| Houston Overview | ||
The surrounding terrain is low and flat with a warm damp climate. They grow cotton, sugar cane and rice in the neighboring farmlands. The summer weather can be rather hot and humid. Winters are cool but seldom very cold. Fall and spring often produce the most pleasant climate for visitors. |
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| Weather in Houston | ||
| Opinions vary, but many locals say late spring (April and May) and early summer (June and July) are the best times to come, as rainfall starts to taper off and the humidity isn't peaking. In July, the average daytime temperature is a sweltering 94°F (34°C), but humidity is at its lowest level of the year. Humidity is highest in October, when it can be 93% at the crack of dawn. If you want to catch the rodeo, plan on coming in late February or early March. Houston gets crowded during the many festivals and events in April. | ||
| Events in Houston | ||
| The Houston
Livestock Show & Rodeo goes for 17 days from mid-February
to March. Big name cowboys ride bulls and broncs in the Astrodome, followed
by big name country music acts in the exhibit halls next door. This event
is well worth seeking out if you want to two-step right into Texas
culture. April's Houston International Festival
is a multicultural celebration of food, art and music that lasts for 10
days beginning the third week of the month. Events are held all over the
city and include the Houston International
Film Festival. Also in April, the Westheimer Colony
Arts Festival shows off the Montrose District at its flamboyant best,
with blocks of booths selling arts, antiques, food and items that defy
classification. There's usually a parade or two to keep the nipple-ringed
residents amused. Dates vary and the event repeats in October. Juneteenth is a multiday celebration around 19 June, the day in 1865 when word reached Texas that the slaves had been emancipated. Events include gospel and blues festivals and other celebrations of local African-American culture. Fiestas Patrias features a parade, ball and music celebrating Mexican Independence Day on 16 September. Public Holidays: 1 January - New Year's Day 19 January - Confederate Heroes Day Third Monday in January - Martin Luther King Jr Day Third Monday in February - Presidents' Day 2 March - Texas Independence Day Late March or April - Easter 21 April - San Jacinto Day Last Monday in May - Memorial Day 19 June - Texas Emancipation Day 4 July - Independence Day 27 August - Lyndon Baines Johnson Day First Monday in September - Labor Day Second Monday in October - Columbus Day 11 November - Veterans' Day Fourth Thursday in November - Thanksgiving 25 December - Christmas Day |
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| Houston Tourist Attractions | ||
 Astroworld
- Six Flags AstroWorld is a world-class entertainment complex filled
with exciting rides and attractions, including 11 roller coasters -
the most in Texas! Plus,
there are family-oriented shows, games, shops, restaurants, concerts,
festivals and much more! And right next door is Six Flags WaterWorld,
a premier water park featuring a NEW family raft ride and NEW 5-story
interactive water treehouse! Plus a new six-lane water slide! The Reef - is a spring fed 40 foot deep lake with drinking quality "Blue Water" We are located 10 minutes south of the Astrodome, and just 30 minutes from every part of Houston.  The Houston Zoo - Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. everyday Admission: Adults $2.50 Senior Citizens $2.00 Children, twelve and under $.50 Children two and under are free Activities: (Be sure to double check the gate handout for any changes in times.) Sea Lion Demonstrations: Daily, 11:15 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Vampire Bat Feeding: Daily, 2:30 p.m. in Small Mammal World Fruit Bat Feeding: Daily, 10:15 a.m. in Small Mammal World Duck Lake Feeding: Tuesdays and Thursdays at Duck Lake, 2:45 p.m. Children's Zoo Contact Areas: Open 10-5 p.m. daily Enrichment Center: Meet the Keeper, Daily, 3:00 p.m. Puppet Shows: 10:30 a.m. Children's Zoo Auditorium 2nd & 4th Wednesday, and 1st & 3rd Fridays Chase Tower - You may want to start your visit to Houston by taking in the entire urban panorama from the 60th-floor observation deck (weekdays only) of I. M. Pei's 75-story tower, built in 1981. (713) 223-0441  City
Hall - Just northwest of Tranquility Park, this 1939 modernist structure
of Texas limestone was designed by Joseph Finger, Houston's premier
architect of the time. Of significant interest are the interior allegorical
murals.  Downtown
- The downtown area is experiencing a vigorous revival with the refurbishment
of famous old commercial buildings, including the Rice Hotel (1913)
and the Albert Thomas Convention Center (1963), into residential and
entertainment space, and the opening of the Astros' Enron Field, next
to the old Union Station (1911), which is being renovated to house stores,
restaurants, and a theater. More than 70 of the major business and government
buildings downtown are connected by a 6¾-mi labyrinth of underground
tunnels and skywalks, used by those in the know as a welcome escape
from the heat and humidity for which Houston
