Repooc17

+1.

nk15

These are great suggestions, but your best option is to get a hotel and sleep.

tx_wiingman

This is way off. It’s a 45 minute drive each way without traffic. 2 hour round trip MAX unless you are choosing to go at the absolute height of rush hour.

As a matter of fact, getting to the Woodlands area at rush hour can be worse than NASA from IAH.

zdcatc12

And now becoming a Southeastern US thing!!!

Return2flight

Hahaha! I was planning to look it up once I finished the thread. Who knows? I like weird stuff and while I appreciate all the suggestions about NASA, been there done that. I’m a total nerd with actual astrophysicists as friends . NB:I am not as smart as they are

Return2flight

Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate you taking the time to point me in so many fun directions.

The trip isn’t for a bit so I am open to all your knowledge. Will make sure to come back to this thread with a trip report.

M60_to_LGA

I used to go to Houston for work a fair bit. I used to take the bus from IAH to downtown, which stopped about a block away from my office; it took about an hour. A cab would obviously cost more but should be faster. There are some good restaurants and bars downtown, but not much else.

From downtown you can easily get to the museum district on their light rail if you want.

The issue with Houston is there isn't really an attractive area with a concentration of things to do and see, where you might want to hang out and people watch for a few hours. You're mostly looking at one or two interesting destinations in a sea of bland, American sprawl. Downtown is actually surprisingly walkable, but other than some good places to eat and drink, I can't really think of anything unique to do there. I guess it beats all day at the airport, though.

bkramt1

Not mentioned yet, is the construction at the airport. The congestion is not too bad during the day but gets very bad 5-7pm. A solution is to think about using Terminal B, rather than C/D/E. An idea I had was maybe Old Town Spring. If you time it right, Corkscrew BBQ is right there, as well as some stores, bars. It's not too far away from the airport area. If you made it to the Heights, you could hop around some microbreweries and maybe visit the Beer Can Museum.

Collierkr

i gave worse case which is what one should plan for with this adventure. Both of our profiles indicate we are Houston based so won’t debate who is more correct. Getting around houston is difficult for sure!

VRFast

Or lunch at the original El Tiempo Cantina on Richmond Ave, if you like Tex-Mex and/or Margaritas. 20-30 minute ride from IAH.

physioprof

The arboretum is awesome for a couple hour walk!

mechteach

I recommend an Uber, not a car rental, if this is chosen! They do not water down their margaritas.... :-)

anneok

This year's award ticket redemption has been awful!! I do not live by any airline hub so it is always a short flight from my home airport to the hub. I have not been able to find anything with 3-4 hr layover in IAH like I used in the previous summer. So now I have to settle down with 16 hr layover in IAH before the next EVA Air flight to Taipei (business class) and then to SGN (business class also).

I arrive to IAH around 8:30 am. Should my 8-yr old daughter and I just stay in United Polaris lounge until close (9 pm)? My long haul flight is at 1 am. Or should I get a hotel? I know Polaris lounge is very good so I want to take advantage of that also.

Any advice is appreciated.

atsak

That's a long day in the same place for an 8 year old. An inexpensive hotel near the airport with a pool might be a better choice IMO, there's several there that probably offer a day rate.

Oh - also - I forgot to mention - the Childrens museum in Houston entertained our kids (who were 12, 9 and 5 at the time) for many hours. You may want to consider that as well to keep the 8 year old busy.

Repooc17

Polaris lounge maybe a good for a couple of hours but a full day+? Go get a room to rest and relax, go enjoy the city, or even do a mileage run in between.