the biggest shopping area in houston is a place called the galleria. i imagine you could get a shuttle from the airport to there. there are a few hotels in the galleria--you could line up another shuttle back to the airport.

Galleria or Space Center Houston is the Official Visitors Center of NASA's Johnson Space Center, which is the home of astronaut training and Mission Control.

www.spacecenter.org all kinds of cool stuff even moon rocks

my fav taxi or supershuttle.com IAH...

Have fun,

Both the Galleria (43 km from IAH) and the Space Center (75 km away) sound great, but they're both so far away (maybe not by Texas standards). Is there anything recommendable that's closer?

I would check into the transportation by bus from the airport to downtown. I think you could do that quickly and cheaply. Then you could take the metro train line out to the museum district area to see some museums. Unfortunately the IAH is on the far north side of Houston and there is not much close to it.

IAH is on the northwest outskirts of Houston and not close to the city at all. Houston itself is physically one of the largest cities in the United States. The ride to downtown will take about 1/2 hr to 40 minutes and will cost a set fee on the taxi. Buses are slow and unreliable - this is car culture and public transport is not a viable option. To get to IAH by 7:30 pm, you need to leave early (615-630 pm).

Could you really have not scheduled a better connection than this for two flights that are not transoceanic?

The answer is that I couldn't book a better flight at any reasonable cost.

You might try a taxi to The Woodlands mall. Very nice shopping and restaurants about 30 minutes north of the airport.

If your bags will be checked through, that makes life easier. There are ways to make do, but you need to be willing to shed some cash on transport. The Houston Museum of Fine Arts is the centerpiece of the city's Museum district and here's info on that area:

http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/default.asp?id=1

To be kind, it is NOT close to IAH, so act accordingly.

Are all of these places going to be open On New Year's Day?

IAH is on the northeast side of Houston. Also here is a link to the bus, but I doubt they will be running on New Year's Day: http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/Pdfs/102-iah.pdf. I do think the museums will be open, but renting a car for the day might be your best option.

I just re-checked the bus schedule. It says online that the buses will run on a Sunday schedule on New Year's Day. So it might just be possible for you to take the bus from IAH to the downtown station. Then you could catch the light rail to the museum district and visit a museum or two. Then do the reverse heading back to IAH. I know someone who does this who lives in the museum district whenever they travel.

I have been checking all along whether possible candidates are open on New Year's Day. Most are, but a few are not.

Thanks for the bus schedule, kkukura.

Deerbrook Mall is about 5 miles away from the airport. Does anyone know if it's a good mall?

My brother and sister-in-law live close to Deerbrook Mall. They like it a lot! It will be difficult to do much up in that part of Houston. Houston is very spread out and getting around is best with a car. Houston is nice to live in, but not the best for being a tourist since everything is spread over 50+ miles!

I should follow up. We were perfectly happy hanging out at Deerbrook Mall from 12 to 5:30, and then heading next door to Barnes & Noble until 7, and then getting a cab back to the airport. Maybe Texas natives underestimate the thrill for Canadians of going to an American shopping mall. I liked what little I saw of the Houston area.

Great! I am glad you enjoyed your short time in Houston. I like my city too!