Looking for a hotel near metro rail for a weekend museum trip (Houston: rent, crime)

[yam]

I'm looking for a hotel where I can stay during a long weekend visit to check out the museum district with my five year old son. Ideally I'd like to find a hotel with good access to metro rail, free parking, breakfast included, in the $100-120 price range. I found some nice hotels very near the museum district but they're too expensive. I found several hotels further away but can't find any way to tell which ones are close to the metro rail. I'm hoping to use metro rail to let us stay further away from downtown (save $$$) and to get my son some exposure to an effective mass transit system.

Any suggestions? Or should I just give up, choose a hotel without rail access, and plan on driving everywhere?

[trbstang]

Something close by the Medical Center would be a good place to go. The train goes right down Fannin towards Downtown and the museum district. There is a Best Western, a Wyndham, several Marriotts and others a few blocks or so from the train. Just look up on travelocity, you can select areas of town like the Medical Center and find all of the hotels close by.

[Svensk08]

At his age, your 5-year-old son will probably enjoy the Houston Zoo, Children's Museum and Museum of Natural Science dinosaur exhibit more than the Museum of Fine Arts, Contemporary Arts Museum, Menil Collection, etc.

One museum a day is all most grownups can handle without getting all tuckered out and cranky.

[tebor79]

Rail Schedule

maybe something by Reliant stadium would be cheaper.

[KatieKennedy]

Hotel Zaza is right on the rail near Hermann Park within walking distance of the museums and zoo. They might have a good special on Travelocity or another of the discounters, or you could call them direct to see if they offer a weekend rate or special. The hotels on Fannin in the medical center will also be right on the rail. The medical center is just a stop or two away from the museum stop. There is a Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott downtown that are just a block or two from the rail. They might offer good weekend rates as they cater to the business crowd during the week. Houston's light rail is not nearly as developed as other cities' mass transit. Metro rail goes just to a few places. However, if you are interested in the museum district it is a good way to get around.

[yam]

Agreed that the art museums aren't likely to be a hit. Right now the plan is the children's museum, health museum, and natural history museum at one day apiece. Possibly spending some afternoon/evening time exploring the park and maybe heading out to a couple of crazier spots I found on Yelp if we can find the time- orange museum and art car museum.

Zaza looks great but is way too expensive. Residence/courtyard is near the top of my price range but also charges an obscene fortune for parking ($24) and breakfast ($20). I'll keep looking for other spots along the rail. Any other ideas?

[houston-nomad]

The problem in your plan is that the metro rail currently only runs within town, so you can't use it to get "further out" and save money.

[KatieKennedy]

You might find it cheaper to stay further out from the museum district and rent a car with unlimited mileage. There is free or relatively inexpensive parking at the museums. Houston is not a mass transit friendly town.

When my daughter was 5 she loved the Children's Museum, the zoo, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The zoo has a great "children's zoo" within the main zoo geared towards younger kids. There is a nearby kiddie train that circles the park and paddleboats. The health museum is also interesting. You might not need a whole day per museum.There is a city hopper pass you can buy at any of the museums that let's you take in a number of the museums and sights on one ticket. If you have a car you could also head down to Space Center Houston which is great for kids that like rockets and space stuff.

I would avoid staying in the Reliant Stadium area. It is a higher crime area.

[yam]

Is there a good mass transit option that gets us convenient, timely access to the museum district from an inexpensive hotel further out?

[yam]

Bah. We're driving to get to Houston, just mistakenly thought it would be nice to take the rail once we got settled in. Any recommendations for a reasonably priced hotel, parking/breakfast included, with an easy drive to the museum district? I can pick locations on the map but I don't know the traffic conditions or whether they're in a sketchy neighborhood.