Weekend in Houston

I will be in Houston in early-February for a four-day weekend (Friday - Monday). What are the ';can%26#39;t miss'; things to do? Will I need a rental car or is there any public transportation? What%26#39;s the best area to stay in?

Weekend in Houston

You will need a rental car... since it%26#39;s the weekend, you will not have to worry about traffic. I would stay in the Galleria, because it%26#39;s central to everything. You can drive to the outer houston in 15-20 minutes.

Weekend in Houston

I would stay in The Woodlands area. Lot%26#39;s of great shopping, food and night life.

There is so much to do, and so many areas to stay in in Houston....Try looking at http://houston.citysearch.com/ and finding things that interest you....then post on here to get opinions from others about them.

If you are into art, there is the museum district..all kinds of museums....if you like theater, there%26#39;s the theater district, houston ballet. if you want good shopping and restaurants...galleria area (well there are good restaurants everywhere) if you like trendy bars, there%26#39;s midtown, and the village. tons of things to do in Houston!

tell us more of the things you like to do, and we can help more

and, yes a rental car is a must!

stay in the Galleria area - close to Museum district, Galleria, and Rice Village - a rental car is a must

The Woodlands? Are you out of your mind?

The Woodlands is a great place to go if your idea of dining is Cheesecake Factory and Applebees and your idea of shopping is Old Navy and Kohl%26#39;s. Pure suburbia, 45 minutes out of town. A nice place to live, but not to visit.

Public transportation is a joke in Houston, especially if you%26#39;re used to New York. Rent a car. Parking is either free or inexpensive and plentiful. This is not a pedestrian-friendly city.

The Galleria area is a central place to stay. If you%26#39;re into nightclubs, downtown is worth the trip (but otherwise, downtown is a ghost town after 5:00). The museum district has several good museums to spend an afternoon. Montrose is funky, cool, and artsy.

Save room for dessert one day and stop in at the Chocolate Bar on Alabama St.

Agree that you should stay in the Galleria area or downtown. Definitely rent a car. The Woodlands - I can%26#39;t see vacationing there when you visit Houston -- nothing there other than very nice suburbia -- It is a good place to go and stay if someone is visiting because they are relocating and looking for an area with lots of shopping in the suburbs to live in but it is typical mall stuff that you can find anywhere - nothing exclusive. For a quick visit - you definitely want to be in town.

While in Houston, I do recommend taking the opportunity and go to one of their concerts or shows in the arts and entertainment district (downtown). They have great shows at affordable prices (nothing like NYC). Have a great night dining there too coz there are lots of great restaurants in this area.

I am not sure if u want to drive an hour but I think it is worth the trip - Moody Garden (great aquarium and gorgeous ground of tropical landscape) :

http://www.texasexplorer.net/MoodyGardens.htm (sorry cant get their site up for some reason)

Good Luck

PS. The other posts are right about staying around Galleria area or if u want something more laid back, try the Rice Village.

Here%26#39;s a locals-only place for Tex-Mex - not a chain like Pappacitos, not as fancy as Cyclone Anaya%26#39;s (which you should visit once while in town, regardless):

Lopez Mexican Restaurant. Take 59 south from Houston. Exit Wilcrest (first exit after Beltway 8). Turn right on Wilcrest. Lopez will be on your left. It%26#39;s a family owned place - nothing fancy and no need to dress up. Get a bowl of Chili Con Queso with Fajita meat and a Rib Eye Ranchero steak.

Not that I%26#39;m knocking the Pappas restaurants - I%26#39;m a fan of Pappadeux myself - but sometimes you want a restaurant, not a ';dining concept.';

Also, get some pasta at the original Carabba%26#39;s (still controlled by the family) on Kirby and get what you miss at the Carabbas owned by the same company that brings you Outback Steakhouse.

I%26#39;ll second the previous poster on eating at Lopez. We just moved away from Houston and I miss Lopez so badly I can%26#39;t even think about eating Tex Mex anywhere else. I crave their chicken chimichangas. We usually drove about 25 miles each way to eat there at least twice a month.

I would definately stay in the Galleria area. You will be close to everything.

It%26#39;s too bad your not going to be there later in the month or in early March. You could attend the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo. Its%26#39; huge and a must for most Houtonions.