A plan for Houston

Houston has a character that, while very "Texan," is also a great melting pot of many cultures and socio-economic groups. You'll find well-to-do suburban mansions, LA-style shopping strips, Latin-American neighborhoods, towering skyscrapers, historic African-American neighborhoods fighting off gentrification, massive refinery complexes, large Asian communities, and pockets of artist communities. From October to May, the weather is relatively pleasant, and many restaurants and bars take advantage of it with plenty of outdoor seating and beautiful lighting. Houston's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico also makes it a lush, tropical paradise compared to the rest of Texas.

In a sense, Houston is the gritty step-cousin of wealthy Dallas and middle-class hippie Austin. You won't see many cowboys or giant hairdos in downtown Houston (outside of Rodeo season), but you will see a quite diverse mix of people servicing the oilmen, petroleum engineers and high-end doctors.

Houston is the largest city in the United States without any appreciable zoning. While there is some small measure of zoning in the form of ordinances, deed restrictions, and land use regulations, real estate development in Houston is only constrained by the will and the pocketbook of real estate developers. Traditionally, Houston politics and law are strongly influenced by real estate developers; at times, the majority of city council seats have been held by them. This arrangement has made Houston a very sprawled-out and very automobile-dependent city. The benefit of this lack of zoning is that some neighborhoods like Montrose contain a plethora of hidden bars and art galleries nestled among historic neighborhoods - an arrangement not possible in zoned cities across the country.

Travelers planning to visit multiple attractions may benefit from the Houston CityPASS, which grants admission to 6 Houston attractions within 9 days of first use for a much reduced rate and includes expedited entry in some cases. The included attractions are: Space Center Houston; Downtown Aquarium; Houston Museum of Natural Science; Houston Zoo; Option Ticket One with choice of either Museum of Fine Arts or the Children's Museum of Houston and Option Ticket Two with choice of either George Ranch Historical Park or the Health Museum.

Astrodome. Dubbed the "8th Wonder of the World," it was one of the world's first fully indoor stadiums and the birthplace of astroturf (that was vacuumed by people in astronaut suits between innings). It was abandoned when the Astros threatened to move unless Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field) was built. The stadium is no longer open to visitors, but it is still a spectacle.

Golf

Wildcat Golf Club.

Houston Country club.

River Oaks Country Club.

Redstone.

Parks

Buffalo Bayou

Eleanor Tinsley Park - The beautiful city skyline backdrops this scenic portion of the park. It remains one of the most popular outdoor spaces for recreation and relaxation.

Lost Lake - At this location, visitors can rent kayaks and discover the water trails.

Discovery Green

Houston Arboretum

Hermann Park

McGovern Centennial Gardens - Home to a diverse collection of gardens including an arid garden, a rose garden, a woodland garden, an interactive family garden, and more. Visitors can also enjoy walking the spiral path to the top of a 30-foot (9 m) mount.

Memorial Park - A large park near Uptown and I-10 Freeway. Many running and walking trails, fields, and more. A Becks Prime restaurant can also be found within the park.

Events & festivals

Houston CaribFest. Celebrating Caribbean/West Indian Cultures.

Art Car Parade, Runs along Allen Parkway. April. A parade that must be seen to be believed. For example, in 2010, there were cupcake motorcycles, fire breathing chicken cars, and many other spectacular cars. There are vendors nearby selling water, hats, and food as well. It can get very hot! Free. (updated Mar 2024)

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Reliant Park. March. HLSR is one of the largest live entertainment and livestock exhibitions in Texas. It runs for 20 days and includes activities for everyone. The rodeo in Houston is considered the city's "signature event" akin to "Mardi Gras" in New Orleans, the Texas State Fair in Dallas, Comic-Con in San Diego, and the "Ball Drop" in New York City.

McDonald's Houston Children's Festival, April. Quite possibly the largest children's festival in the United States. It runs for 2 days and includes activities for kids of all ages, including face painting, stage shows, and a whole lot more. The festival is usually held on the first weekend of April.

Individual listings can be found in Houston's district articles

Houston has outstanding dining options, and is widely considered the most restaurant-oriented city in the United States, with a thriving community of ethnic restaurants, superb Tex-Mex, classic Texas steakhouses and Gulf Coast seafood, as well as chain restaurants. Houston's fine dining scene has exploded, with Downtown, Montrose, Midtown, and the Heights (including the Washington Corridor) as the epicenter of what's hot-and-happening now.

