Partying and socialising in Houston or Galveston during the week (Austin: rent, home)

[Ashley Loggins]

Hey guys,

I'm new in town from London. My brother's visiting me and asked me to show him somewhere fun to go during the week where we can drink and socialize but I'm aware Houston can get pretty quiet outside weekends. Is it worth a trip down to Galveston or is that more family-oriented?

He's also asked me to show him "Texan" things like shooting ranges and rodeo so any tips there would be greatly appreciated. I'm a little clueless about it all!

Many thanks

Ashley

[TexasTony]

If you have decided on the drive then perhaps try exploring Austin instead of Galveston

[Ashley Loggins]

Yeah - actually did Austin already. I liked it but it was a bit of a tourist trap. All the people my aged (college aged) have gone home for the summer and there's just a lot of sleazy old guys around.

[PedroMartinez]

Take him downtown to see the tunnels.

.ynnuf saw taht ,timda ot evah uoY

[DanielWayne]

If you want to see "Texan" things, then head to the Ft Worth stockyards, or head back toward Austin but keep going toward Fredericksburg and then to Luckenbach (Actually I think you would pass Luckenbach first). Also I've never been to Bandera, but I hear that's a cowboy town if there ever was one.

Houston is more oil/gas/aerospace/medical center/ship channel stuff than it is cowboy although there is no shortage of honky-tonks.

[davidtk]

Hard to recommend a place to go drinking without knowing what you like, but off the top of my head, check out Flying Saucer.

As for Texan things to do, the big rodeo is already over, but if you want to go shooting, Athena is the nicest gun range I've ever been to. You can rent guns and buy the ammo there; I *HIGHLY* recommend scheduling an instructor if you don't have shooting experience.

[Ashley Loggins]

Thanks for the Athena tip! Going there right now to check it out

[crono_clone]

Originally Posted by Ashley Loggins

Hey guys,

I'm new in town from London. My brother's visiting me and asked me to show him somewhere fun to go during the week where we can drink and socialize but I'm aware Houston can get pretty quiet outside weekends. Is it worth a trip down to Galveston or is that more family-oriented?

He's also asked me to show him "Texan" things like shooting ranges and rodeo so any tips there would be greatly appreciated. I'm a little clueless about it all!

Many thanks

Ashley

Ooh, weekday drinking? Houston has happy hours galore -- you just gotta know where to go!

Midtown - this is usually party central on weekends, but weekends mean you might actually be able to hear yourself think or not have a drink spilled on you. Start at Little Woodrow's, then make your way over to Pub Fiction (usually has live music on weekdays), Howl at the Moon, and Celtic Garden all on the same block. If you're hungry, then first stop at Christian's Tailgate for some burgers before you go barhopping.

Downtown - this is my favorite spot to hang out in town. There's also more dining options than Midtown if you prefer to drink on a full stomach. Start at Fusion Taco (tacos and beer), Batanga (Spanish tapas and live music), or Goro & Gun (Japanese ramen and cocktails), then make your way to either Warren's Inn for some killer martinis and to chat at the bar with the friendly regulars, or to Pastry War and load yourself up on mezcal margaritas (and trust me, if you've never had mezcal tequila from Mexico then YOU ARE MISSING OUT). A good alternative also would be El Big Bad, which has amazing flavored tequilas.

Or if you're football/soccer fans (and you probably are), then make your way down to Springbok (South African gastropub that's also a favorite among soccer fans) and scream at the TV or do whatever it is you people do.

Montrose - this is one of our hippest neighborhoods. For you, I'd probably start out at Rudyard's British Pub for obvious reasons to chat it up with the locals and the bartenders, and maybe catch one of the local music acts upstairs. And if you want a change of scenery, head down to Hay Merchant for some more great drinking and great people-watching.

[War Beagle]

Originally Posted by Ashley Loggins

Yeah - actually did Austin already. I liked it but it was a bit of a tourist trap. All the people my aged (college aged) have gone home for the summer and there's just a lot of sleazy old guys around.

If you thought Austin was a tourist trap, avoid Galveston. If he wants an "authentic" Texas experience, you'd be best going to the smaller towns. All of the big cities are going to be big cities first and Texan second.

What he has as "Texas" in his mind is most likely to be found in rural central or west Texas.

[Oildog]

Take a drive across 225 (to see all the industry) to 146, and go south to Kemah and have food overlooking the water.