3 days in Houston area ?????

Old Aug 14th, 2015, 08:39 AM
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3 days in Houston area ?????

We are from Scotland and are in our late 60's (bring on the Rolling Stones).
Spending 3 full days in Houston prior to cruise in mid April 2016.
What to do? where to go? eaterys? we are not big on museums, art galleries etc.
Should we stay in Galveston? hire a car?

Thanks
georgec34 is offline  
Old Aug 14th, 2015, 09:41 AM
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Three days in Houston and/or Galveston is a lot of time to spend there if you aren't interested in museums, art galleries, etc.

What ARE your interests? Maybe we could recommend someplace else to go (San Antonio, Fredericksburg, Austin, etc.) for those 3 days.
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Old Aug 14th, 2015, 10:07 AM
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My advice would also be to get out of Houston for those three days.
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Old Aug 14th, 2015, 12:54 PM
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Galveston is a dump. I wouldn't want to spend 3 hours there (again).
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Old Aug 14th, 2015, 02:18 PM
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I would suggest Hill Country (Austin/Fredricksburg area) which is approximately 3 hours away maybe more if flying into Hobby but likely you are coming from Bush airport.

There are some good places to eat if you stay in Houston but not keen on the area for three days.

Corpus Christi area also has some great beaches...maybe Port Aransas as well
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Old Aug 15th, 2015, 08:59 AM
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thanks all for quick response.
It does not sound as inviting as I thought,wow. WHY IS THAT???
Maybe spend the time in nice beach area with plenty of restaurants nearby. Problably have to hire a car. What attractions are drivable in one day but Don't want to spend all day behind the wheel.
Thanks 'wickedgood', the two beach area you mention, do they have restaurants etc. ????
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Old Aug 15th, 2015, 01:12 PM
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Houston is pretty much a big business center. It does have many cultural events but that does not sound like something you are interested in. A great Zoo . .

Houston has more really good restaurants than many cities in Texas . . particularly for seafood.

If the Space Center is of interest, it is in Clear Lake, about 45 minutes north of Galveston. Also nearby is Kemah, with many restaurants and entertainment.

http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/

In Galveston, the Moody Gardens has a really good aquarium:

http://www.moodygardens.com/

The Hotel Galvez is a nice place to stay and use as a home base to explore the island:

http://www.hotelgalvez.com/

The Tremont HOuse is also very nice and closer to "Downtown" Galveston.

http://www.thetremonthouse.com/

Galveston has many very nice restaurants, with seafood being the predominant specialty. We go there several time a year just to relax and enjoy good food.

Everyone has their own opinion, but I do not consider Galveston a dump . . nor do many who visit often. The beaches are not as pristine as some along the upper Gulf Coast, but can be nice in their own way

You will want a car . . the area Houston covers is vast by any standards and public transportation is still developing
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Old Aug 15th, 2015, 07:17 PM
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Rich gave you some good information. Houston has world-class museums and art galleries, but you specifically stated you weren't interested in that. Galveston has a decent beach, but mid-April is a bit early for sunbathing and swimming. (However, coming from Scotland, you could find it balmy).

What other interests do you have besides restaurants? We could certainly recommend some interesting places to go in Texas which are drivable in less than a day. And, whether you stay in Houston, Galveston or elsewhere, you are going to have to rent a car.
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Old Aug 27th, 2015, 02:32 AM
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Thanks all for your help.
We will be arriving at Bush Airport in mid April, hiring a car and driving down to Galveston area for 3/4 days. From there we hope to explore, ie, visit Houston one day, check out the rest of the island, etc
It is a few years since I last drove in US, need to get used to right hand side of road, auto transmission, US highway rules etc. Are there any particular 'road rules' just for this area???
I notice on Google maps that the toll road out of the airport is low on traffic, why is that???
What route do you recommend down to Galveston, picturesque if possible????
It appears that no car hire company has a depot at the Bayport Cruise terminal, which one is closest???
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Old Aug 27th, 2015, 06:19 AM
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Are you cruising from Bayport (in Houston) or from Galveston? That wasn't clear to me from your initial post.

To be honest, there's really nothing at Bayport. Few cruises depart from there, and the ones that do have been discontinued after 2016, which is why there are few facilities.

If you rent a car at Bush Intercontinental, you'll need to drop it somewhere else and take a taxi back to the cruise terminal. Bush airport is over 40 miles from Bayport, so it's not particularly convenient. I'd see if you can rent at Bush airport and drop off at Hobby, which is much closer to Bayport. It's a difference of a $40 taxi fare vs. a $100 taxi fare.

