Things To Do In Houston-April-2016

Overview of the San Jacinto state park (courtesy: Google images)

There is always plenty of stuff to do in Houston during April. Since it’s still a few days before the humid summer arrives, you can have a splendid time enjoying outdoor activities.




 A trip to the San Jacinto battleground is my recommendation. It's great for a couple, a group of rambunctious teens, or a gaggle of active adults looking for excitement, entertainment and some serious fun in H-town.

Things To Do With A Group

This month is your chance to do what every self-respecting Texan should do at least once in their life, visit the San Jacinto battleground. There is plenty to see and do. It's more than enough to keep any size group busy on a daytrip.

San Jacinto State Park

• San Jacinto Monument
• Battleship San Jacinto
• San Jacinto Battleground Site
• Crosby-Lynchburg Ferry

A ride of over 400ft to the top of the monument, that’s billed as the world's tallest war memorial , will allow you to see the entire beautiful view and serene atmosphere of the park all at once. If you’re short on time, take a quick visit to the battleship. Or try meandering around on foot or vehicle through the state park, if you like.
Here’s some other important details on the San Jacinto State Park you should know:
   Entrance Fees:

• Adult: Free 
• Child 12 Years and Under : Free 
• Group - Adult: Contact the Park

Hours:

• Open daily except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 
• Battleground 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. 
• Museum of History 9 a.m – 6 p.m. 
• Monument and Observation Floor 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

The park is conveniently located a short 35 mile jaunt from downtown Houston. It makes a nice half hour ride anytime of year. I’d put it on my list of places to visit for Saturday getaways for Houston couples.

If you found this information useful tell somebody

Link To this post!

Things To Do In Houston With CityPASS Discounts

If you are looking forward to enjoying things to do in Houston with a CityPASS. You may want 
to go about it as if you were eating an elephant.

Don't focus on the size of the job just go at it,  one piece at a time. 

It can be complicated trying to see everything in one day. The daily traffic jams that can pop-up at anytime and anywhere or the immense heat beating down on the city's concrete jungle can slow your pace.

It can leave  tourist, travelers and tough skinned locals feeling like they’re reaching the end of their rope and convincing themselves that they can’t take another day of the heat.

A good time to visit the city is in the fall during November and the months ending in "R" . That's when the shorter days and lighter humidity teams up to make the weather in H-town a lot more enjoyable. 

 It’s not just the fun stuff available to do in the great outdoors.  Everything is better in the cooler weather.

   The fall season is an ideal time to visit museums, amusement parks and other attractions in the city. We have a few insiders tips on visiting some of the must-see-places, shown below, using a Houston CityPASS :

Houston Attractions

Space Center Houston

Houston Museum of Natural Science

The Children's Museum

Health Museum

Houston Zoo

Downtown Aquarium

Kemah Boardwalk

Museum of Fine Arts

Things To Do At Houston Attractions

   Why waste valuable time standing in line to purchase tickets everywhere you go,  when you can buy a Citypass online in advance?   The discount pass is a surefire way for you and your group to see Houston on a budget.

  

 With savings ranging up to 50% off combined admission prices, it’s affordable for you to take your entire family out for a visit to the top Houston Attractions .  Plus you’ll head to the front of the line with your prepaid admission at most of the places on the list.

 Don’t fret, take your time to enjoy each attraction fully,  your passes are good for up to 9 days.  Here’s a few of the details you should know about the exciting things you can do with your CityPass-Houston.  

  Houston’s Zoo

It takes more than a just getting a deep discount to liven up things for kids. So arm yourself with some age appropriate Q and A’s and little known facts about some of the wild animals. 

This will keep the kids on their toes, it will also make them think that you are really smart. Make sure you ask them almost as many questions as they ask you. 

These are just a few ideas for Zoo clues off the top of my head.

Let them try their hand at counting just the mammals.

Playing zip that (male animal, baby animals, raptors)

Stage a photo shoot in sections of the park

Play name that species

Animal jeopardy

Don't forget its free to join our Fun In Houston club!

