like a squealer (bacon blended into the meat), or an ice house (lots of onions and spices). Top notch...
Houston has some of the best restaurants in the US, believe it or not, so if you have time, you might want to try to catch one.
2 half days %26amp; night in Houston
Thanks Mike in Tx. I would like to go to the Space Centre. Also see there is a baseball game on afternoon 5/8 at 1pm somewhere, which might be an experience for an Aussie - or not? Would like to go to the Space Centre. Could I do that in the afternoon?
If you have never seen a baseball game, it might not be the thing to do by yourself. Going to the ballpark is a social experience -- very laid back, and possibly boring if you are alone. If you are an avid fan, then, sure. One must experience each stadium in the sport!
You can certainly do the Space Center in the afternoon, but the crowds are far larger, and the outdoor tours (to see the rockets, etc) are hotter. Pedestrian traffic is not well managed there, so avoiding crowds is key to getting the best experience.
I would say do go to a baseball game - not as good as cricket - but not five days either or even a full day on a 50 over match. You will enjoy the game and also the stadium which is quite neat. The next of course is NASA (if you are into space). The thing to do would be straight to the game. Then after the game you can go to the Miller Outdoor Theatre and see Pericles (Shakespeare) for free or head out towards Kemah and goto the Kemah Boardwalk and stay the night in the Kemah / Clear Lake area. That is close to NASA. Then in the AM go to NASA and back to IAH and back to downunder. Unless you are into arts - Kemah would be a better option. What I cannot figure out is your baggage and transport - so the thing to do would be to rent a car and keep the bags in the car. Just remember to drive on the other side. One word of caution - Aug it will be hot. Friends from Melb were here one summer and was having a tough time - it is the humidity. BTW Kemah has a nice boardwalk / restaurants, water, bars - great place to people watch, eat, drink relax. Lastly, when you say 5/8 - to us it is May 5 (not Aug 5th). Enjoy Houston. How long in Mexico and what part of Mexico?
You should definitely stop for a visit. Don%26#39;t see there is any unusual time pressure, expecially if you%26#39;re an experienced traveler from Oz.
Your best home base is a hotel in central Houston, which TripAdvisor has well covered in its reviews. The Houston Astros are home at Minute Maid Park for a day game August 5, starting at 1:05 PM, against the San Francisco Giants. If you have some experience at watching cricket but not baseball, you%26#39;ll find you will have the basics figured out in short order. MMP is an enclosed ball park, so it%26#39;s a cool place to circulate and interface with some of the natives. MMP has cheap tickets for the far upper decks that can be purchased day of game, and with that as an admission you are free to roam at will to several of the lower level decks where snacks and beer is sold, the field of play can still be seen and using your best Oz accent to ask a few questions about the local team%26#39;s stars, you%26#39;ll soon have your own posse for evening and after hours that day. Only downside to MMP is the very expensive food and drink, compared to just outside the ball park.
So if you don%26#39;t want to go into MMP, there are a number of Sports Bars in the immediate area with big screens, less expensive fare and more local nationals.
Travel to and from IAH to downtown is either rental car, taxi, Blue Shuttle, or Metro Boss. Search this site using ';Airport Transportation'; for plenty of details.
NASA for the morning of the 6th would be best use of the morning. It%26#39;s about a 40 minute drive south of central Houston on I-45. Details on NASA also abound with a quick search here. Easiest transportation is of course a rental call, which you can then use to travel back to IAH.
Do be mindful of Houston traffic, especially if you plan to drive north on I-45 to IAH after 3 PM. A 1 hour drive and rental car drop can become double that or more at 4:30 or later.