Although high-quality, authentic Mexican food can be found just about anywhere in the city (for some of the best surprises, stop by any nondescript taqueria and order nearly anything at random), the best ethnic dining is generally found in West Houston - in particular the area west of Highway 59 and south of I-10, with everything from Middle Eastern to Ethiopian to Bosnian. The bustling Mahatma Gandhi District around Hillcroft St. is the place to go for top-notch Indian and Pakistani cuisine. In years past, you'd go east of Downtown or to Midtown for your Chinese or Vietnamese fix (respectively); nowadays the new Chinatown (or sometimes "Asiatown") located between Westpark Drive to the North and Beechnut Street to the south, South Gessner Rd to the East and Eldridge Parkway South to the west; is the new one-stop shop for your cravings. Lying just north of I-10, Long Point Drive and between Blalock and North Gessner sport crowded Korean joints, fantastic taco trucks, and hidden Thai gems.

Local beer

1 The Saint Arnold Brewery. Billed as Texas' oldest microbrewery. Their brews are often sold in local bars. Very popular beers are the Texas Wheat, Oktoberfest (August through October), and Christmas Ale (November through December). The brewery tour is open Monday through Friday from 3PM to 4:15PM, and Saturday 11AM to 2PM.

Karbach Brewing Co, 2032 Karbach St. Beer Garden/patio is open Mon-Fri 2:30-9PM, Sat noon - 9PM, Sun noon - 5:30PM. It is building an expansion of the brewery and a restaurant/brewpub.

Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, 5301 Nolda St. In the Washington Corridor. Focused on their Witbier recipe and interesting variation of that. Tours/tasting hours Saturday Noon to 3PM.

8th Wonder Brewing Company, 2202 Dallas St (In EaDo near BBVA Stadium). Taproom open Thu Fri 5-10PM, Sat noon-8PM, Sun noon-8PM. Great for a few beers before a Dynamo game away from the crush at Lucky's and Little Woodrow's.

Local coffee

Xela Coffee Roasters, 4409 Canal St, ☏ +1-713-640-5189. 8AM-2PM (closed Tue). Coffee roaster serving freshly roasted coffee via batch brew and pour overs (single origins) as well as espresso drinks. Front porch and back patio make it a great place to enjoy a fresh drink when the weather allows for it. Black coffee: $2.00; single origin pour over for 2 people: $5.00; breakfast tacos $2.50. (updated Dec 2019)

Blacksmith, 1018 Westheimer Rd,, ☏ +1-832-360-7470. Daily 7AM-5PM. Coffee shop serving freshly roasted coffee (batch brew and pour overs), espresso drinks and mix of breakfast and lunch options. Coffee drinks range in price from $3.00 (daily batch brew) to ~$5.00 for lattes. All food options are $15.00 or less.. (updated Dec 2019)

By car

Houston's major highways make getting around the city fairly easy. (See list of freeways under the "Get in" section.) Obstacles, however, can make driving in Houston a less than pleasant experience. One is construction, which seems to be ever-present, and the other is traffic. Evening rush hour in Houston begins as early as 4PM and can last more than 2 hours. Morning rush hour is between 7 and 9AM. During rush hour, traffic on the highways can come to a halt. The strip of the West Loop near the Galleria, between IH-69 and IH-10, is an area you should definitely avoid during rush hour if possible.

Houston Traffic Map

The outstanding freeways system

Some of the freeways have an H.O.V. (High-Occupancy Vehicle) lane, which are limited-access lanes in the median strip of the highway. The HOV lanes are operational Monday - Friday in the morning hours (5AM - 11AM) in the inbound direction and in the outbound direction in the afternoon and evening (2-8PM). The HOV lanes are restricted to cars with 2 or more passengers, however some HOV lanes require 3 or more passengers during peak travel periods (6:45-8AM and 5-6PM, for IH-10 west; 6:45-8AM only for US-290). The HOV lanes are marked with signs bearing a white diamond on a black background. Highways with HOV lanes are: IH-45 North, IH-45 South, IH-69 North, IH-69 South, IH-10 West (Katy Freeway), and US-290. The Katy Freeway HOV lanes have been expanded into the Katy Toll Road, a 24-hour multi-lane HOV with paid Single-Occupancy Vehicle access cost-adjusted based on HOV usage.

Crime

While not as infamous as Detroit, Baltimore, or Memphis, the crime rate in Houston is high and the city has a reputation among Texans as a dangerous city. Houston is the largest hub for human trafficking into the United States and is also a major hub for drug and weapons trafficking. Certain areas of Houston are more dangerous than others, including the area within Loop 610 on the east side and some areas in Southwest Houston near Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway).

As a general rule, the areas of or portions of Spring Branch, Alief, Fondren Southwest, Sharpstown, Hiram Clarke, and Gulfton should be avoided during the night. Even during the day time, it is best that you exercise special caution in these areas as they have relatively large homeless populations and moderate levels of gang activity. The Third & Fifth Wards, and Southeast/South Central (South Park, Sunnyside, South Acres, Yellowstone) areas should be avoided during the day and night as violent crime is common in these areas. Criminal elements in Houston are known to target random people. The city center is relatively safe during the day time, but special caution should be exercised in the early morning and evening hours, and it is best to avoid the city center during the night, especially if you are alone.