Don’t be embarrassed if your kids let their wild side show,  after all it is a zoological park.

 Want to know more things to do in Houston with a CityPASS or buy a pass, see our sidebar. We are planning a special guide to Houston for members of our "Fun In Houston" club. signup in the sidebar.

In the next edition of Midtownlive we will share with you some of the cool things you can do at Houston museums.

Link To this post!

Hotspots For Houston Couples To Hang Out In Midtown Houston

There seems to be more Houston couples hanging out in Midtown Houston these days. If you haven't taken your spouse there lately, we have a few hot tips on some cool things to do this week. Whether the two of you are game for some action-packed or laid back fun we have something for everyone.

The official Midtown borders starts at the Greyhound station (Pierce elevated) and extends to Sears (US 59). But since the wave of former suburbanites, seeking better access to theaters, museums, and restaurants, have moved into the area they consider everything between downtown and the Texas Medical Center (TMC) part of the neighborhood.

Here’s some of the things many couples in Houston looking for excitement, enrichment and entertainment do when they are chilling-out in Midtown.

Spending The Day In Midtown

To explore all that Midtown has to offer would take you several weeks, but you can do plenty of basic sightseeing and other stuff in one day. We favor taking a leisurely journey around the neighborhood to discover enjoyable architectural treasures, unique museums and other diversions.

Trinity Episcopal Church (Main at Holman)
It was originally founded as a mission in 1893 and for more than a century it has been a place of worship and an anchor of the community. The staff Wwll gladly allow you to tour the building during regular business hours.

Midtown Houston home with notable architecture

Greek Revival architecture, (3493 Fannin Street)
Located directly behind Trinity Church is a classic example of the type of large homes that once dominated this neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century. It has some fantastic looking columns and a huge portico and windows.



Elizabeth Baldwin Park (Elgin Street between Crawford and Chenevert Streets)
The central resting spot for locals is this quaint little greenspace. You and your mate should take a few minutes to cruise the surrounding streets, to take a look at the 21st Century homesteads. You will marvel at the freshly renovated houses and newly built townhouses and urban lofts that have sprang up since revitalization of the neighborhood began in the mid-1990’s.

Afternoon Adventures In Midtown Houston

Moving Southward down Main street you will come across the Center for Contemporary Crafts where local artisans can learn about the process, product and history of craft. Their art pieces are primarily objects of art made from fiber, glass, metal, wood and found/recycled materials.

By 2:00 pm you’ll welcome a chance to settle down a bit and take a break at the Museum of Natural Science’s IMAX theater. They use the larger than life movies and superb sound system to introduce audiences to some out of this world experiences.

Experience The Houston Nightlife

After the movie it will be time to head back to the northern section of Midtown Houston to partake of some vino and some nighttime activities. You’ll be amongst good company with other Houston couples who are present at the wine tasting going on at the Spec’s Liquors superstore (2410 Smith street) or one of the local wine bars 13 Celsuis (3000 Caroline Stree) Khon’s Wine Darts Coffee Art (2808 Milam).

Afterwards you can boogie down or listen to the groovy music by traveling a few short blocks South to The Continental Club or North to 2016 Main Stage. These are two of the hottest nightspots in town with some of the best music around.



Come and join the savvy Houston couples who spend their downtime in and around Midtown Houston, because it is a haven for popular arts organizations, romantic restaurants and bars filled with a waft of goofy charm.

Within the 300-plus city blocks that make up the area you can go from rubbing elbows with some needy Houstonians to hobnobbing at world-class museums. The neighborhood has an eclectic mix of residents, shops and businesses just waiting for you and your family to come and share your time, talent and treasure with them.

Just click one of the tags below

If you found this information useful tell somebody

Link To this post!

Top 10 Things To Do In Houston TX - March 2011

If you have some downtime, our things to do in Houston list for this weekend. March 11-13th, is worth checking out. There are so many exciting, fun things happening that we couldn’t pack them all into a Saturday and Sunday schedule. So, we are beginning our weekend on Friday.

