Houston Travel Guide
Travel guide to Houston, Texas with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Houston sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Houston Overview
Houston is the largest city in Texas, and the fourth largest in the United States, with a population of over 2 million people. One of the first things the visitor to the city notices though is just how much room there is. Everything here is spread out, using the vast spaces that are here has been second nature for so long in Texas.
The city has a particularly strong economy, with oil being its cornerstone, but with significant revenue from its port and also the aeronautics industry. The port for example is exceedingly busy, and second in the world for the amount of foreign tonnage going through it. This long standing position of commercial power has led to many of the countries major businesses setting up headquarters here, so that now only New York has more Fortune 500 companies within its city boundary.
Houston is also famous for being the heart of the country's space programme, where NASA's Mission Control and astronaut training centre are based. Mission Control coordinates and monitors all human spaceflight and as such is critically important.
The city offers so much more than is first realised by those not from the area. Culturally it is fantastic, with a vibrant theatre district and its own resident companies in every artistic discipline - a claim that only four other American cities can make. There are also a great number of places to eat, with the culturally diverse population creating many choices for the palette. This has led to Houston residents eating out more than the residents of any other American city, which is an amazing fact.
Top Houston Attractions
The Lyndon B Johnson Space Center is always popular with visitors, which is not surprising as it is one of the worlds new frontiers. It is a wonderful experience, with a shuttle simulator and many interactive exhibits, including moon rocks to handle. There are also a number of presentations showing the background to space travel, some of which are on the IMAX screen, the largest in Texas.
Shopping in Houston
As befits such a large city, shopping here is also on a huge scale. The mall dominates here, aided by the sheer scale of the city. With room to spare the city has employed it to good effect, providing huge retail experiences such as the Galleria. With almost 400 shops, restaurants and even an ice rink, this is a popular place, and absolutely enormous.
Houston Sporting Events
Professional sport is well represented here, with the Houston Texans playing in the NFL, the Astros in the baseball league and the Rockets playing basketball. In addition the Champ Car motor racing programme will be visiting Houston as part of the season long campaign.