is justly infamous. Enron Field - The Houston Astros kicked off the 2000 season on its brand-spankin'-new field of dreams in downtown east. The new brick-clad stadium has the latest features -- cushy executive suites, a high-tech sound system, a kids' play area -- and a retractable roof that closes in a flash (12 to 20 minutes). (713) 799-9567 Galveston - One of Texas's most popular year-round coastal destinations, Galveston is an island in the Gulf of Mexico 50 mile southeast of Houston, connected to the mainland by a causeway and bridge. The restored Victorian Strand district, resort hotels, and beachfront businesses give a commercial feel to the north end of the island, while miles of private and rental residences on the southern end offer solitude and open beach access.  Rothko Chapel - In a park next to the Menil Collection, the moody chapel is an octagonal sanctuary designed by Philip Johnson. The 14 Mark Rothko paintings that panel the chapel's walls at first glance look like simple black canvases; only when you come close can you see the subtle coloring. Outside the ecumenical chapel is Barnett Newman's sculpture Broken Obelisk, which symbolizes the life and assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (713) 524-9839 Smith-Louisiana Corridor - Architectural additions to the skyline have spread out from the Smith-Louisiana corridor, a daunting canyon formed by towers of glass and steel, running south from Tranquility Park on the west side of downtown. A walk down these streets may be the truest measure of the city's modernism, intensified by the outdoor sculptures of Joan Miró, Claes Oldenburg, Louise Nevelson, and Jean Dubuffet. (Dubuffet's Monument au Fantôme, on Louisiana Street between Lamar and Dallas streets, is a particular delight to children.)  Space Center Houston - Kids and adults can learn about space exploration at the Space Center, 25 mi south of the city. Life on the deck of a space shuttle is simulated in the Space Center Plaza. In the Kids Space Place, children can ride on the lunar rover and try out tasks in the Apollo command module. At the adjacent Johnson Space Center, the tour includes a visit to Mission Control and laboratories that simulate weightlessness and other space-related concepts. Allow several hours for your visit.: (281) 244-2100 Texas Avenue - Visible from the Chase Tower, Texas Avenue is 100 ft wide, precisely the width needed to accommodate 14 Texas longhorns tip to tip in the days when cattle were driven to market along this route. Tranquility Park - This cool, human-scale oasis of fountains and diagonal walkways among Houston's downtown skyscrapers was built to commemorate the first landing on the moon by the Apollo 11 mission. |
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| Getting Around Houston | ||
| Getting There
& Away Houston has two airports: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is served by major domestic and international airlines; William P Hobby Airport (HOU) is primarily served by discount carrier Southwest Airlines. Greyhound is the major bus carrier, with a web of services in all directions, some of which are operated by a contractor named Valley Transit. Amtrak service is very limited. The chronically late Sunset Limited wanders through town three times a week in each direction on its runs between Los Angeles, New Orleans and on to Orlando, Florida. As a city built around the car, Houston has highways radiating in all directions. Getting Around Limited bus service is available to Bush Intercontinental Airport, making taxis and private shuttle buses a better bet. Bus service to Hobby Airport is more reliable. Both airports have car rental agencies. The Metro network of over 100 bus lines serves the Houston area from north of IAH south all the way to Clear Lake. Much of the system is geared for the weekday commute in and out of the downtown area, which means that weekend service to outlying areas like Clear Lake and the Johnson Space Center isn't the best. By far the best way to get around Houston is with a car. Parking is plentiful and usually free, and many sights are clustered together so you can ditch your wheels and walk around a bit when you like. Other sights and attractions are so scattered that driving is the only convenient way to reach them. Driving is on the right. |
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| Activities in Houston | ||
| Memorial Park and Hermann Park are the two main
areas in the city for walking and running. If your heat tolerance is less
than a lizard's, the huge oak trees of Main Street provide deep shade
over the wide sidewalks. If you get too cooked, you can go ice skating
at the Galleria Mall, a few miles west of downtown. There's great cycling along Houston's many park trails, and the area's flat topography makes for easy pedaling - though in summer just sitting still can be trying. Run your own time trials on the banked track at the Alkek Velodrome, built in 1986 as a training track for the US Olympic cycling team. The open-air facility is in Cullen Park, 20 miles (32km) west of downtown.
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| Hotels in Houston,
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