Irish want help planning 2 weeks after Houston wedding

We are going to a wedding in Houston early February and would like to see a bit of Texas, maybe hire a car and travel around, within a radius of 300 miles. So far I believe Galviston and San Antonio are great places to visit. All suggestions welcome and hotel recommendations too. What will the weather be like on the Gulf in Feb. Look forward to getting some help planning our trip and hearing your views....thank you from Ireland

Irish want help planning 2 weeks after Houston wedding

February along the Gulf Coast could be mild to frigid. It really can be that diffent, and the temperatures can fluctuate by the day. With the moist air here, it can make conditions feel worse than they really are. It will not be cold like in Ireland, but you at least need a coat. You might even want to bring shorts.

You%26#39;ll just miss the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, it is schedule for Feb 27-Mar 18.

There are lots of previous posters for travel around the state, and with 2 weeks, you%26#39;ll be able to see quite a bit. Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Galveston are all within a 300 mile radius of Houston. You would need to rent a car to visit the cities mentioned, they are only about 3-4 hours apart each, except Houston-Galveston, which is about an hour, maybe and hour and a half. If you do venture up to Dallas or the Hill country, the weather can be much colder, so think about that also.

Irish want help planning 2 weeks after Houston wedding

In Galveston, I would consider Moody Gardens Hotel, The San Luis, or The Tremont. Between Galveston %26amp; Houston is the Kemah Boardwalk - and NASA Johnson Space Center - both busy tourist spots.

In San Antonio - Hill Country Hyatt or the Westin La Cantera. Austin is very nice as well and not a long drive from San Antonio so I would defiintely try and see some of Austin as well. It is the state capital and a University city. So you have a mix of poltical types, artsy types, young and lively students etc.

The weather can be extremely warm for February or you can get a cold snap where it is blustery cold and damp. You sort of have to come prepared to either. Hopefully you%26#39;ll get the warm!

Have a wonderful time here!!!!

Texas7 and knr, many thanks for all that information. We will definitely rent a car and try and get to Austin. It seems like the weather could be like Ireland in summer, anything from 10 to 22 degrees. There is a rodeo in San Antonio which we may try and get to, do you know anything about it? Will it be difficult to get hotels and should we book now? I really appreciate your help and will check back on previous posts on Texas. Greetings from rainy Dublin!

Texas7 and knr, many thanks for all that information. We will definitely rent a car and try and get to Austin. It seems like the weather could be like Ireland in summer, anything from 10 to 22 degrees. There is a rodeo in San Antonio which we may try and get to, do you know anything about it? Will it be difficult to get hotels and should we book now? I really appreciate your help and will check back on previous posts on Texas. Greetings from rainy Dublin!

I am a big fan of booking hotels in advance, especially if you know you will be there. Of course, you want to make certain the cancellation policy is reasonable. In San Antonio, there is a S.A.V.E rate, not sure if will be in effective at rodeo time though. Another good place to look for discounts is travelzoo.com.

Definitely book hotels in San Antonio in advance; the city hosts a lot of conferences/seminars that use up a lot of the hotel rooms, in addition to the tourists (that seem to be year round these days).

In addition to the previous suggestions for San Antonio, I also recommend visiting the Spanish Missions, the Mercado, and the Governor%26#39;s Mansion - you%26#39;ll feel like you%26#39;re in Mexico without having left Texas. In Austin the Texas Capitol, Museum of Texas History, and the campus of the University of Texas.

And if you like shopping, there is a huge outlet mall in San Marcos on the way between Austin and San Antonio. With the Euro being so high compared to the US dollar you can find amazing bargains.

In Austin I would recommend you stay in the central part of the city - close to downtown and the sights I suggested above. Some nice hotels are the Doubletree Guest Suites on 15th street (walking distance to the capitol, the museum, university). The Omni on 7th street is nice too.

Other less pricy ones: Courtyard Austin Central and Drury Inn. Both are on I-35, close to the Texas highway 290 intersection.

just a few suggestions for a good food and music:

Houston eats:

Mai%26#39;s (downtown) for the best spring rolls

Michaelangelo%26#39;s for good Italian,

Bistro Vino for romantic Italian dinner (more expensive),

Cheescake Factory (there%26#39;s one in the Galleria Mall for the best cheescake,

China Garden for good Chinese

Thai Pepper for good Thai food

Pappadeaux%26#39;s for the crawfish etoufee - excellent

Pappasito%26#39;s has decent Tex-Mex (good fajitas) as well as Cafe Adobe (excellent seafood enchiladas)

Houston outs:

go to the Big Easy bar for great blues rock, get there early for a booth

Mia Luna%26#39;s in the Rice Village (off of Kirby Lane) (great place to hang out - many bars and places to eat all in walking distance) for appetizers and spanish music

grab a beer at The GingerMan - beers from all over

all of the places above are an easy drive from the galleria area (great place to get a hotel in Houston)

Austin eats and music:

for breakfast food = Kirby Lane, Magnolia Cafe, Taco Express, Katz%26#39;s Deli

for Lunch = Castle Hill Cafe, Home Slice pizza, Shady Grove (great atmosphere),

dinner = County Line for barbeque or drive out to the Salt Lick for great barbeque and atmosphere, Kyoto%26#39;s for Asian (request floor seating and take off your shoes for great vibe - then go downstairs to the jazz club in the basement - The Elephant Room

watch who%26#39;s playing at Stubb%26#39;s , Saxon Pub , Antone%26#39;s and Continental Club for good blues and rock music

check www.austin360.com

Chuy%26#39;s for good Tex-Mex

Eddie V%26#39;s for seafood

Sullivan%26#39;s for steak

Wink (expensive) for great food - also have great steak

of course 6th and 5th street for the club/bar scene and music

when driving from San Antonio to Austin, stop in Lockhart for some of the best barbeque in Texas (Smitty%26#39;s, Kreuz%26#39;s and Black%26#39;s are all excellent)

I%26#39;m not real familiar with the San Antonio area for food - maybe someone else can help with that, but I would definitely stay on the riverwalk there

hope this helps you a little!

you%26#39;ll have a blast in Texas

Houstonturtle,

Thank you for your good advice, I am in the process of checking hotels in San Antonio and Austin right now. The outlet malls are a great attraction for me, now to convince my hubby that retail therapy is good for the heart!! Best wishes from Dublin...sunny as we speak but don%26#39;t hold breath!!.

nonnativetexan,

Wow, thanks a million, you have me sold on Texas, can%26#39;t wait to get there. It%26#39;s great to have some local knowledge. The wedding is in the Galleria area so we will probabaly stay there but after that we are on our own and will be checking out your recommendations. Really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post.

Greeting from Ireland.