What to Do in Houston: Space City and Much More
Traveling to Texas? Get ready to explore the well-known and some unique, lesser-known Houston attractions.
By E’Louise Ondash, RN, contributor
Bats, free beer and the banks of Buffalo Bayou probably don’t come to mind when you think about Houston attractions, but the country’s fourth largest city (population 2.2 million) is full of surprises for visitors who are looking for something off the beaten tourist track.
This culturally diverse Texas metropolis has been declared by several travel magazines as one of the most affordable U.S. vacation destinations, so if Houston is your next travel assignment, you won’t have to spend a fortune exploring the city’s many attractions. Here are some of the not-to-miss things to see and do in America’s Space City:
About those bats: Come at sunset to the Waugh Drive Bridge between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive and watch the amazing show. A quarter-million Mexican Free-tail bats emerge from under the bridge for their nightly food foray. The day after a downpour is best because bats don’t fly in rain (they can’t use their echo-location), so they’ll be hungry. Visit the Waugh Bat Monitor website for bat tips and bat-watching etiquette.
About that music and free beer: For fans of vinyl, Cactus Music, Houston’s oldest independent music store, is the place. Customers can listen before they buy. There are in-store concerts by local bands--and that’s where you get the free beer. The store also stocks new and used CDs. Regular patrons say the selection and prices are great.
About the Buffalo Bayou: A shady, slow moving river that flows through Houston, Buffalo Bayou is where the city began. Today, people gather at the 160-acre Buffalo Bayou Park for festivals and to walk, jog, canoe, kayak and fish, and to see the annual Fourth-of-July fireworks spectacular. The bayou is home to blue herons, loggerhead turtles and the occasional alligator.
Space Center Houston – The Space Center is the official visitor’s center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. See where astronauts trained and touch a moon rock. Take a behind-the-scenes tour. Plan to stay the entire day if you want to see all the exhibits.
Green spaces - Houston residents love the outdoors and brag that their city has more total acreage of parkland than any other of the country’s 10 most populous cities. Memorial Park is just inside “the loop” (Interstate 610 which makes a 38-mile-long circle around downtown). Its nearly 1,500 acres feature tennis courts, a fitness center, a public golf course and a nearly-three-mile jogging path. Locals say it’s great for people-watching, too.
Discovery Green – Opened just five years ago, this downtown green space hosts many public cultural festivals and events, often free. Radical and whimsical public artwork stands throughout. The park features dog runs, an ice rink, a farmer’s market, water features and WiFi. Visit the Discovery Green site.
Diamonds and dinosaurs – It would take a month to see all that the Houston Museum of Natural Science has to offer, but start with the exhibit “Fabergé: From a Snowflake to an Iceberg” (runs until Dec. 31). It’s a stunning collection of 500 jeweled treasures from the world-renowned McFerrin Collection. The exhibit presents a historical overview of the works of the House of Fabergé, including dozens of personal treasures of the Romanov Family. Then wander over to the Morian Hall of Paleontology and marvel at its skeletons of prehistoric beasts in full action--fun and fascinating for kids of all ages.
Cinema with style – The Landmark River Oaks Theatre shows independent and foreign films in a theater that is a show in itself.
The downstairs is old-time baroque, ornate and grandiose, and the concession stand is stocked with gourmet coffee, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and vegan cookies. It’s Houston’s only cinema with a weekly midnight series, and the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” plays every second Saturday.
Side trip to the Oleander City – Called that because of the many colorful oleanders that grow here, Galveston is only 50 miles southeast of Houston. Check out the historic 1,130-foot-long Pleasure Pier, swallowed by Hurricane Carla in 1961 and re-opened in 2012. Ride (if you dare) the Iron Shark rollercoaster with its four inversions and a back section that cantilevers over the water.
Galveston has more than once been ground zero for hurricanes, and was, in fact, the site of the country’s greatest natural disaster in 1900--a storm that killed more than 8,000 residents. Learn about “The Great Storm” and the city’s relationship with nature in a multimedia presentation at Pier 21.
Learn more at the Official Visitor’s Site for Houston.
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