Ten Top Tourist Treats in Houston
Texas' Biggest City Port, Museums, Zoo, Astros Score High
Houston Astros, Rockets and Aeros, Six Flags Water World, Houston Heights and River Oaks Boulevard, bluebonnets, harbor sights and hubble telescope are city's big treats.
Whether you have only a few hours or several days to spend in Houston, whether your trip is for business or pleasure, Houston offers such a wide variety of things to see or do, you’re bound to find entertainment that pleases.
1. Take yourself out to the ballgame. Houston Astros home games take place at Enron Field, which debuted at the 2000 season’s opener. The NBA’s Rockets play basketball and the IHL’s Aeros take to the ice at Compaq Center (10 Greenway Plaza). If you want to see a game in the Astrodome, check out the Texas Southern University Tiger’s schedule. As for polo – it’s played at Memorial Park
2. Meander along the streets of Houston Heights, the city’s first streetcar suburb with its Victorian houses, churches and parks. The area -- it’s on the National Register of Historic Places – is also great for antique shopping.
3. In springtime, dial the Wildflower Hotline (800-452-9292) to find out what’s blooming. First wildflowers of the year, ten-petal anemone and showy evening-primrose, start blossoming in February. Texas bluebonnets bloom from March through May, and flowers of a dozen or more varieties decorate the roadsides until December during most years.
4. Drive along River Oaks Boulevard, Lazy Lane and adjacent avenues to gape at the mansions of the really, really rich.
5. When temperatures sizzle, head for Six Flags WaterWorld (9001 Kirby Drive,across Loop 610 from the Astrodome) with its man-made beach and waves, high dive, six-lane water slide and an interactive treehouse that’s five stories tall.
6. Watch the big ships from the observation platform atop Wharf 9 at the Port of Houston Turning Basin (Take Clinton exit off I-610). The basin lies at the head of the 50-mile Houston Ship Channel, which connects the city with the Gulf of Mexico. It’s also possible to take a 90-minute tour of the channel aboard the inspection boat Sam Houston (advance reservations required).
7. Follow the walking trails at the 155-acre Houston Arboretum and Nature Center where more than 450 native plants flourish.
8. Check out the 300 or so shops at Post Oak Galleria on Houston’s west side. Non-shoppers in your party may choose to go ice-skating instead on the Galleria’s indoor rink.
9. Talk to the animals – pygmy hippos, cheetahs, wolves and alligators among them -- at the Houston Zoological Gardens (Hermann Park). You’ll probably want to check out the zoo’s extensive primate population, too.
10. Experience the sensation of moving through space, learn about the Hubble telescope and participate in a mock shuttle mission at Space Center Houston 28 miles southeast of the city.
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