How does that old saying go? “The early bird gets the most worms.” Wouldn't you love to worm your way into a long weekend. Here’s our list of H-towns liveliest events. It's enough to keep you busy from Friday to Sunday.

Griff's 46th Annual St. Patrick's Day Festival,
St. Patrick's Day Parade
Montrose Tour
Bats On The Bayou
Bayou Regatta
Learn To Camp
Discovery Green
Birds Walk
Big Squeeze 2011 Houston Audition
Divas Jazz Salon

TGIF in H-town

Big Squeeze 2011 Houston Auditions Auditions for the Big Squeeze, a state-wide accordion competition. It’s free but you may want to reserve a spot. Get more information: 512-441-9255.

Bats On The Bayou Waugh Bridge bat colony tours gives visitors a look from a safe distance at a huge roosting of Mexican free-tail bats. It’s an awesome sight to see them departing in search of their evening meal of pesky insects.

Divas Jazz Salon To start your Houston weekend on the right foot you can get down with the delightful sounds of Divas Jazz Salon happening at Hobby Center - Zilkha Hall.

.

St Patrick’s Day Parade Everything is tainted green this weekend as the city gets in gear for the annual St Patty’s parade. Expect to see fabulously decorated floats, charming leprechauns and shamrock green beverages flowing through the streets of Downtown Houston.

Griff's 46th Annual St. Patrick's Day Festival The annual St Paddy’s festival in Houston includes a variety of contest, including local beauties competing in a pageant for the title of queen. Other competitions scheduled during this weekend long Houston festival are: The Annual Greater Houston Irish Open Golf Tournament and a Irish Stew, Chili and Chicken Cook-Off

To unwind from a long list of things to do, visit Houston's Downtown District’s favorite greenspace. Vendors will be on hand at Discovery Green with wonderful homemade, handmade and made in Houston goods at the farmers market this weekend.

For those you have the energy you can get busy at the hoop dance session or to charge your body for the week ahead kick back on the grass and chill-lax and try counting pigeons as if they were sheep.

Link To this post!

Historical Markers In Houston

Visiting historical markers in Houston is something that can be entertaining, enlightening and enriching to do. There are many Texas Historical Markers and places on the National Register of Historic Places that dot this city’s landscape, living testaments of days gone by. There is a growing number of people that you’ll encounter from time to time seeking out the past to connect it with their future.

These historical signs are in front of houses, churches and businesses all over the area. It’s more to it than just reading the plaques. There is the potential to discover something unique and wonderful each time you stop by one of these memorable places to visit in Houston. It's just waiting to be uncovered.

Sometimes there are a few local folks that are still around that will share a few tidbits and fact about the people and places that were before and are no more, and the legacy they have left behind.




You probably pass a historical marker in Houston everyday. In Midtown Houston there are several including one marking the Houston light guard Armory. Most passersby never seem to notice the ominous building with a stellar role in Houston past. As the future home of the Buffalo Soldier Museum it’s about to get a new lease on life.

Then there is the place where the Texas army crossed Buffalo bayou on it’s way to meet Santa Anna, Teas Nursery, Jordan Grove Baptist Church and the list could go on for days. It's one of the free things to do in Houston this weekend, that can be done on the cheap, in and around your neighborhood. We have been fortunate enough to obtain a list of historical sites in Houston for our readers to download for free.

		Houston Networking To energize your career and attract more business view the top business and professional networking events in Houston.			Houston Attractions Get discounts tickets for your family or group on the exhibits and events at many of the fun places to visit in Houston.
		Midtown Houston Apts Find deals on move in specials, rebates and pricing on renting apts and lofts in Midtown and other great places in Houston.			Festivals In Houston Here is a list of the many family friendly, exciting nieghborhood and city-wide festivals that you should know about.
		Museums in Houston Located near Midtown Houston in the Museum District, there is plenty of things to see and do at any of the great museums in town.			Houston African American There are lots of events in Houston where you can experience its rich African American cultural heritage here's a look at a few of them.

