Houston

NASA Johnson Space Center

NASA offers an interactive, family-friend museum. Additionally, there are two tram tours of the facilities where you can see the training center, mission control, and other sites on the massive camps. Be sure to check the website for the latest on tour times, reservations, etc.

Minute Maid Park

Even if you're not a baseball fan, a trip to Minute Maid is always an enjoyable experience. If the weather cool and dry hen the roof may be open, but during the 95% of home games where that's not the case, the roof is closed and the park is fully climate controlled.

Additionally, check out the tour options. We really enjoyed it, and our tour guide was excellent. If you go on a non-game day then you get to see the visitors' clubhouse.

1940 Air Terminal Museum

This airport terminal was used from 1940 to 1955. The building itself is excellently preserved, and it houses a number of interesting artifacts. There is also a period plane out back. This is one of Houston's best-kept secrets in my opinion. I've scarcely heard mention of it.

Call ahead as sometimes they are closed for events.


Houston Zoo

This a pretty sizable zoo so be ready to do some walking. Some of our favorite exhibits were the seals, giraffes, and meerkats.

The Antiquarium

This is a unique shops that sells antique maps. Most (okay all) of the maps were way outside of our price range, but as lovers of history and geography we loved looking around. The owner was incredibly hospitable even though it was clear we weren't planning on making a purchase.

The Heights

This historic neighborhood deserves a page of its own. It's an incredibly walkable neighborhood with sidewalks and trails galore. We stayed at Sara's Inn, a quaint bed & breakfast. Note that no children are allowed. We stayed during COVID so there was no breakfast at the time, but the spread sounds amazing.

There's dozens of boutique and/or locally-owned restaurants to choose from for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert.


The Museum of Fine Art

This museum is massive and houses artworks from a variety of well-known artists. We found the ancient Egyptian art especially interesting. Near the end is a huge exhibit of African art.

Holocaust Museum

This museum is heavy, but important and extremely well done. There's usually some temporary exhibits, but plan for at least an hour for the main museum.

Food

In addition to being the 4th largest city in America, it's also one of the most diverse. With that, comes amazing food. Pick any nationality, search it in Trip Advisor, and you can find that cuisine in Houston.

Take a stroll around Chinatown as well since there's tons of restaurants to choose from.

A few of our favorites:

  • Banana Leaf Malaysian Cuisine (located in Chinatown)

  • Aria Suya Kitchen (Nigerian)

  • The Afghan Village

Discovery Green

This beautifully manicured green space offers a welcome respite from the concrete and skyscrapers. In addition to hosting a number of events, this area is great for a stroll especially if you have kids . They'll love running around and rolling down the hill.

Other Things to Check Out

  • Kaboom Books: A neat used bookstore. It just keeps going and going!

  • Houston Police Museum: When we tried to visit, it was closed due to COVID. It's small, but we hope to check it out eventually.

  • Tunnel System: Beneath downtown Houston is a tunnel system connecting the various buildings. It covers 95 city blocks and houses hundreds of businesses from food to retail to optometrists.

  • The Galleria

  • Herman Park

  • Memorial Park

  • Houston Museum of Natural Science

  • Sweet Paris Creperie and Cafe

  • Container Store: If you like organizing you will love this place!

  • REI: If you like the outdoors, you will love this place!