There's plenty to explore in the Houston/Galveston area for 3 or 4 days even if you don't like museums. I definitely recommend the space center. I also like Galveston, but the beaches there aren't great. If you want wide, soft sand beaches, you just won't find them. The closest are either in south Texas or in Alabama. The former is at least 200 miles (so over 3 hours of driving) the latter 500 miles (or over 8 hours of driving). Galveston is your best nearby option, but I don't find the drive between Houston and Galveston particularly scenic until you're almost there.
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Old Aug 27th, 2015, 08:14 AM
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Thanks Doug,
Sorry, yes sailing from Bayport
Picking up car at Bush Intercontinental and will probably drop off at Hobby and taxi to Bayport.
What about 'road rules' and the Toll road.????
Should I go via the 8 and 45. Excuse the ignorance but how do you classify your roads ie, interstate etc.????
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Old Aug 27th, 2015, 08:31 AM
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I see that we haven't been able to convince you to skip the Galveston/Houston area for some more interesting and picturesque parts of the state. I really don't know how you are going to fill that time if you aren't interested in museums (and I assume that would include the Houston Space Center that Doug recommended) and if you like great beaches because Galveston isn't one. It sounds like you just want to drive around and see picturesque areas. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen around Houston. FWIW, April is bluebonnet time in Texas and the Hill Country is particularly pretty then. That's where I spent last April and it was great!

People don't like to pay tolls, so if there is an alternate route that is free, they may choose to drive it. This may account for any reports of low traffic on the Sam Houston Tollway.

We took a cruise out of Bayport last December and you are absolutely correct that there are no car rental offices there. The closest locations will be Seabrook (Enterprise), Texas City (Avis and Budget) or Baytown (Hertz). But, as you will see, none of these are particularly close to to the Bayport Cruise Terminal and you would have to figure out a way to get to Bayport from the car rental office as I don't think any of them will shuttle you to the cruise terminal.

One option you may consider is dropping your car off at either Hobby or Bush Airports and taking the cruise line's shuttle to the cruise terminal. Last year, Princess Cruise Lines (if you are cruising with them) offered transfers from either Hobby or Bush for $24 per person. That's a great deal for 2 people from Bush but about what we paid for a taxi from Hobby. (We ordered a taxi to take us from our hotel near Hobby Airport to Bayport Cruise Terminal and, with the light Sunday traffic, the fare was $50 + tip.)
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Old Aug 27th, 2015, 09:02 AM
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Thanks Longhorn,
We just love the atmosphere/ culture/ etc. of the States
We can spend time just talking to locals, visiting completely different vistas etc.
We have suffered very poor weather this 'summer' in UK this year. ie. highs of 72f wow !!!!!
We now live in a small town in North Wales where our neighbours are 3 feet away so the expanse of US is exciting
It will be our first visit to Texas
Thanks for the cruise line shuttle idea from Hobby
what about a route to Galveston????
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Old Aug 27th, 2015, 10:25 AM
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I'm sorry, but I can't help with routes. It's been many years since I have traveled from Houston to Galveston.

Just be aware that a lot of tolls in Texas are cashless. I found out recently that it's impossible, for instance, to drive into or our of DFW airport and go north into Oklahoma unless you drive on surface streets, so I bit the bullet and rented a tollpass, but that was about $10 per day, which really adds to your costs. I don't specifically about Houston, but all the tolls in Dallas are now cashless.

This could explain the route issues you are seeing being discussed with regard to travel to Galveston.

But again, I can't help you with first-hand knowledge, and since these systems have really been developed over the past 5 years, I can't tell you specifically about the situation there. Hopefully someone else will.

Other than that, I am not sure what you mean by "road rules". People in Texas drive fast, but that's about all I know to tell you (other than to drive on the right). You will have an automatic transmission car, so that will make things a little easier since you aren't used to a left-drive vehicle.
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Old Aug 27th, 2015, 04:32 PM
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Traffic in Houston is very dependent on time of the day . . Rush hours are 6:00 to 10:00 in the mornings and 4:00 to 7:00 in the evenings.

With the road work on I 45. your best route is probably here:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1pn=Geo...2s=TX&2z=77551

There will be tolls on I-8 ( the loop ) but there are cash lanes on this portion . . you just need a stash of dollar bills with you.

If you rent from one of the major rental companies, they should be able to tell you where you can drop it off in Galveston.
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