HOUSTON TEXAS
Houston, also known as Space City, USA or the Bayou City, is the
largest city in the Lone Star State, and the fourth largest city in the
United States. With a population of about 4.8 million people sprawled
over 8,778 square miles, there are activities and amenities to satisfy
even the most discriminating tourist. Besides, Houstonians eat our
more than residents of any other city, so your palate will never be
bored. As some of Houston's most frequent visitors, here are our top
ten reasons to visit Houston.
NASA
Space Center Houston
1601 NASA Parkway
Houston, Texas 77058
Telephone: 281-244-2100
Open Daily
Space Center Houston is the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's official visitor's center for the Johnson Space Center. It
is located in Clear Lake, approximately twenty-five miles south of
downtown Houston. Features are an actual spacecraft, state-of-the-art
flight simulators, a guided tram tour of the NASA facility and Mission
Control, ENGINEER IT! which is a 5,000 square foot exhibit where you
can design and test boats, buildings, bridges, windmills, and
airplanes, and a four hour Level 6 Tour that takes you behind the
scenes to see what astronauts see and eat.
HOUSTON MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE
One Hermann Circle Drive
Houston, Texas 77030
Telephone: 713-639-4629
Open Daily
As one of the most heavily attended museums in the United States,
this museum features the Wortham IMAX Theatre, the George
Observatory, the Cockrell Butterfly Center, the Burke Baker
Planetarium, the Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals, a Paleontology
Hall, the interactive WeissEnergy Hall, and the Strake Hall of
Malacology. It houses four floors of permanent exhibits and the best
display-quality collection of minerals in the world.
HOUSTON ZOO
1513 North MacGregor
Houston, Texas 77030
Telephone: 713-533-6500
Open Daily
Founded in 1922, this fifty-five acre zoo is called home by 3,100 exotic
animals. It is a leader among zoos, as an example of conservation and
preservation of threatened wildlife. The animals range from
amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles, and are contained in
their natural settings. The John P. McGovern Children's Zoo recreates
Texas' six eco-systems, which are city, forest, coastal, prairie, desert,
and farm. The Wildlife Carousel is hand-carved and hand-painted.
THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON
1001 Bissonnet Street
Houston, Texas 77005
Telephone: 713-639-7300
Open: Tuesday - Sunday
Known as the largest art museum in the Southwest and the sixth
largest museum in the United States, the Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston consists of the Caroline Weiss Law Building, the Audrey
Jones beck Building, the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Rienzi,
the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, the Glassell School
of Art, the Hirsch Library, and eighteen acres of public gardens. It
houses more that 45,000 artworks ranging in time from antiquity to the
present, with all major civilizations being represented. In addition,
more than thirty exhibits are changed
yearly. The Hirsch Library is one of the largest art reference libraries in
the Southwest.
SIX FLAGS ASTROWORLD/WATERWORLD
9001 Kirby Drive
Houston, Texas 77054
Telephone: 713-799-1234
Open Daily: March - October
Thrills are unlimited in this seventy-eight acre, thirty-three ride, nine
roller coaster, four miles of track theme park. It features Diablo Falls,
known as the tallest water ride in the world, where boasts spin and
whirl through drops and twists while water blasts into the air. Another
favorite is SWAT, a one-of-a-kind ride, in which riders fly up to swat the
sky and then dive back down to earth while being pulled 360 degrees
forward. New in 2005, is the Tornado, which places riders seventy-five
feet in the air and descends a 132 foot long tunnel into an open ended
funnel. Each month the park also features special shows, concerts
and events.
HOUSTON SYMPHONY
615 Louisiana Street
Houston, Texas 77002
Telephone: 713-224-7575
The Houston Symphony is one of the United States' oldest performing
arts organizations and one of the top orchestras in the world. Each
season it performs more than 170 concerts, ranging from classical to
pops. It is presently under its fifteenth musical director, Hans Graf.
Since 1949, commercial recordings of the symphony have been
available under prestigious labels.
FORBIDDEN GARDENS
23500 Franz Roads
Katy, Texas 77493
Telephone: 281-347-8000
Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Located only a short distance from Houston, this outdoor museum
replicates scenes from ancient China's history and culture. There is a
replica of China's first Emperor's 6,000 piece terra-cotta army from the
third century BC, also known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Then,
there is the 40,000 square foot replica of the Forbidden City in Beijing,
with its intricate display of palaces. Finally, the Lodge of the Calming
Heart, the Weapons Room, and the Architecture Room each replicate
significant places in China during this period.
THE GALLERIA
5085 Westheimer Road
Houston, Texas 77056
Telephone: 713-622-0663
Open Daily
With more than 375 retail stores and restaurants, an ice skating rink,
two high rise hotels, three office towers, and anchor stores that include
Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Foley's, Lord &Taylor, and
Nordstrom's, the Galleria is Houston's number one shopping
destination. It is the fifth largest mall in the United States with 2.4
million square feet of retail space, and provides world class shopping
beneath beautiful glass atriums. There is a huge food court, as well as
fine dining available. You can find anything and everything at the
Galleria.
JOHN P. MCGOVERN MUSEUM OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCE
1515 Hermann Drive
Houston, Texas
Telephone: 713-521-1514
Open Daily
This museum is one of less than ten museums in the United States
that focuses on health education, and is the most visited health
museum in the United States. An interactive tour of the human body is
provided by the Jim Hickox Body Pavilion through the use of large
sculptures of human organs, the brain, the mouth, and the ribcage.
There are also live theater productions, videos, and hands-on science
demonstrations.
MOODY GARDENS
One Hope Boulevard
Galveston, Texas 77554
Telephone: 800-582-4673
Open Daily
Worth the trip one hour from downtown Houston to Galveston Beach, is
spectacular Moody Gardens. It features three pyramids:
- a two story Aquarium Pyramid which explores marine life from the
North Pacific, South Pacific, South Atlantic, and Carribbean;
- a ten story Rainforest Pyramid with tropical plants and exotic fish and
birds from Africa, Asia, and the Americas; and- a Discovery Pyramid
which contains traveling exhibits and interactive science experiments.
Moody gardens also has an IMAX 3D Theater, a Ridefilm Theater, and
a beautiful white sand beach.
 | |  | |  | |  |
FAMILY TRAVEL FUN
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |