The biggest city in the big state of Texas, Houston offers a vast number of attractions throughout its vast area (which is actually larger than the state of Maryland). Whether you’re looking for world-class museums, authentic cowboys, professional sports, or a little bit of Space, you’ll find it all on a Houston vacation.
One of Houston’s top attractions is Space Center Houston, the visitors’ center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Here you’ll learn all about NASA’s manned space flight program through exhibits, presentations and hands-on activities. You can even touch a real moon rock. The Houston Museum District is home to 18 museums, 13 of which are free. They include the renowned Menil Collection, boasting more than 15,000 pieces of art from the 20th century; the highly rated Children’s Museum of Houston; the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, featuring the only intact Byzantine frescoes in the Western Hemisphere; and the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, chronicling the contributions of African-American soldiers throughout U.S. history. Those lucky enough to visit Houston during late February and much of March can catch the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the largest such show in the world. Other diversions worth checking out on a vacation to Houston include a thriving Theater District, four professional sports teams, the beautiful Hermann Park (home to the Houston Zoo), and even two Chinatowns, a Little Saigon and a Little India (Houston has a large population of Asian immigrants).
Houston has a temperate climate. Its hottest months are July and August, both with an average high temperature of 93°F, while the coldest months is January, with an average low of 40°F. A Houston travel itinerary will most likely start at one of its two major airports: Bush Intercontinental Airport, offering nonstop service to more than 115 domestic destinations; or Hobby Airport, with nonstop service to more than 30 destinations in the U.S. Houston has a fleet of 30,000 rental cars. For more information on a vacation in Houston, log on to www.visithoustontexas.com, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau’s website.