What to see/do in Houston (Galveston, Center: rentals, hotel, theatre)

[CAnnette]

On 2/19/09 my husband and I will arrive in Houston for three days before our cruise. We had intended to spend the time in Galveston......until the hurricane. I can't seem to find anything recommending Galveston any more, so our alternative is Houston. We like gardens, nature, crafts, shopping, food, that type of thing......no museums or sporting events. We also need a recommendation of an area to stay in which would be fairly close to the tourist things recommended. We will not have a car. Thank you very much for any help you can give.

[chris_ut]

Cool Garden: The Bayou Bend Museum

[Poltracker]

Houston is a driver's city. Without a car, there is not a whole lot I can recommend. With a car, I would recommend that you visit the Armand Bayou Nature Center, maybe the Kemah Boardwalk, Bayou Bend (Decorative arts and gardens) above is very nice and is near the Houston Arboretum which you can also visit.

[chris_ut]

Oops I missed the part about no car. Enjoy the hotel lobby I suppose.

[jd2008]

Originally Posted by CAnnette

On 2/19/09 my husband and I will arrive in Houston for three days before our cruise. We had intended to spend the time in Galveston......until the hurricane. I can't seem to find anything recommending Galveston any more, so our alternative is Houston. We like gardens, nature, crafts, shopping, food, that type of thing......no museums or sporting events. We also need a recommendation of an area to stay in which would be fairly close to the tourist things recommended. We will not have a car. Thank you very much for any help you can give.

Sadly...there is really not a whole lot t do without a car.

I guess if you wanted to get a hotel downtown before the cruise you could walk around there but honestly, it gets pretty dead there at night. There is a nice park in downtown but compared to other urban parks around the country it is pretty small. I think they have a pretty nice restaurant there though.

[westres1]

How will you get to Galveston without a car?
You could stay at Hotel Icon on main and visit discovery green,walk around dowtown at night, lots of pubs etc... Mia bella is a nice restaraunt on Main. Take the rail to the museum district visit the zoo,chinese gardens,natural science musem,fine arts museum.

[desertsun41]

Where exactly is this cruise line dropping everyone off? You said no museums but everyone is recomending them. How did you plan to get to Galaveston without a car? If you are with a cruise line I suspect you will be dropped off in Galveston at the cruise line terminal and needing a car to get to Houston.

Why not stay in Galveston. There is plenty to do. Maybe there is a shuttle from the cruise terminal to a hotel? If so then you are on the strand. There is all kinds of things to do by foot. Try Moody Gardens if you like nature. Try walking the beach if you like nature. They are grading new sand on the beach as you read this but there are still plenty of quite beaches to walk.

Houston downtown is pretty quite on weekends. Like everyone else said, you need a car but rentals are everywhere.

[houstoner]

Originally Posted by CAnnette

On 2/19/09 my husband and I will arrive in Houston for three days before our cruise. We had intended to spend the time in Galveston......until the hurricane. I can't seem to find anything recommending Galveston any more, so our alternative is Houston. We like gardens, nature, crafts, shopping, food, that type of thing......no museums or sporting events. We also need a recommendation of an area to stay in which would be fairly close to the tourist things recommended. We will not have a car. Thank you very much for any help you can give.

About the best thing for you, then, would be the Museum District. You could stay at Hotal ZaZa. You don't have to visit the museums. There is Hermann Park with the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, an IMAX theatre, planetarium, butterfly center (these last three inside the Museum of Natural Science), and the zoo, as well as Rice University and the Medical Center not too far away. Too bad you're not here in spring. There are free shows at Miller Outdoor Theatre there in the spring, summer, and fall.

You will be right along the only rail line in the city right now, so you could take it downtown and walk the four or five blocks east to Discovery Green. It's a new park modeled after Chicago's Millenium Park, albeit on a smaller scale. Right now most of the events scheduled revolve around the outdoor ice skating rink. You can ice skate, or watch folks skate, and I think they have an ice-carving competition scheduled. There are two restaurants on the premises, one is budget-friendly, the other is more upscale and offers a better view. It's a great place for people-watching.

Another thing you might try for is a stroll along a stretch of Lower Westheimer in the Montrose for antiquing and lunch or dinner at Empire, Brasil, or Agora. They're all right next to each other, and you can stop into Domy Books, too. There are also some neat little contemporary and retro boutiques for shopping, and a couple of bars like Poison Girl. Plus there's Mark's, one of the best restaurants in the city.

This should all be fairly doable without a car. You might want to get a taxi to and from the Montrose. Rice Village is on the other side of Rice University, very close by for shopping, bars, and restaurants as well, some mom n' pop shops mixed in with chains. It's very walkable in and of itself, but you may want to taxi to and from your hotel. Both areas are very close to the Museum District.

[houstoner]

I just noticed the dates you would be visiting. That will be Mardi Gras time in Galveston! You should go to Galveston to support the island and help them get back on their feet. MARDI GRAS! GALVESTON - Galveston, Texas (http://www.mardigrasgalveston.com/index.html - broken link) (you may have to scroll down a bit for the video).

[westres1]

sorry I thought she wanted museums....I misread it.
Go to Galveston and Mardi Gras. You will have fun. All the restaraunts on the Seawall are open including Gaidos.