Link To this post!

Romantic Things For Couples To Do In Houston

If you want some awesome things to do in Houston for a couple add these incredible events to your planner. They're a great for a date, a quick getaway or to celebrate an anniversary.

Instead of the doing the same old restaurant routine, you can have you more fun, wining and dinning by taking your, husband, wife or significant other out for any of these adventures.

Dinner Crusie
Dance and Dine
Driving a NASCAR Racer
Chartered Balloon Ride
Riding A WWII Bomber

Dinner Cruises In Houston

You'll have plenty of time for fun and games during the Murder Mystery Cruise. It's an interactive event that includes:

Two hours cruising around beautiful Clear Lake
Gourmet dinner

The excitement begins at 8:pm and last till 10:pm. The evening will be filled with plenty to drink, eat and be merry about.



Dine and Dance

Houston is a place where you can get your groove on onboard a fabulous yacht, the Fantasea, during one of the exciting R&B or Party Cruises.

You and your date will enjoy strolling and dancing on the decks, while the fresh breeze and tranquil waters soothe your mind. It's the ideal place to relax, let your hair down and dance the night away.

This enchanting experience is for couples who prefer an all-inclusive evening that is romantic and memorable.


Cocktails
Appetizers
Dancing
Live Music

NASCAR Racing Adventures In Houston

If your dream is to ride in or drive a race car? Now is a great time to make your dream come true. You can enjoy the thrill of driving at speeds only obtainable in a race car on a real race track. If you're serious about going on the most exhilarating ride of your life? There are several racing adventures in Houston:


Ride with a Racing Pro
Drive Your Car On Their Race Track
Drive One Of Their Race Cars

Hot Air Balloon Adventure

A flight in a hot air balloon in Houston will give you something to talk, brag, rant about. The gigantic, seven or eight-story tall hot air balloons are majestic and colorful and make everything below seems small.

Your hot air balloon adventure will be piloted by an experienced FAA commercially licensed crew with a chase vehicle on the ground. You'll have uncontested bragging rights once you join the ranks of the few people that have ever flown in an awesome lighter-than-air-craft. The available flights include:


Champagne Toast
1 to 1 1/2 hour Rides
30-45 minute Flight
Group flights (5 to 7 passengers)

A flight in a cozy gondola could be just the right thing to jump start an out of this world romantic interlude once your feet are back on solid ground.

B-17 Bomber Rides In Texas

Take your mate on an adventure back in time, sign them up for a ride in a WWII aircraft in Houston for a really special date.

You can ride in a B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell, T-6 Texan or other vintage planes. The Lone Star Museum offers other flights too:


PT-17 Stearman
T-6 Texan Fighter pilot trainer
B-25 Mitchell a medium-duty bomber

This nostalgic ride will be exciting, exhilarating and an extraordinary adventure in the sky that could heat up your romance.

These exotic, memorable and fun activitiesties are great for special occasions or things for couples to do on weekends.

If you dare to leave those old hang outs behind you'll never forget the time you spent doing any of these 5 fantastic, fabulous and fun adventures with someone special.

		Houston Networking To energize your career and attract more business view the top business and professional networking events in Houston.			Houston Attractions Get discounts tickets for your family or group on the exhibits and events at many of the fun places to visit in Houston.
		Midtown Houston Apts Find deals on move in specials, rebates and pricing on renting apts and lofts in Midtown and other great places in Houston.			Festivals In Houston Here is a list of the many family friendly, exciting nieghborhood and city-wide festivals that you should know about.
		Museums in Houston Located near Midtown Houston in the Museum District, there is plenty of things to see and do at any of the great museums in town.			Houston African American There are lots of events in Houston where you can experience its rich African American cultural heritage here's a look at a few of them.

Link To this post!

Things To Do In Houston: March 2010

March is when the level of fun things to do in Houston gets kicked up a notch. The weather becomes a lot more tolerable (it's never predictable) and plenty of outdoor activities in Houston are scheduled. It's a great time to enjoy and experience the Houston Rodeo, public art or just take wandering cruises through stately old Houston neighborhoods.

