Homewood Suites By Hilton' Houston Beltway 8, TX

RE: One day stopover in Houston en route to Galveston

by H-TownJourneyman

I would suggest staying in either the Medical Center area or Downtown. This way you can take advantage of the light rail train, which is Houston's only form of mass transportation other than the bus system. It only covers a limited area though, but some highlights of the city are along its route.

Downtown there are several restaurants, lounges, and bars, especially along and just a couple of blocks from Main Street. There is not that much as far sightseeing there, some tall buidings, and a few of the older buidings that were fortunate enough not to be torn down. You can catch a performance in the Theatre District if you enjoy plays or musicals.

But your best bet is to take the train down to the Museum District, where you could spend days at the many museums and art gallerys there. Some of the better ones are the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum Of Natural Science, and the Holocaust Museum. Also right there in the area is Hermann Park, which is nice to walk around, and the Houston Zoo is located there as well.

As far as hotels, there are several in both of these locations. Not sure what your price range is, but most will run at least $90 all the way up to $200 a night. Some of the better ones are the Sam Houston Hotel, the Hyatt Regency, and the Four Seasons, all downtown. The Medical Center has a Marriott, a Hilton, and a Crowne Plaza.

As far as tours, that can also get kinda hairy because of the city's size. Most tours are of a specific location, not the whole city, which would be immpossible to do in 1 day. But Discover Houston I have heard has some decent tours. Ph # 713-222-9255.

There are many other areas of Houston to visit, but without a car, a cab would be the only other way of getting to them, and that can get kinda pricey as big as Houston is. But FYI, the Galleria area has great shopping, and NASA/Space Center Houston is great to visit, but it is about 30-45 minutes south of downtown.

Hope this will help!