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Old 12-21-2010, 03:57 PM
 
64 posts, read 221,082 times
Reputation: 34

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I will be driving from Dallas to Houston with my family of four (two teenage kids) after completing my work in Houston I have one and half days to go around Houston.

I browsed through google and found the following websites with too many suggestions

Houston Attractions - Things To Do in Houston, TX

has 262 suggestions

Houston Attractions - Houston, TX - Yahoo! Travel

has 122 suggestions

Houston Attractions and Activities: Attraction Reviews by 10Best

has 48 suggestions

Hence thought of checking in the forum, I have little over one and half days to tour, we are not into arts or museums or shopping (I don't want to take them for shopping just to avoid becoming broke )

What would you do with two teenage kids and having just one and half days to tour Houston; suggestions are highly appreciated.

Thanks.
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Old 12-21-2010, 06:27 PM
 
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Take them to The Aquarium. The fish are really cool, the restaurants there not so much though. There are much better restaurants for less money in Houston. It is honestly an amazing experience though that anyone will like. We have an IMAX at the museum and one at an Edwards Cinema on I-10. The Edwards IMAX shows regular movies. I'm not sure if Dallas has that. They probably do but you may not go to it at home. Going to NASA in Houston is something everyone should do once in their life. It is really far south though.

NASA will take a whole day. The Aquarium will take half a day. There's your trip. Add an IMAX movie to it and you will be working to squeeze everything in.
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Old 12-21-2010, 07:00 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX (Bellaire)
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You can go to Kemah which has an Aquarium plus other attractions. Can kill an afternoon there.
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Old 12-21-2010, 08:58 PM
 
64 posts, read 221,082 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEconomist View Post
Take them to The Aquarium....
NASA will take a whole day. The Aquarium will take half a day. There's your trip. Add an IMAX movie to it and you will be working to squeeze everything in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris_ut View Post
You can go to Kemah which has an Aquarium plus other attractions. Can kill an afternoon there.
Thank you both, my planning got easier.

If we extend our trip by one more day will I be able to cover Galveston beach ( I believe that is the beach everybody refers when they say they went to beach in Houston) and some fine restaurants.

Thanks.
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Old 12-22-2010, 04:17 PM
 
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You will be able to go to Galveston, certainly. It will be cold though. The Strand is mostly shopping which you said you didn't want to do. They do have a museum about the hurricane in 1900. The Nearby Moody Gardens might be a good choice.
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Old 12-22-2010, 04:47 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX (Bellaire)
4,900 posts, read 13,679,555 times
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Moody Gardens is not that great, especially for teenagers.
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Old 12-22-2010, 05:06 PM
 
Location: West Houston
1,075 posts, read 2,906,119 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newtothisplace View Post
Thank you both, my planning got easier.

If we extend our trip by one more day will I be able to cover Galveston beach ( I believe that is the beach everybody refers when they say they went to beach in Houston) and some fine restaurants.

Thanks.
These are excellent suggestions. NASA is cool for everybody (c'mon, have you ever touched a rock from the moon?). Guided tours available and that's what you want, google "Johnson Space Center".

The Aquarium is indeed cool.

Galveston has 2 claims to fame: The Strand, which is the old original downtown (survived the 1900 hurricane) which features souvenir shopping (c'mon, Dad, buy 'em a t-shirt...). The other attraction is the Seawall, of which you can walk the entire length. After the 1900 storm, the citizens bulldozed the rubble to the beach, to the height of 17 feet; they then covered it with concrete and backfilled behind it, raising the few buildings that were left 17 feet (including The Strand). So now the Seawall is this big wide sidewalk featuring every kind of human being you can think of strolling along, riding bikes, skateboards, etc. The virtue of the Seawall (as opposed to the beach, of which there are several---Stewart on one end, various beaches on the other---is that it's concrete--so you don't get the car all sandy and you've still visited the Gulf. Of course, there is nothing like walking through the edge of the water and feeling the sand squish between your toes, so that's something to consider. Lots of eats up and down Seawall, from very cheap to very expensive.

Another alternative (one of my favorites) is the San Jacinto Monument and Museum; you said you aren't much for museums though. You drive through America's Refinery to the place where Texas won its independence from Mexico (that's cool). The thing is taller than the Washington Monument; there's a great movie about Texas Independence (well worth the small price), and you can take the elevator to the top and see the whole city, especially the port. Pretty cool.

Kemah Boardwalk is great for touristas. Me, I stay away, but many love it.

All of that is down southeast. It's about 30 miles from Hobby Airport (our version of Love Field) to Galveston, and all the rest of that stuff is right there.

Welcome to Houston! and don't take so long to come back!
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Old 12-22-2010, 05:15 PM
 
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If you go to Galveston ride the ferry over to Bolivar. Also, if the wind is from the north and it is low tide, sometimes the shelling is good on west beach. We found many a sand dollar after a cold front moved through. I'd go to Gaido's because they still run it like it was 1950's, even to the finger bowls.
Houston has the Orange Show, if your teenagers are into the unusual art projects. It is on the way to Galveston and NASA.
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Old 12-22-2010, 05:38 PM
 
Location: West Houston
1,075 posts, read 2,906,119 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crone View Post
If you go to Galveston ride the ferry over to Bolivar. Also, if the wind is from the north and it is low tide, sometimes the shelling is good on west beach. We found many a sand dollar after a cold front moved through. I'd go to Gaido's because they still run it like it was 1950's, even to the finger bowls.
Houston has the Orange Show, if your teenagers are into the unusual art projects. It is on the way to Galveston and NASA.
Jeepers, crone, we agree again. I love Gaido's.
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Old 12-22-2010, 05:52 PM
 
Location: League City
3,842 posts, read 8,227,297 times
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Galveston has some really fantastic architecture from a bygone era, and the Strand is a lot of fun, but be aware parts of Galveston you drive through will be a bit rough around the edges. I second and third Gaidos. As said above, Kemah is really touristy and a bit commercialized, but there is a lot to do at the boardwalk and neighboring lighthouse district. The restaurants in the lighthouse district are going to be smaller and less expensive than the big chains on the boardwalk.
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