These are some of the surefire things that you can do with your family or group that will provide ya'll lots of fun in the sun and Springtime activities in Houston.

Rodeo In Houston

If you're planning to a trip to the Rodeo in Houston you want to make sure that you get your tickets before your tickets in advance. You can purchase tickets for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and several location around the city and the Reliant Stadium box office before the shows.

The Rodeo last about a month and it's one of the main events on the Pro Rodeo circuit and has some of the largest prizes for the cowboys. The rodeo also host the premier livestock judging event in the state. Youth in and around the Houston area bring farm animals they have raised to compete for prizes, with grand-champion winners getting college scholarships.

Two other areas where the Houston Rodeo excels is the carnival or fair that setup outside the Reliant Arena, and the Houston Rodeo Concert. These two drawing cards are the easy favorites of most visitors to the rodeo in Houston. The concerts feature some of the top Country and Western stars. The rodeo celebrates other local cultures by inviting popular R &B artist to perform shows on Black Cowboy Heritage Day and Mexican music takes center stage during Go Tejano Day Events.

Public Art

Art is everywhere you go in Houston. The museums and galleries in Houston have taken Houston art out of the box and are always pushing the envelope to expand the amount of public art in Houston. You can find works by David Adickes, Houston born artist Mel Chin, and Jean Dubuffet.

You can experience art in a variety of non-traditional settings that bring a new ambiance to old familiar places. Public art surrounds the hospitals in the Texas Medial Center. It salutes you as you past it along the walking trails, parks and train platforms.

The city of Houston has an extensive collection of art in municipal buildings that you can spend days just trying to peruse the art in downtown Houston. There's more art to be seen in the airports, at the zoo and a huge statue of Sam Houston sitting on his trusty stallion watches over the entrance to Herman Park.

Houston Neighborhoods

Houston neighborhoods were carved out forested land, marshes, swamp, and prairie land. It has neighborhoods that stretch into some or all of 10 counties. The popular residential areas were once all located near downtown they are slowly being gentrified, but you can still see examples of Victoriain homes, cottages and bungalows that were the choice of homeowners before tract homes and subdivisions took over the landscape. You can still see the last few of these fading archtechual treasures by riding through the Heights, the Museum District, Rice Village and my favorite of course, Midtown Houston.

It depends on what type of diversion you're seeking as to what neighborhood in Houston is the best place to visit. If shopping in upscale shops is your thang, go Galleria. You want a larger selection of stores Katy's got just the right mall for you or if intimate boutiques where you can be chums with the owner, you'll find lots of them in Rice Village.

One of the wonderful things about Houston is that each neighborhood is populated by people from a broad spectrum of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Every community in Houston has a diverse collection of residents and businesses. You'll find Hispanics and Mexican food anywhere you go in Houston. And somewhere nearby will be some Chinese food, Soul food, a Greek restaurants or you'll get a waft of Indian cuisine.

So cruising through a neighborhood is essential if you want to really find out where all the people are hanging out and get to know the real Houston. Don't just stay on the expressway gawking from a far. Here's what you do. Slow roll through the any hood and find a neighborhood park. Then look for a eatery where you see a nice size crowd. That's always a been my indicator of whether a place has good food and how I go about meeting peeps any place I visit.

Things To Do In Houston

The lest of your worries will be finding things to do in Houston in March. It'll be tougher deciding what to do in a city where there are so many different kinds of family-friendly entertainment and attractions.

Before you begin your trip to see public art, rodeo or Houston neighborhoods you can access some of the information online. There's a virtual tour of downtown and Google maps can give you a street level view of a lot of the communities and businesses in Houston.

Books

Art/Theater

Attractions

Parks

Link To this post!

Top 10 Things To Do In Downtown Houston

I want to share our short list of the 10 top things to do in Downtown Houston, with the hopes of saving visitors to the "Big H" a lot of time. Because it could take a couple of tanks of gas and almost a lifetime to experience all there is to see and do in this big'ol metropolis.

