I find myself looking at a possible trip to Houston in the fall. I am unfamiliar with the city. Any recommendations for parts of the city to stay?
We know we want to run by the Johnson Space Center while we're there. We could stay close to that? OR close to the airport? Doesn't really matter. Just wanted to see if anyone here had any recommendations. Thanks!
There are two major airports in Houston. Bush Intercontinental is north of the city and no where near the city center. Houston Hobby is the older airport, closer to city center and way closer to the Johnson Space Center. However, it is not in the best part of the city (southeast).
If you want to go to the Johnson Space Center and Galveston, look for a hotel toward the SE,, but not near Hobby. If you want to see other sights in Houston like Herman Park or some of the wonderful museums, that is just a bit southwest of downtown.
https://www.citypass.com/houston/things-to-do-houston?rkg_id=0&mv_source=rkg&utm_source=msn&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=houston%2520texas%2520activities&utm_content=1465026733&utm_campaign=US%2520-%2520Houston&mkwid=b&creative=1465026733&device=c&matchtype=b&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=US%20-%20Houston&utm_term=%2Bhouston%20texas%20activities&utm_content=Houston%20-%20Things%20to%20Do&gclid=CNHAo_Kd09wCFYlwgQodO0gPzw&gclsrc=ds&dclid=CPOGx_Kd09wCFQUGgQodvRQH2w
Houston is huge and very sprawled out so it really depends what sites you want to see (I assume you'll have a rental car with you?). If you're flying into Hobby Airport, I wouldn't stay very near there - it's a rather poor, depressed area. IAH, north of downtown, has some nice suburbs like The Woodlands with new cookie-cutter "town-center" developments. Staying near the Space Center should be a good option too, I'm sure many tourists do it since it's such a big draw. Much closer to downtown, Uptown/Galleria is a good, upscale area close to everything: restaurants, shopping, museums, etc. Watch out for really high overnight parking rates though at many hotels (and toll roads). If you stay at the Galleria, I would recommend Hotel Indigo and booking early since you can get really good hotel rates (I had good luck with booking.com). Last time, I split my time between Houston and one night in Galveston Island since I've never been there before (it's only 45 minutes away or so). Traffic in Houston can be a real pain so try to keep that in consideration when deciding where to stay relative to the places you want to see. I almost stayed downtown because I wanted just to get around by light rail (it's actually very decent downtown and will take you to all the major attractions) but I opted not to because downtown Houston is not the kind of "downtown" I would enjoy as a solo traveler (hardly anyone walks in the center of Houston so there's little pedestrian traffic, it's largely car-centered, and not very lively except some isolated spots). On the other hand, Houston had great diversity and terrific food, some world class museums and nice family-friendly parks and I really did enjoy it in its own way.
I did most of my research just using their tourism site, which was very helpful:
https://www.visithoustontexas.com
Thanks for all of the information! We'd be flying into IAH, and we would have a rental car, and I'm looking at maps and websites now.
Thanks again!! :-)
I live in Houston so here are my thoughts:
1. Stay close to Galleria--tons of shops and restaurants and if you're a runner/walker, Memorial park (near by) is our main park to workout--3 mile crushed granite loop, bathrooms, showers, pool, tennis, trails, and lite---tons of folks here.
2. NASA will take a good hour to get to (from Galleria area) as I-45 (Gulf freeway) is ALWAYS under construction (and we ALWAYS have traffic --but not as bad as LA) but it is not worth staying near there as not much else to see.
3. Downtown has all the sports fields, tons of fabulous restaurants, culture --Shows, ballet, opera, etc) but not a great place for just walking around like NYC--it is safe though and totally cleaned up from many years ago (and our horrible Hurricane Harvey a year ago),
Not sure what you want to do or see so feel free to drop me a note.
PS--remember Houston is hot & humid most of the year so you'll have bad hair but good skin! :-)
My brother lived in Houston for many years. So we visited frequently. I'd agree with staying in the Galleria area. Some things that I really enjoyed. Space Center, Museum of Fine Arts, and Bayou Bend, the Houston Museum of Natural Science - don't miss the butterflies.
We always enjoyed the Montrose neighborhood. I'd call it the boho area, tons of shops an restaurants. Don't miss the Rothko Chapel.
If you are a mystery fan, highly recommend Murder by the Book. One of the great independent bookstores still left. They have readings and special events galore, and pretty much every mystery writer who's anyone goes through there at one point or another.
There may be better BBQ in Houston, but we always made our first stop the Goode Co. BBQ on Kirby Drive. Love sitting outside with a plate and a Shiner, and letting go of the day's travel stress. As for other food, here are some of the places that we've gone - Hugo's, Ninfas, Black Lab Pub, Café Rabelais, can't remember the name of the Vietnamese restaurant we went to, but there are a lot of good places in Houston.
If you are fond of a good cocktail I highly recommend Anvil Bar & Refuge, and Julep.
A problem driving in Houston is the number of toll roads that require purchase of a toll - road pass. I will let those living in Houston offer suggestions, but if you plan on doing much driving in the Houston area, you need to check on this.
I lived in Houston most of my life. In 50 years of driving there, I have only used a toll road twice -- once was by accident, the second was on purpose to avoid an accident. I never bought a toll pass.
In Houston, driving the Interstates and toll roads is often the worst option to get where you want quickly. While it does take time to learn all of the side street options that will get you where you are going quicker, just stay off the highways -- especially in the Galleria area. There is no need for anyone, including tourists, to have to drive on a toll road to get anywhere.
Set your GPS to avoid tolls and drive happy.
If you have a rental car, those are all set to allow toll road driving, so don't worry if you end up on one. The fees charged by the rental companies can be high, but no where near the fine for not having a pass.