Thanks all, am starting to get excited about this. Don%26#39;t think I%26#39;d be brave enough to hire a car and try and find my way about - wrong side of the road for starters!. But have read on Tripadviser that city is really spread out. So assuming taxis or bus... How long does a baseball game go for? Also have read on this site a lot of recommendations to stay in Galleria area b/c of access to restaurants etc at night - this seems to be about 6km from downtown - what%26#39;s the difference? In Melbourne, Australia, arts/theatre etc is all in what we would call %26#39;downtown%26#39;. Would seem that morning would be good time to go to Space Museum (we downunder all know ';Houston we have lift off';). Toss up is whether the afternoon would be best at baseball or is there some other must see in Houston for the afternoon?
In response to question about how long in Mexico - am travelling overland from Costa Rica to Yucatan Peninsula for one month, then proposing 4 days in YP before flying out of Merida or Cancun.
Thank you so much for the advice - keep it coming!
Galleria area is indeed a nice place, but you are not going to have time for it. Public trasnport is very poor so you will have to depend on taxis. The rental car is really the best option - it is not that bad and once you get on the freeway no way you can get to the other side of the road. NASA and the baseball game will be very unique. Galleria area - as nice as it is - you find similar places in other parts of the world. Baseball game will last about 3 hours.
Your timing will be perfcet to get from the airport to the baseball stadium and maybe get a pint and a bite to eat (cheaper outside - so eat and then go). The game will be over around 4:00p - you can hang around in the general area (to avoid the rush hour traffic) or leave around 3:30p. The you can go to the Galleria area if you wish - but that is out of the way from NASA. You need to set aside at least 4 hours to see NASA. So rather than go to Galleria area and then to NASA in the AM - that is why I suggested Kemah (much closer to NASA). There is a Hilton and several other hotels / motels in the general area.
Houston is unique when it comes to %26#39;downtown%26#39;. We seem to dissect downtown into smaller areas - such as mid-town, up-town, museum district - really all are within a few KM within each other. Galleria area is %26#39;another downtown%26#39; about 10-miles away.
If you can - you should plan to spend maybe another day or two.
Thank you so much for all your advice. Seems like there%26#39;s a bus and train to the Minute Maid, and a bus to NASA. It%26#39;s looking good and I hope I can do it - just trying to make the flights work too. Thanks again.
You should definately go to NASA.
Kemah Boardwalk is not far away either
you just go 1-45 South to Nasa Rd 1 and NASA
is on that road and Kemah is near.
Just take Nasa Rd 1 till the end turn right go over the bridge and Kemah is on the left under the bridge.
Kemah has great seafood. There are lots of restaurants and attractions.
I might rent a car if I were you.
Houston is HUGE!
The best restaurant in Houston is Fogo de Chao
on Westheimer. It is a brazilian steakhouse.
The best Steakhouse in Houston is
Taste of Texas on I-10 just past Beltway 8.
The best barbeque in Houston is Goode Company Barbeque on I-10 near Voss.
You should try barbeque or steak before you leave it
is what we Texans do best.
If you%26#39;re a big sports fan, I would try to do the Astros game. It%26#39;s not as intimidating for a first timer. Chat up with the neighbors next to you who may give you pointers to understand the game as well as things to do in the city.
While NASA and Space Center Houston would be a blast, especially if you have kids, if mobility is a problem, then I would stay in Downtown Houston and then get around the city on MetroRail. While not as extensive as the trams in Melbourne, you can take the rail from Downtown to the Museum District, Zoo, and Medical Center. Museum District is home to a number of museums including Fine Arts, Contemporary Art, Natural Science, Children%26#39;s, Medical Health, and Holocaust to name a few. You can then end your evening in Midtown with dinner and checking out a few places to drink, though would be a bit slow for a Wednesday night. The big hotels in Downtown have shuttle vans that can pick people up for those wanting to check out Midtown at night. That%26#39;s something to suggest. If you%26#39;re going to rely on public transportation, you may want to look into getting a MetroCard and put money on the card to make it easier to get around.
As others have said, Texas BBQ and steak are not to be missed, as well as Tex-Mex. If you pinpoint where you%26#39;d like to stay, someone on here will give you some places to try that are not too far.
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