Houston Parks

Buffalo Bayou (award winning & USA ranked park)

• https://buffalobayou.org/category/awards/ 

Waugh Drive Bat Colony

• https://www.houstontx.gov/parks/batpage.html

Cisterns at the Bayou

• https://buffalobayou.org/visit/destination/the-cistern/ 

Ima Hogg’s Mansion & Gardens

• https://www.mfah.org/visit/bayou-bend-collection-and-gardens/  

Eleanor Tinsley Park

• https://buffalobayou.org/facility-rentals/eleanor-tinsley-park/

Memorial Park

• It's bigger than Central Park!
• http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/‍

Houston Arboretum

• ‍https://houstonarboretum.org/
• Hosts weekly & monthly events - check out their calendar!

Discovery Green

• The park is downtown and hosts regular activities, check out the outdoor ice-skating & roller rink during winter
• ‍https://www.discoverygreen.com/

Hermann Park

• By the Texas Medical Center
• ‍https://www.hermannpark.org/

Miller Outdoor Theater

• https://www.milleroutdoortheatre.com/

Breweries & Distilleries

1. Saint Arnold Brewing Company
2. Karbach Brewing Co.
3. Yellow Rose Distillery
4. No Label Brewing Co.
5. Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co.

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Houston Events

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Rodeo Houston- largest in the world‍

• Rodeo Website

BBQ Cook-off

• Last weekend in February/weekend before Rodeo starts every year

Livestock Show & Rodeo & Carnival Fair

• 20 days in March every year

Galveston Beach Mardi Gras Parade & Party

• Every February at the Kemah Boardwalk

Houston Restaurant Week

• August —Labor Day every year
• Houston Restaurant Week website

Texas Renaissance Festival- largest in the nation

• https://texrenfest.com/

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Seasonal Events

White Linen Night in the Heights

• First weekend in August every year
• http://www.theheightswhitelinennight.com/ 

Lights in the Heights

• A weekend in December, before Christmas, every year‍
• https://www.woodland-heights.org/lith 

Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo

• Every November-January
• https://zoolights.houstonzoo.org/

Winter Wonder Island

• Around Christmas time in Galveston
• https://www.galveston.com/holidaymagic/

River Oaks - Good Christmas Light Viewing

• https://www.facebook.com/RiverOaksChristmasLights/

HEB Thanksgiving Parade

• Thanksgiving morning
• https://www.houstontx.gov/thanksgivingparade/

Nutcracker Market

• Open the weekend before Thanksgiving week every year at NRG Stadium
• https://www.houstonballet.org/about/nutcracker-market/

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Other Activities

Bingo in the Heights

• Every Thursday
• Draws a big young professional crowd, gets packed & CHEAP (cash only, but they do have an ATM onsite)
• https://www.lodge88.org/bingo
• Buy food or pitchers of draft beer for ~$7/pitcher
• They allow you to bring your own liquor, wine and food as well (just no coolers)

Texas-Shaped Lazy River at Marriott Marquis

• https://www.marriott.com/hotel-info/houmq-marriott-marquis-houston/explore-houston/uro7kn3/home-page.mi

Topgolf

• 3 Houston locations: Webster, Katy, and Spring‍
• https://topgolf.com/us/

Bowling

• Lucky Strike, downtown — https://www.luckystrikesocial.com/locations/houston/
• Bowl & Barrel, City Centre — http://www.bowlandbarrel.com/houston/
• Bowling Social Club — https://www.betteroffbowling.com/houston -

Movie Experiences

• Rooftop movie theatre- https://rooftopcinemaclub.com/houston/venue/about-blvd-place/
• Drive-in movie theatre- https://www.theshowboatdrivein.com/
• Dine-in movie theatre- https://www.studiomoviegrill.com/ (3 locations)
• Historic movie theatre- https://www.landmarktheatres.com/houston/river-oaks-theatre