You are welcome to browse the tabs on this blog where you will find plenty of creative date ideas for couples, fun stuff for elders and even tots that are enjoyable for everyone from loners to loud-mouths.



What's really gives the downtown district its all around appeal is how people greet each other and even strangers on the street with warm, friendly waves and nods everyday, and not just on holidays or during special events.
Its fantastic skyline includes Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park. You will be pleasantly surprised to discover that a city of millions can still have a laid back rural atmosphere.
Unlike the suburbs that have spread their wing around outskirts of the city. There are no long blocks of vacant land separating each street. Downtown has a more urban configuration. The area is neatly designed so that a quick walk, ride on the Metrorail or jaunt on a bike will get you from place to place relatively easy.

Places To Visit In Downtown Houston

Tops on every must-visit list should be, Sam Houston Park. If you're pressed for time and can only make one stop, make a trip to see this museum/park. The park is open from dawn to dusk, however the museum hours are:
Tuesday through Saturday,
Open: 10am closes: 4pm.

The main displays are architectural samplings of Houston homes from the 19th and 20th Century.


It's worth paying extra for a docent to provide a guided tour of the houses. It will give you a better idea of what daily life was like for families living in the various communities. The fabulous antique contents, rare furnishing and houses are really unique because most of them are not replicas, but the exact homes that were once owned by a Houston doctor, a businessmen, an African American preacher and a few other notable citizens of the city. Visiting Sam Houston Park in downtown is a culturally enriching thing to do.

Buffalo Bayou Walking Trail

If you can squeeze one more stop onto your list of things to do in downtown Houston, include a short trip along the walking trails on Buffalo Bayou. What makes this trail so different from your everyday jogging/walking trail? The backdrop of the landscape is filled with modern buildings peering down on scenic paths that are filled with natural beauty and magnificent works of art standing around like sentinels waiting to be encountered on the serpentine paths of the bayou.

You'll catch more than eyeful of Houston and see it from a variety of different angle, as you journey along the 2 mile trail that spans from Bagby to Sabine Street.

If you don't make it obvious, you'll see that you are being watched by the creatures who live in and around the waters edge. There are plenty of turtles, birds darting back and forth and the occasional splash of a mullet jumping out of its watery playground to sneak a peak at you.

What's To Do In Downtown Houston

Just off the walking trail is another action packed place to visit. Bayou Place located at the edge of Downtown Houston's Theater District. It's the place to go if you want to your food, fun and excitement all under one roof. It's fabulous venues include Houston's Hard Rock Cafe, a movie Theater and plenty of other shops and restaurants where you can get your eat-on. Other attractions that we are well worth your time include:



The sidewalk cafe in front of the Main St fountain.
Fonde Recreation Center
Minute Maid Park
Discovery Green
Julia Ideson Library
Toyota Center
JP Morgan Chase Tower Observation Deck

There's lots of interesting and entertaining things to do in Houston. Don't get hung up trying to plan every little detail, go freestyle and you can still max out your fun quotient in downtown.

If you happen to be downtown and it is a cold or rainy day you can still visit many of these places by using the downtown tunnel system. You can find entrances to the tunnels through most of the businesses near the Metrorail train stops on Main street.

		Houston Networking To energize your career and attract more business view the top business and professional networking events in Houston.			Houston Attractions Get discounts tickets for your family or group on the exhibits and events at many of the fun places to visit in Houston.
		Midtown Houston Apts Find deals on move in specials, rebates and pricing on renting apts and lofts in Midtown and other great places in Houston.			Festivals In Houston Here is a list of the many family friendly, exciting nieghborhood and city-wide festivals that you should know about.
		Museums in Houston Located near Midtown Houston in the Museum District, there is plenty of things to see and do at any of the great museums in town.			Houston African American There are lots of events in Houston where you can experience its rich African American cultural heritage here's a look at a few of them.

Link To this post!