What to do with One day in Houston?
 

Mrs EB and I fly to IAH tomorrow on the BA197 for a short break without the kids. In Club :D

We have a day to amuse ourselves in Houston (Thursday) before jetting off to Tulsa and then Austin. Does anyone out there have any recommendations for something to do in the daytime? Other than the Galleria :). I've rented a car so we are flexible.

And before any of you query the choice of destination, CW was required as a minimum class of travel, and being in the oil industry I have friends in Houston!

I know I ought to post this in the Texas forum, but I know you guys and girls would be a good source of info for this kind of thing!

Spend a day with your friends, maybe? ;)

TP run?

Outside of seeing your friends that you mentioned, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is a really good museum that you can do in a few hours. The museum of fine arts is very good as well and you should check that out if you have time, but not over the HMNS. Other than that, there's really not a lot to do in Houston other than eat some good food.

Make sure you get some good Mexican food though if you like that sort of cuisine. El Tiempo, and Ninfa's are two of my favorites that are near downtown and not far from IAH.

If you are in the mood for excellent barbecue, check out Gatlin's. Some of the best I have had in Houston.

Leisurely fish lunch somewhere around Galveston?

I must admit when I visited Galveston it wasn't that interesting, perhaps reflecting unusually poor weather that day. I'd not bother with the car hire and do the downtown Houston on foot (doesn't take long admittedly!). The aquarium perhaps?

Or - if you're into that sort of thing - visit http://spacecenter.org/. Set your expectations low and you may be in for a surprise.

You are correct on it not being interesting, and that is regardless of weather....additionally, on a Thursday, it can take up to 90 mins to 2 hours to get from IAH to Galveston, each way. Unless you really fancy seeing some dirty beaches, I would steer clear of going to Galveston

Space Center is actually quite interesting, they have done a good job with it. It is also a trek from IAH and might be hard on a Thursday. Rush hour traffic extends from about 06:00 to 10:00 then picks back up from about 15:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, making the Space Center a tough decision on a week day.

I'd recommend the Space Center in Houston.

http://spacecenter.org

Kemah is a nice place if the weather is nice. Drink beer, eat food, watch the boats go by.

A bit of a drive from IAH, but closer than Galveston .

If you want to get all you shopping done at the start of you trip - go to the Galleria.

Actually I second the Houston Museum of Natural Science - very well done, although its been a long time since I was there, it has probably got better.

Thanks - some good suggestions there! Will look into the Museum of Natural Science. NASA has come recommended from others too.

Galleria may also get done too, along with the Highland Village, which IIRC is a little further in along Westheimer.

The key thing is that we are child free :D

Space center is horrific and even more horrific if you're child free. Don't go there. Honestly Houston has amazing museums and that place gives people the impression Houston has no culture

Museum of natural science is great but full of children.

Nearby in the museum district is the MFAH. It's world class. And best of all, Thursdays are free days. The website has a listing of exhibitions. Then hop museums from there, like the CAM, Menil, Center for Photography.

I'd also recommend the Rothko Chapel if you're into meditation and one of Rothko's last works.

Otherwise I'd just hop from bbq place to bbq place, taste what ribs and brisket are supposed to taste like, and meet your friends at an ice house or something.

Also Chase tower (the really square tall basic one) has a free observation deck on the top floor that gives you a cool view west, go around dusk.

St. Arnolds brewery has tours.

Oh and if you're near rice/med center and early risers, you MUST do the james turrell skyspace http://skyspace.rice.edu/

Galveston is actually a really beautiful town with amazing architecture but it's boring if you're not going to hang out on the beach.

I'm surprised to hear that. I found it quite interesting. It's far more of a working lab than the (more touristy) centre in Florida.

correct in that houston is the r.d. base and i liked that, but i found it to be super hokey and disappointing in 2013. when did you go? i heard that it was amazing back when but i also remember that the feds winded down that base a few years ago and a lot has changed. interesting cause i'd love to visit nasa in the florida cape but i really do not suggest the nasa houston thing based on what i saw.

if one wants a day to kill and appreciates museums i'd suggest museum district. plus it's all mostly free. and again thursday is a free day at MFAH, a $15/person bonus. and then have lunch or a boozy brunch at natachees. but i'm a hipster and i have no idea what the op likes so yeah take my word with a grain of salt.

If I were in Houston, the first (and possibly only place) I'd stop is Natachee's Supper 'n Punch.