Pedal Parties

• http://www.pedal-party.com/
• https://www.houstonbikebar.com/
• https://pedalsaloon.com/houston/

Sam Houston Race Track

• https://www.shrp.com/
• Concerts & Music Festivals
• Horse Racing
• Camel, Ostrich & Corgi Racing

Rudyard’s British Pub

• http://www.rudyardspub.com/wordpress/
• Live Music / Open Mic comedy / Board Game night / Adult Story time
• Critical Mass weekly bike rides (bike social club)‍
• https://www.criticalmasshouston.com/events/ 

Rent bicycles to ride around the city

• https://houston.bcycle.com/ 

Other

• Fitt Houston — https://fitt.co/houston‍
• Houston Sports & Social Club — https://www.houstonssc.com/‍
• Kickball Houston — https://www.kickball.com/wakakickballsocialsportshouston
• Board Game Cafe (serves beer, wine, coffee, tea, food & board games) — http://teaandvictory.com/

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Shopping

The Galleria Mall

• Texas’ largest shopping center

Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park

The Nutcracker Market

• https://www.houstonballet.org/about/nutcracker-market/
• Open the weekend before Thanksgiving week every year at NRG Stadium

City Centre

• Shops, restaurants & bars near Energy Corridor‍
• https://citycentrehouston.com/ 

Rice Village

• Shops, restaurants & bars near Rice University‍
• https://www.ricevillagedistrict.com/ 

Houston Premium Outlet Mall

• Outlet Mall in Cypress
• https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/houston

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Museums

The Menil Collection 

• Widely esteemed as one of the greatest and most eclectic private museums in the US with one of the world’s best collections of Magritte
• https://www.menil.org/ 

Natural Museum of Funeral History

• https://www.nmfh.org/

Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH)

• https://www.mfah.org/
• Happy Hour Thursdays (free admission/live music/drinks & food trucks)
• Visit Houston’s version of Chicago’s bean “refried bean” if you will - https://www.mfah.org/art/detail/134873 

Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS)

• http://www.hmns.org/

Mixers and Elixirs Events

• http://www.hmns.org/visit/events/mixers-elixirs/  

San Jacinto Monument & Museum

• https://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/

USS Texas Battleship

• https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/battleship-texas

Art Car Museum & Parade

• Parade every year in April
• https://artcarmuseum.com/

Beer Can House / Orange Show

• https://www.orangeshow.org/beer-can-house

James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace

• https://moody.rice.edu/james-turrell-twilight-epiphany-skyspace

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Arts and Music

Houston Ballet 

• https://www.houstonballet.org/

Houston Symphony

• https://www.houstonsymphony.org/

The Hobby Center Theatre

• http://www.thehobbycenter.org/ 

Theater Under the Stars

• https://www.tuts.com/

Houston Grand Opera

• https://www.houstongrandopera.org/

White Oak Music Hall

• https://www.whiteoakmusichall.com/

House of Blues

• http://www.houseofblues.com/houston

The Continental Club

• https://continentalclub.com/
• Beatles cover band plays most Thursdays (Beetle)

Last Concert Cafe

• https://www.lastconcert.com/

Warehouse Live

• https://www.warehouselive.com/

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Sports

Football — NRG Stadium

• ‍Texans
• Tailgating starts 4 hours before kickoff
• Best tailgating in Yellow (shotgun thirty- every 30 minutes there is a beer shotgun) & Blue lots

Baseball — MinuteMaid

1. Astros  ($1 hotdog night varies annually)
2. Sugar Land Skeeters, an Atlantic League of Professional Baseball team — plays at Constellation Field

Basketball — Toyota Center

1. Rockets

Soccer — BBVA Compass Stadium

1. ‍ Dynamo, professional male soccer team
2. Dash, professional women's soccer team

Houston Polo Club

• https://houstonpoloclub.com/

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Bar Hopping Areas in the city

Downtown (Market Square)

Main St, Congress Ave & Travis St

• Start at Okra Charity Bar

EaDo (east Downtown)

