Travel Around Houston

Houston is the fourth largest city is the United States and a world-class destination home to NASA and its visitors center Space Center Houston, professional sports teams and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Greater Houston Area is home to 6.6 million residents and as reported by the Kinder Institute, Houston is the most ethnically diverse city in the country. Recently the downtown’s convention district renovation has transformed the area into a pedestrian friendly hospitality and cultural district. The city’s location, just 50 miles from the coast, is ideal for travelers looking for a unique city experience and to continue the fun on a cruise to the Caribbean.

Earlier this year Houston hosted Super Bowl LI at the 71,500-seat NRG Stadium, home to Houston Texans (NFL) and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. After nine-days of fan-festivals concluding with the big game, Houston received praise by the NFL and competing teams for a job well done. During the nine-day period 1.3 million people came through the NFL Experience and Super Bowl LIVE festivals.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest annual events in Houston and this year drew a record-breaking 2.6 million visitors. The Rodeo in Houston is a 3-week celebration of Western heritage, with livestock exhibits, auctions, competitions, carnival rides, food and shopping. Each night Rodeo Houston cowboy competitions take place inside the 71,500-seat NRG Stadium and ends the night a live concert by a famous artist. The 2018 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is scheduled for Feb. 27 – March 18.

Rodeo is once a year, but the cowboy experience is found all year in ranches located in the city’s outskirts, including George Ranch Historical Park, TC Ranch or Texas Ranch Life. A variety of services are offered including a customized ranch vacation, horse-back riding, lodging and history of Texas.

Sports fans will also have the NBA Houston Rockets to cheer on during the regular season from October to May each year. Houston Rockets play their home games at the 19,000-seat Toyota Center, located in the heart of Downtown. Nearby the sports arena visitors will find the new dining and entertainment district of Avenida Houston, and hotel options including the new Marriott Marquis with its Texas-shaped pool and the luxury boutique, also brand-new Hotel Alessandra.

Toyota Center Tours give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the home of the Houston Rockets. This exclusive one hour tour takes you backstage to see what the pros see at Houston's premier entertainment and sports venue. This state of the art structure provides a concert venue for famed artists like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Britney Spears as well as all Rockets home games.

SPACE CENTER HOUSTON

A visit to Houston would not be complete without a stop at Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for NASA Johnson Space Center, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary with some “out of this world” exhibits.

Space Center Houston is the first of four stops of a new exhibit featuring the Apollo 11 command module, which will leave the Smithsonian for the first time since 1971 on a national tour. It will be the only location where visitors can see the space capsules for both the first and last lunar landings. The nonprofit Space Center Houston is the home of the Apollo 17 command module, the last mission to land on the moon. The awe-inspiring “Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission” on display Oct. 14-March 18, 2018 at Space Center Houston, is part of the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary year jubilee celebration. The center is the first and only Smithsonian Affiliate in greater Houston.

Science fiction takes a real life meaning at NASA, and it was precisely NASA working closely with Space Center Houston that made the Mission Mars exhibit a reality, now available for all to experience. The future-looking exhibit includes a stunning 4K technology video that shows a virtual Mars landscape with rovers exploring the planet. The exhibit also puts visitors in the astronaut’s seat of an Orion simulator and allows them to record their own historic messages as they take their first steps on Mars. Plus there is a special Mars rock visitors can touch.

Continue on to Galveston Island, only 50 miles from Downtown Houston, to embark on an exciting cruise to the Caribbean at any time of the year. Cruises sail from the Port of Galveston for four, five and seven days in length with ports of call in the Bahamas, Cozumel, Roatan, Honduras, Belize and other Western Caribbean destinations. www.galveston.com

AVENIDA HOUSTON

The new pedestrian-friendly Avenida Houston, features art installations and a series of restaurants on the ground floor of the George R. Brown Convention Center and in the connecting 1,000-room Marriott Marquis Houston. The city's newest dining, entertainment and arts district, Avenida Houston, sits across from Discovery Green Park thus extending the fun with year-round activities, including concerts, ice skating, yoga, public art exhibits and two restaurants.

TOP ATTRACTIONS

Users of the Houston CityPASS can visit five attractions for nearly half of the regular price at US$59 for adults and US$49 for children ages 3-11. The Houston CityPASS includes actual tickets to Space Center Houston, Downtown Aquarium and Houston Museum of Natural Science. Visitors can also choose from the two option tickets to the Houston Zoo ~or~ Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and to the Children’s Museum of Houston ~or~ Kemah Boardwalk.

SHOPPING IN HOUSTON

Houston is home to a Project Runway winner and more than a dozen distinct shopping areas, with retail that goes from vintage to high-end designer, plus the always popular outlet shopping.

The sophisticated River Oaks District offers high-end shops such as Chopard, Dior, Etro, Canali, Roberto Cavalli and Tom Ford. The 14-acre, mixed-use project encompasses restaurants and entertainment along with office space and luxury residential. Nearby find famous designer stores at The Galleria or exclusive boutique gems at nearby Uptown Park or Highland Village. Head to the suburbs and see what’s new at CityCentre and Baybrook Mall. Budget conscious shoppers won’t want to miss a shopping day at Katy Mills, Houston Premium Outlets or Tanger Outlets.

International shoppers can get a refund of a portion of their sales tax at Tax Free Shopping locations around the city or at Bush Intercontinental Airport, Terminals D and E. For a list of participating stores and specific requirements please visit http://taxfreetexas.com/.

CONNECTIVITY

Houston’s central location, 50 miles from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, affords great connectivity around the world with two international airports. Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) offers n flights to more than 190 destinations within the U.S. and worldwide. At Hobby Airport (HOU), Southwest Airlines offers n service to the U.S. and to nine international destinations across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

For more information or to plan your next visit, go to: www.VisitHouston.com.