Houston, TX Road Trips

Houston has a character that, while very "Texan," is also a great melting pot of many cultures and socio-economic groups. You'll find well-to-do suburban mansions, LA-style shopping strips, Latin-American neighborhoods, towering skyscrapers, historic African-American neighborhoods fighting off gentrification, massive refinery complexes, large Asian communities, and pockets of artist communities. From October to May, the weather is relatively pleasant, and many restaurants and bars take advantage of it with plenty of outdoor seating and beautiful lighting. Houston's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico also makes it a lush, tropical paradise compared to the rest of Texas. In a sense, Houston is the gritty step-cousin of wealthy Dallas and middle-class hippie Austin. You won't see many cowboys or giant hairdos in downtown Houston (outside of Rodeo season), but you will see a quite diverse mix of people servicing the oilmen, petroleum engineers and high-end doctors. Houston is the largest city in the United States without any appreciable zoning. While there is some small measure of zoning in the form of ordinances, deed restrictions, and land use regulations, real estate development in Houston is only constrained by the will and the pocketbook of real estate developers. Traditionally, Houston politics and law are strongly influenced by real estate developers; at times, the majority of city council seats have been held by them. This arrangement has made Houston a very sprawled-out and very automobile-dependent city.

Travelers planning to visit multiple attractions may benefit from the Houston CityPASS, which grants admission to 6 Houston attractions within 9 days of first use for a much reduced rate and includes expedited entry in some cases. The included attractions are: Space Center Houston; Downtown Aquarium; Houston Museum of Natural Science; Houston Zoo; Option Ticket One with choice of either Museum of Fine Arts or the Children's Museum of Houston and Option Ticket Two with choice of either George Ranch Historical Park or the Health Museum. Astrodome. Dubbed the "8th Wonder of the World," it was one of the world's first fully indoor stadiums and the birthplace of astroturf (that was vacuumed by people in astronaut suits between innings). It was abandoned when the Astros threatened to move unless Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field) was built. The stadium is no longer open to visitors, but it is still a spectacle.

Wildcat Golf Club. Houston Country club. River Oaks Country Club. Redstone. Buffalo Bayou Eleanor Tinsley Park - The beautiful city skyline backdrops this scenic portion of the park. It remains one of the most popular outdoor spaces for recreation and relaxation. Lost Lake - At this location, visitors can rent kayaks and discover the water trails. Discovery Green Houston Arboretum Hermann Park McGovern Centennial Gardens - Home to a diverse collection of gardens including an arid garden, a rose garden, a woodland garden, an interactive family garden, and more. Visitors can also enjoy walking the spiral path to the top of a 30-foot (9 m) mount. Memorial Park - A large park near Uptown and I-10 Freeway. Many running and walking trails, fields, and more. A Becks Prime restaurant can also be found within the park. Houston CaribFest. Celebrating Caribbean/West Indian Cultures. Art Car Parade, Runs along Allen Parkway. April. A parade that must be seen to be believed. For example, in 2010, there were cupcake motorcycles, fire breathing chicken cars, and many other spectacular cars. There are vendors nearby selling water, hats, and food as well. It can get very hot! Free. (updated Mar 2024) Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Reliant Park. March. HLSR is one of the largest live entertainment and livestock exhibitions in Texas. It runs for 20 days and includes activities for everyone.

Houston has outstanding dining options, and is widely considered the most restaurant-oriented city in the United States, with a thriving community of ethnic restaurants, superb Tex-Mex, classic Texas steakhouses and Gulf Coast seafood, as well as chain restaurants. Houston's fine dining scene has exploded, with Downtown, Montrose, Midtown, and the Heights (including the Washington Corridor) as the epicenter of what's hot-and-happening now. Although high-quality, authentic Mexican food can be found just about anywhere in the city (for some of the best surprises, stop by any nondescript taqueria and order nearly anything at random), the best ethnic dining is generally found in West Houston - in particular the area west of Highway 59 and south of I-10, with everything from Middle Eastern to Ethiopian to Bosnian. The bustling Mahatma Gandhi District around Hillcroft St. is the place to go for top-notch Indian and Pakistani cuisine. In years past, you'd go east of Downtown or to Midtown for your Chinese or Vietnamese fix (respectively); nowadays the new Chinatown (or sometimes "Asiatown") located between Westpark Drive to the North and Beechnut Street to the south, South Gessner Rd to the East and Eldridge Parkway South to the west; is the new one-stop shop for your cravings. Lying just north of I-10, Long Point Drive and between Blalock and North Gessner sport crowded Korean joints, fantastic taco trucks, and hidden Thai gems.

