Houston Texas

Architecture Space a Museum District Home Grown Breweries Wine Trails and Boating 

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the US South as well as America's fourth-largest. A cosmopolitan destination and home to an energetic arts community, Houston was founded in 1836 near the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and commander at the Battle of San Jacinto, 25 miles - 40 km - east of where the city was established.

The Port and Railroad, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the city's population. In the mid-20^th century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Space Center Houston’s Level 9 tram tour consists of a behind the scenes tour to Johnson Space Center including the Historical Mission Control Center and the International Space Station Shuttle mock-up facility where astronauts receive their training.

Revival Market is a grocery store with mostly local, organic products—from meats raised down the road by the proprietor himself and displayed in the charcuterie case to produce and dairy products from Houston-area farmers.

Architecture the Bayou City is full of interesting buildings that reveal its past; throughout Downtown and the city's central core, there is an abundance of significant architecture that tells the story of this port and railroad town turned metropolis.

METRORail Light Rail provides service along 23 miles of Central Houston

The Downtown Aquarium is an underwater-themed complex features dining among several giant aquariums, shark tunnel tours, a white tiger exhibit, generous banquet facilities, a 100-foot Ferris wheel, plus fun and games.

Home Grown Breweries Texas' oldest craft brewer, Saint Arnold, makes 10 different craft brews and shows off its operation to thousands of visitors annually. Guests are able to explore the new biergarten-inspired space, sample brew in the tasting room and get a peek at the tank farm. Production began at Conroe’s Southern Star in 2008 and has been ramping up ever since. Karbach Brewing’s Sympathy for the Lager, Rodeo Clown Double IPA and Weisse Versa Wheat promise to become household names in Texas' growing craft beer movement and family-owned No Label craft brewery produces a line of ales and lagers with names like El Jefe, a German Hefeweizen, and Pale Horse,an American pale ale.   

The Bluebonnet Wine Trail offers spectacular views and award-winning wines not far from Houston. Cork This! Winery is a boutique spot specializing in custom made wines and offers half-dozen selections; experience bottling your own wine with a personally designed custom label. Bernhardt Winery produces approximately 6,000 gallons of wine each year with a Tuscan-style tasting room, which sits atop a beautiful hill overlooking endless hills and valleys. Peach Creek offers five acres of vineyards, along with a tasting room and large event pavilion. Messina Hof Winery is a 100-acre estate, of which 42 host the vineyard in Bryan, Texas. Windy Winery produces Texas Wine from Texas Grapes^©, bottling 100 percent of their products on site. Saddlehorn Winery is set on a 390-acre ranch in Burton, Texas overlooking the rolling hills of Washington County, birthplace of Texas.

Experience Urban Cowboy and Western Heritage at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The Houston Museum District is comprised of nineteen institutions and is one of the top cultural districts in the country, including the:
Asia Society Texas Center features a dynamic gallery space as well as classrooms, conference facilities, a performance theater and reception spaces.
Buffalo Soldiers Museum educates the public about the contributions of African-American soldiers by chronicling their accomplishments from the Revolutionary War to modern times.
Children's Museum of Houston is ranked as the No. 1 children's museum in the country.
Contemporary Art Museum is dedicated to presenting the best and most exciting international, national and regional art of the last 40 years.
Czech Cultural Center celebrates the culture of Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia and Silesia.
DiverseWorks is a non-profit art center dedicated to presenting new visual, performing, and literary art.
Health Museum features three-dimensional anatomy models and interactive exhibits.

Boating the Bayport Cruise Terminal is located on the Western shore of Galveston Bay, 30 minutes from downtown Houston. The state-of-the-art facility is near the Kemah Boardwalk with a 36-foot carousel, a 65-foot Ferris wheel and rides like Aviator, Boardwalk Tower and the Boardwalk Beast, a boat ride that takes you four miles into Galveston Bay at speeds up to 40 mph.