Walker St, Dallas St & St Emanuel St

• Start at Truck Yard

Midtown

Bagby St, Brazos St, & W Gray St

• Start at Pub Fiction

Montrose

Westheimer Rd

• Start at Anvil

Upper Kirby

• Start at Kirby Ice House

Heights

White Oak Dr

• Start at Public House

Washington Ave

• Start at the Handlebar

Greater Heights / TimberGrove

W 19th & 20th St

• Start at McIntyre’s

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Must-Try Houston Restaurants

Don't forget Houston Restaurant Week is August —Labor Day every year! G

• Houston Restaurant Week website

Seafood

1. Truluck’s — try the stone crabs!
2. Gilhooley’s
3. Captain Tom’s
4. Pappa’s Seafood

BBQ

If you're missing AL BBQ, then you won’t be disappointed by these places!

1. Blood Bros.
2. Killen’s
3. Corkscrew BBQ
4. Gatlin’s
5. Truth BBQ

Tex Mex

A moment of silence for El Rincon

1. El Tiempo
2. Lupe Tortilla
3. Ninfa’s on Navigation 
4. Torchy’s Tacos

Steak

1. Taste of Texas
2. Brenner’s Steakhouse on the Bayou
3. B&B Butchers
4. http://www.houstonsteaknight.com 

Crawfish 

Crawfish season is around February - April.  HERE is a list of local crawfish festivals.

1. BB’s crawfish & seafood 
2. Captain Brad’s Coastal Kitchen
3. Ragin’ Cajun
4. LA Crawfish (Vietnamese crawfish)
5. Crawfish Pot & Oyster Bar (Vietnamese crawfish)
6. Little Woodrow’s

Food & Taco Truck Scene

Check out Roaming Hunger for live updates

1. Taco Tierra Caliente @ Alabama Ice House
2. El Taconazo Taco Truck

Kolaches

1. Shipley’s
2. Kolache Factory
3. Any Donut Shops (A personal fave: Queen Donuts on W 18th)

Breakfast & Brunch

1. The Breakfast Klub
2. Snooze
3. Union Kitchen (bottomless mimosas)
4. Cyclone Anaya’s (bottomless mimosas)

Fast Food

1. Whataburger (if you ever did PC for spring break you probably saw one of these) *Open 24 hours/serves breakfast 11pm-11am
2. Taco C (we call our Taco C, Taco Cabana, not Taco Casa) *Open 24 hours
3. Jack in the Box (not to be confused with Jack’s) *Open 24 hours/serves breakfast 24 hours
4. Frenchy’s Chicken

Other

• Dairy Maids cheese store
• Spec’s Liquor Stores instead of ABC Liquor Stores

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Nearby Cities

Close to a lot of fun/big cities:

1. College Station, TX (Kyle Field & TAMU) -  ~95 miles 
2. Austin, TX (Capitol of TX) – ~165 miles
3. San Antonio, TX (Alamo/Six Flags *RIP AstroWorld) – ~200 miles
4. Dallas, TX (AT&T Cowboy Stadium/Six Flags *RIP AstroWorld) – ~240 miles
5. Lake Charles, LA (Casinos) - ~145 miles
6. New Orleans, LA (Mardi Gras) – ~350 miles

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Rivers to Float

All the cities are all roughly ~3-4 hour drive from Houston

• Comal
• Guadalupe
• Frio
• San Marcos
• Cahaba
• Other great float destination

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Other Attractions

1. NASA Johnson Space Center website
2. Pleasure Pier
3. Moody Gardens
4. Schlitterbahn Water Park
5. The Strand (“downtown” area of Galveston)
6. The Spot (good, festive restaurant near the seawall)

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Two Major Airports

George Bush Intercontinental (United Hub)

houston-airport.info

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William P. Hobby (Southwest Hub)

houston-hobby-airport.com

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Visit Fly2Houston

‍fly2houston.com

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