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Welcome to Houston, Texas, the second biggest state in the United States (only Alaska is bigger). Here the average temperature is 68, the average age is 31, and the state motto is, that's right, Friendship. To help you enjoy your stay here, we've provided some information on hotels, restaurants, entertainment, the arts, and shopping. We'll give you the local tour and help you decide where to take yourself, your client, or your family to dinner. Enjoy. Fun FactsThe lightning whelk is the official state shell of Texas
The King Ranch in Texas covers an area larger than the state of Rhode Island
Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center offers more than a million square feet of rentable space. | Your Itinerary If You Have Two Hours
Zoo Boo, Houston’s largest Halloween celebration, brews up a beastly good time with feasts and frights over two fall weekends — October 18–19 and 25–26 — during regular zoo hours. Tame your little goblins with safe “Trunk-or-Treating” and games with a naturally wild twist. Enjoy Halloween-themed Keeper Chats, take a whirl on the Scareousel, decorate your own pumpkin, and watch ghostly magic acts. Spooooky! houstonzoo.org
If You Have 2 Days
Many people don’t realize how essential water is to our daily lives. FlowWorks, one of five new permanent exhibits at the Children’s Museum of Houston, dives into the properties of water, exploring waves, vortices, rapids, and hydropower, which accounts for 83 percent of renewable energy capacity in the United States. Spectators can act as engineers and plumbers, inspecting, operating, and maintaining parts of the show cmhouston.org
If You Have a Long Weekend
Math adds up to fun in Moneyville, a new exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Houston. Kids can create their own loot, thwart counterfeiters, and see what a million dollars looks like. (Through January 5.) After exploring the exhibit, scare up a ghoulishly great time when magic and mystery transform part of the museum into a Halloween Mansion October 16–31. For the kids’ Monster Mash Bash on October 31, the museum stays open till 8 p.m. Groove to the beat in your costume while enjoying the fang-tastic sounds of DJ Beetlejuice, and prepare to be shocked when you unravel the mysteries of static electricity in the hair-raising Science Station. cmhouston.org | Convention & Visitor's BureauGreater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
901 Bagby, Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77002
800.4.HOUSTON
visithoustontexas.com |
Local FlavorMake the food tantalizing and surroundings awe-inspiring, and they will come. That’s been Michael Cordúa’s successful formula at Americas in The Woodlands. Beware: the plantain-crusted chicken with spicy black bean sauce is hard to resist. 21 Waterway Ave., The Woodlands, 281.367.1492; restauranteur.com/Americas
At Rouge, there’s a new chef (Octavio), a new owner, and a new attitude. So despite the name, they’ve switched from French specialties to American cuisine, and livened up the sedate atmosphere somewhat. Among the best options: grilled snapper topped with squash puree and shrimp-roasted potatoes. 812 Westheimer Ave., 713.520.7955; rougehouston.com
Having seen the world, Jerry Lasco, a former Continental pilot, now lets his love of wine take flight with three Tasting Room bars. Choose among 200 wines plus Texas artisan cheeses and sausages at Uptown and River Oaks — or head to the Gray address on Wednesdays for Bucket-O-Beer night. No snobs allowed! 1101-18 Uptown Park Blvd., 713.993.9800; 114 Gray St., 713.528.6402; 2409 West Alabama St., 713.526.2242; tastingroomwines.com.
— Michele Meyer
Photographs: Getty Images (building); Courtesy of Houston Zoo (orangutan)
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