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1- Houston Space Center
Address: 1601 Nasa Pkwy, Houston, Texas
One of Houston’s top tourist destinations is Space Center Houston, the official visitor center of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. You can walk into both the massive shuttle carrier aircraft it’s mounted on and the scale model of the space shuttle Independence in this enormous complex. You can explore a recreation of Skylab, the first space station built by the United States, and hold a moon rock inside the visitor center. Discover more about upcoming NASA missions, such as the expedition to Mars, here as well. An astronaut may even be present if you visit on a Friday at noon.
The Johnson Space Center, the location of mission control, is accessible through an open-air tram trip from the visitor center. Here, you can observe where astronauts prepare for space missions. You can view real rockets on exhibit at Rocket Park as part of this tour. There is no fee if all you want to do is visit Rocket Park. The guards will let you in if you simply drive up to the gate and let them know you want to visit this great place in Houston.
Book a Level 9 Tour to get a behind-the-scenes look at Johnson Space Center if you want to do something truly extraordinary. Along with additional locations not accessible on ordinary tours, you can see the Buoyancy Lab, ISS Mission Control, and simulation labs. There’s even a chance you’ll run across an astronaut. Only 12 tickets per day are available for this unique, four to five-hour VIP tour, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event. You can visit the Space Center Houston for free with the purchase of this ticket before the tours begin there.
2- Houston’s Museum District
Address: 1001 Bissonnet Street, Houston, Texas
19 museums are located in the stunning downtown neighborhood known as the Museum District, one of Houston’s top cultural destinations and great places to visit in Houston. Public access is offered for eleven of these. Highlights include the Holocaust Museum, the Menil Collection, the Children’s Museum of Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Along with the Houston Zoo and the Miller Outdoor Theatre, the magnificent Hermann Park is also nearby.
The Menil and the Rothko Chapel are a little further away from one another than most of the museums, which are all easily accessible on foot. There are several museums in Houston that are open to the public without charge, including The Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Lawndale Art Center, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Moody Center for the Arts, and the Houston Center for Photography.
3- Houston Zoo
Address: 6200 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, Texas
The Houston Zoo, which is located in Hermann Park and spans an area of 55 acres, is typically considered to be among the most attractive tourist destinations in the city by both Houstonians and those who are just passing through.
The zoo is a great place to visit in Houston and is host to more than 6,000 native and non-native animals, and it also features an education center and a zoo specifically designed for children. A few of the highlights are getting to feed the giraffes, getting to get up close and personal with the marine creatures in the aquarium, and seeing the sea lions and otters play about.
Hermann Park encloses a number of important tourist destinations, including the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Miller Outdoor Theatre, and the Japanese Garden, to name just a few of them. A ride on a paddle boat around McGovern Lake or a walk along one of the park’s many walking trails are two other enjoyable ways to spend time in the park.
4- Buffalo Bayou Park
Address: 1800 Allen Pkwy &, Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77019, United States
The placid waters of Buffalo Bayou serve as the park’s focal point and are part of the gorgeous Buffalo Bayou Park, which spans a total area of 160 acres and runs through the middle of the city. This urban park features a variety of amenities, including extensive walking and bike paths, a dog park, sculptures, and a wealth of shaded spots in which visitors can unwind.
If you are seeking exciting things to do in Houston, especially if you want to get outside, renting a kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard and paddling down the bayou is a great option for you to consider. At the park, you may choose from a variety of trips that last anywhere between one and three hours, and you can even rent equipment there. In a similar vein, guided bike tours can also be arranged through various outfitters located within the city.
The Cistern is undoubtedly one of the most captivating locations in all of Buffalo Bayou Park to check out, which was originally built in 1926 as an underground reservoir for drinking water but is now used to display rotating art exhibits. Today, guests have the opportunity to participate in a brief guided tour.
In addition, the park is the location of a sizable colony of Mexican free-tailed bats, which may be found living on the Waugh Drive Bridge. Every evening at dusk, there are approximately 250,000 of them who take flight from the bridge.
5- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Address: NRG Pkwy, Houston, TX 77054, United States
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which occurs in either February or March, is the city’s most important and well-attended annual event. It lasts 19 days and is loaded with entertainment. If you happen to be in the area during this time, you are in luck, and if you’ve been thinking about when to visit Houston, now might be the ideal time to make travel arrangements. A good time is guaranteed for everyone in the family at this event, which features more than simply a rodeo and a livestock show.
The variety of activities may pleasantly surprise you if this is your first time attending such an event. There are tonns of things to do in the surrounding region that will keep you entertained for a significant portion of your stay, including food kiosks, carnival rides, and video games. You will need tickets to the rodeo events, where you may watch the cowboys display their prowess in a number of disciplines. Some of the most well-known musicians take the stage in the evening. In order to purchase tickets, check out the concert schedule in advance.
If you can only stay for one day at this amazing event, spend the morning or afternoon exploring the grounds and taking in the carnival, then head to the livestock show to see some of the best farm animals on display, watch a rodeo event or two to watch the cowboys in action, and spend the evening at a concert. The Downtown Rodeo Parade is an additional event that should not be missed.
6- Holocaust Museum Houston
Address: 5401 Caroline Street, Houston, Texas
A reflective trip to the Holocaust Museum might serve as a sobering reminder of the unfathomable evil that one human being is capable of inflicting on another human being. Since it first opened its doors in 1996, the museum has been using its exhibits to educate visitors about the Holocaust that occurred during World War II.
The museum reopened in 2019 following a significant renovation and expansion that cost thirty million dollars. At its current size of 57,000 square feet, the Holocaust Museum Houston is twice as large as it used to be. It also features an indoor theater with 187 seats, an outdoor amphitheater with 175 seats, and a café.
The intelligent presentation of interesting stories from survivors together with exhibits is done in a way that is both fascinating and thought stimulating and is spread across four separate galleries. The museum contains an authentic railcar that was utilized in the process of transporting victims, as well as a Dutch fishing boat that was utilized in the process of transporting escapees. A revolving roster of rotating temporary exhibits is showcased in the museum’s two other galleries.
7- iFly
Address: 9540 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77055, USA
If you want to experience the rush of freefall that comes with skydiving, you may do it without having to put on a parachute or board a plane. iFly is a facility in Houston that offers specially built indoor skydiving for both children and adults so that people of all ages may learn the motions and experience the sensation in a setting that is both safe and under control. The flight chamber is essentially an extremely powerful wind tunnel that is inverted and vertical.
In no time whatsoever, you will be able to turn your dream of flying into reality under the watchful eye of a certified team of tandem skydiving instructors. After receiving some basic instruction and being inspired, you will be ready to take the plunge. A flying suit, a helmet, and protective eyewear are among the items that make up the special gear.
Diamond Exchange Houston
Address: 4306 Yoakum Blvd #305 A, Houston, TX 77006, USA
Last but not least, we have to include the famous Diamond Exchange Houston :). We would love for visitors of Houston, TX to want to come and check out our jewelry store for all of their diamond and jewelry needs. The Diamond Exchange is a wholesale diamond dealer located near downtown. We specialize in engagement rings, wholesale diamonds, and custom jewelry.
Customers visit Diamond Exchange to get the very best deals on diamond rings, earrings, and custom engagement rings. We have a very personal and one-on-one approach when we work with customers. We are known for our amazing prices on loose diamonds including GIA Certified diamonds and Lab-Grown diamonds. We do have a large selection on jewelry store in Houston, however, we also specialize in custom work and we can source diamonds from all over the world.
Diamond Exchange Houston is also a place to sell unwanted diamonds, rings, and jewelry. We are aggressive diamond buyers and we also offer jewelry appraisals and a jewelry consignment program. We are truly a one-stop-shop for all of your diamond jewelry needs.
Final Reflections
Hopefully you learned about some new great places to visit in Houston. The city of Houston features an interesting assortment of metropolitan settings that are infused with American culture and history. Although the name of the city has a strong connection to the pioneering achievements of manned space flight, there is a great deal of historical and contemporary sites to see right here on Earth. It is a sanctuary to some of the world’s finest museums, and it even has an urban park that is brimming with age-old structures that have been meticulously kept. Houston has some amazing attractions and this article could be pages and pages long if we had to name all of the wonderful establishments it has to offer.