1 The Saint Arnold Brewery. Billed as Texas' oldest microbrewery. Their brews are often sold in local bars. Very popular beers are the Texas Wheat, Oktoberfest (August through October), and Christmas Ale (November through December). The brewery tour is open Monday through Friday from 3PM to 4:15PM, and Saturday 11AM to 2PM. Karbach Brewing Co, 2032 Karbach St. Beer Garden/patio is open M-F 2:30-9PM, Sa noon - 9PM, Su noon - 5:30PM. It is building an expansion of the brewery and a restaurant/brewpub. Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, 5301 Nolda St. In the Washington Corridor. Focused on their Witbier recipe and interesting variation of that. Tours/tasting hours Saturday Noon to 3PM. 8th Wonder Brewing Company, 2202 Dallas St (In EaDo near BBVA Stadium). Taproom open Th F 5-10PM, Sa noon-8PM, Su noon-8PM. Great for a few beers before a Dynamo game away from the crush at Lucky's and Little Woodrow's. Xela Coffee Roasters, 4409 Canal St, ☏ +1-713-640-5189. 8AM-2PM (closed Tuesday). Coffee roaster serving freshly roasted coffee via batch brew and pour overs (single origins) as well as espresso drinks. Front porch and back patio make it a great place to enjoy a fresh drink when the weather allows for it. Black coffee: $2.00; single origin pour over for 2 people: $5.00; breakfast tacos $2.50. (updated Dec 2019) Blacksmith, 1018 Westheimer Rd,, ☏ +1-832-360-7470. Daily 7AM-5PM. Coffee shop serving freshly roasted coffee (batch brew and pour overs), espresso drinks and mix of breakfast and lunch options.

Houston is served by two major commercial airports and two smaller regional airports (QHO IATA) (IATA code for all Houston area airports). The large airports for commercial traffic are: 1 George Bush Intercontinental Airport, (IAH IATA). The larger of the two airports and is 23 miles (37 km) north of downtown near Beltway 8, between IH-45 North and US-59 North. It is the second largest hub for United Airlines and it serves 24 domestic and international airlines. METRO bus line 102 departing from Terminal C runs to downtown, which it reaches in 1 hr 10 min for $1.25. From downtown, the easiest place to catch the bus is the Downtown Transit Center station of the METRORail. During the day, the bus runs approximately every 30 minutes. Be aware the bus stop at terminal C is exposed to the elements and subject to extreme heat, sun, and rain. The stop is on a traffic island three lanes from the door. Check the schedule and then wait indoors by the window for your bus. Step outside 5-7 min before the scheduled departure time. Rental cars are off site at the IAH Car Rental Center. Frequent dedicated buses shuttle passengers, taking 5-7 minutes to travel between a given terminal and the IAH Car Rental Center. 2 William P. Hobby Airport (HOU IATA) (7 mi (11 km) south of downtown off of I-45 South). Hobby's main carrier is Southwest Airlines, and it also served by Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and Via Air. Hobby's flights are mostly domestics, but Southwest has limited services to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Houston's major highways make getting around the city fairly easy. (See list of freeways under the "Get in" section.) Obstacles, however, can make driving in Houston a less than pleasant experience. One is construction, which seems to be ever-present, and the other is traffic. Evening rush hour in Houston begins as early as 4PM and can last more than 2 hours. Morning rush hour is between 7 and 9AM. During rush hour, traffic on the highways can come to a halt. The strip of the West Loop near the Galleria, between IH-69 and IH-10, is an area you should definitely avoid during rush hour if possible. Houston Traffic Map The outstanding freeways system Some of the freeways have an H.O.V. (High-Occupancy Vehicle) lane, which are limited-access lanes in the median strip of the highway. The HOV lanes are operational Monday - Friday in the morning hours (5AM - 11AM) in the inbound direction and in the outbound direction in the afternoon and evening (2-8PM). The HOV lanes are restricted to cars with 2 or more passengers, however some HOV lanes require 3 or more passengers during peak travel periods (6:45-8AM and 5-6PM, for IH-10 west; 6:45-8AM only for US-290). The HOV lanes are marked with signs bearing a white diamond on a black background. Highways with HOV lanes are: IH-45 North, IH-45 South, IH-69 North, IH-69 South, IH-10 West (Katy Freeway), and US-290. The Katy Freeway HOV lanes have been expanded into the Katy Toll Road, a 24-hour multi-lane HOV with paid Single-Occupancy Vehicle access cost-adjusted based on HOV usage.

While not as infamous as Detroit, Baltimore, or Memphis, the crime rate in Houston is high and the city has a reputation among Texans as a dangerous city. Houston is the largest hub for human trafficking into the United States and is also a major hub for drug and weapons trafficking. Certain areas of Houston are more dangerous than others, including the area within Loop 610 on the east side and some areas in Southwest Houston near Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway). As a general rule, the areas of or portions of Spring Branch, Alief, Fondren Southwest, Sharpstown, Hiram Clarke, and Gulfton should be avoided during the night. Even during the day time, it is best that you exercise special caution in these areas as they have relatively large homeless populations and moderate levels of gang activity. The Third & Fifth Wards, and Southeast/South Central (South Park, Sunnyside, South Acres, Yellowstone) areas should be avoided during the day and night as violent crime is common in these areas. Criminal elements in Houston are known to target random people. The city center is relatively safe during the day time, but special caution should be exercised in the early morning and evening hours, and it is best to avoid the city center during the night, especially if you are alone. Travelers to Houston should follow common safety procedures: stay away from deserted areas in the middle of the night, keep your valuables stored out of sight, keep purses and wallets in a secure location, and always put valuables in a car trunk. Call 911 for emergency assistance or report a crime in progress.