Visiting Houston for a few days. Any ideas of what to do while there? (Orange: renting)

[Kingofturtles]

Hi all, I'm stopping by Houston for a few days in early to mid-January and would love to experience as much of your city as possible.

Where should I go, what should I see, what should I do?
Any restaurants I should stop by?

Thanks, in advance, for your suggestions!

[crono_clone]

Where will you be staying? Might help us with suggestions that are close by.

[Kingofturtles]

Originally Posted by crono_clone

Where will you be staying? Might help us with suggestions that are close by.

It is going to be a motel outside of the city, either in Humble or Northeast Houston, beyond the loop. I'm travelling by tractor-trailer so its difficult to find parking close to cities. But I'll be renting a car for the time I'm there, so I will have freedom to get around the area.

[crono_clone]

That gives you a direct line (Hwy 59) to Downtown then, so I'll start there.

-Check out Discovery Green and eat at MKT Bar (across the street at One Park Place) or Market Square Park and eat at Fusion Taco or Barnaby's. If you're into nightlife, then Market Square has several nearby bars that are pretty lively during the weekends.

-There are bike share stations scattered across the downtown that will make it easy for you to get wherever. I definitely recommend using them. https://houston.bcycle.com/default.aspx

-Go to one of our museums. Our Museum District is top-notch, but my favorite is the Menil Collection in Montrose (which also happens to have a bike share station for easy access). You can eat at the nearby Eatsie Boys Cafe (one of my favorites) or the Black Labrador next door, which is an an English-pub-style restaurant with a giant chessboard you can play with outside. Afterwards I'd recommend walking or biking around the University of St. Thomas campus just behind the cafes. They have a beautiful chapel with a medieval labyrinth that you can peruse.

-Montrose itself is one of our most popular neighborhoods, with several restaurant options like Underbelly, Uchi, and Hay Merchant. It's home to our hipster population and I'd recommend walking the strip of thrift stores and coffee shops on Westheimer and Dunlavy if you want to find them. Maybe you can even duck into one of the tattoo parlors and find something that will help you blend in.

[Kingofturtles]

Thanks, those are some great suggestions!

I'll be sure to hit those places. The giant chessboard and medieval labyrinth sound like a good time.

Would you recommend using the CityPass? I used it in Seattle with good results, even though I didn't do everything it let me do.

[crono_clone]

The CityPass might be okay, except that you might not want to do Space Center Houston since it's 45 minutes south of the city and the opposite direction of your motel. It might be a good deal if you're planning to hit up the museums plus the zoo or Aquarium though.

How many days do you have, and are they on the weekend?

[Kingofturtles]

I think I might go with it for a few of the attractions. And I don't know which days I'll be there yet, I won't know until a few days before I leave. But I will be there for three days, so I expect to do some cramming towards the end.

[crono_clone]

Three days should be enough time to do plenty of things. Here's the visitor bureau website that should have information on the CityPass and other attractions worth trying: Houston Hotels, Events, Things to Do - Official Vacation Info - Visit Houston Texas

From the insider guide's list, I'd recommend the bat colony, Glenwood Cemetery, Bayou Bend, and the Orange Show.

If you have time, I'd also recommend making your way over to the San Jacinto Monument over at the Ship Channel.