Outdoor activities in Hosuton

outdoor activities in august can be a challenge--you could look into kayaking--i think there is at least one store that rents kayaks and plans trips--going to galveston can be fun if you have never wandered around. there may be a soccer game if you are a fan.

kemah boardwalk can be fun--lots of restaurants and many boats going by.

Outdoor-Houston-August is a bad combination. That city makes its own gravy from humidity and street gunk.

I disagree BigRuss. I live here and since I am a teacher I have the summer to enjoy doing things. I have found many things to enjoy about the city and yes, it can be mighty hot and humid some days, but by evening it is often bearable. I walk 2-3 miles most evenings around 7:30 and there is usually a breeze and it is not too hot by then. But I guess since I have lived here most of my life I have gotten used to the weather. (At least we can go in and cool off in the air contioning when too hot!). Things to do in Houston: 1. Waugh Bridge bats at dusk; 2. Kemah Boardwalk; 3. take in various museums in the Museum District- the corpse flower has yet to bloom at HMNS; the Contemporary Arts museum has a great exhibit right now; the Menil Collection is free and so is the Holocaust Museum; outdoor sculpture exhibit; 4. Miller Outdoor Theater; 5. Tour the San Jacinto Monument. I would also recommend, in the future, to take a boat tour down Buffalo Bayou. Someone recently vandalized and burned 2-3 of their boats so it is not going now. I have taken a historical tour of the bayou and found it interesting and it gave me a different view of Houston from the bayou level.

Another place to check out is the Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion in the Woodlands.

Our son lives in Houston and hates the summer. He hopes to make enough money to someday spend summers up north, it's hard to cool his house even with the A/C. IMHO August will not be a good time to visit Houston. When visiting our son, the only thing I want to do if it's summertime is as an above poster states, Kemah boardwalk and Galveston. We usually visit around Thanksgiving and it is very pleasant.

I believe here4u1959 lives in Houston and is just asking for ideas on things to do since they have not lived here long.

Thanks kkukura for the suggestions. I checked the Boat Tour and they are not operating at this poitn of time because the boats are vandalized.
I will try to check other suggestions.

Do you have any suggestions for Dinner to celebrate the anniversary.

What type of food are you wanting? Kemah has a nice selection of restaurants and the Boardwalk is fun. I recently ate at The Flying Dutchman and had a nice seafood dinner. Have you ever eaten at the Monument Inn by the Lynchburg Ferry? This is located on the ship channel and it is fun to watch the boats going by (you could also ride the ferry across and back). This is right by the San Jacinto Monument too. If you want to eat someplace in the Clear Lake area a couple of places for Italian that are good are Frenchie's and Villa Capri. Give me an idea of what you are looking for.

here4u, what type of food are you interested in, what is your budget, and what part of town are you thinking about? Also, are you wanting formal or casual? While there are not a lot of things to do outdoors in Houston in August, there are tons of good places to eat. Just give us some specifics.

Definitely agree with kkukura's suggestions. Also might add the Zoo is worthwhile and is next to Hermann Park which borders the Museum District. There's also Discovery Green (Park) downtown.

Agree with the comments to share what foods you like and general location. You can literally find any kind of cuisine you want and there are some very good restaurants all over, but Houston is so big it would help to narrow down the area you're thinking about.

http://www.b4-u-eat.com/ is a good link to local restaurants. You can find just about any kind of food you want in Houston - great restaurants, just depends on what you're looking for. Sailing on the Captain Kidd out of Kemah is fun, and they'll let you bring a bottle of wine on board with you. We love the Kemah Boardwalk too.

I am sorry I should have been more specific in my question regarding food.

I am looking for casual restuarant and I am looking on a moderate budget. I live in west part of the town ,but any thing within the city limits are fine .
I am ok with any type of food.

Thanks guys for all the suggestions.

Star Pizza on Norfolk St, Sparkle Burger on Dowling, Spanish Flower in the Heights, Niko Niko's on Montrose, Katz's Deli on Westheimer, Thai Spice in West U area. I like to check out the pull-out section of Thursday's paper to see what is listed for restaurants. I love to try different places all the time and I use that section as a guide. There are SO MANY places to try. Enjoy!

I like Niko Niko's, too. I think Nidda Thai on Westheimer is by far the best Thai I've had in Houston. For Mexican, try Teotihuacan, Pico's, and Tampico. Empire Cafe and Brasil, both in Montrose, are good, casual, and not expensive. Further west, and for more of a special occasion (but not terribly expensive), try Brio in City Centre (I-10 and the Beltway). It's and chain, and I wasn't expecting to like it that much, but our whole group loved it! I also like Lemon Tree for Peruvian food, and it's on the west side, too. Check all these out at b4-u-eat.com.

Crapittos is good - terrible name, but good food. Nino's is good too.

http://www.crapittos.com/

http://www.ninos-vincents.com/index.html

Also like Gravitas.

http://www.gravitasrestaurant.com/

If you want order at the counter, Pronto Cucinino is a good spot.
http://www.pronto-2-go.com/

Like mentioned above, the Kemah Boardwalk is always fun, and you can eat along the water which is nice.

Tila's is nice. http://www.tilas.com/home.html

There's also the Pappa's restaurants which are chains but usually good food.

One more - if you like Greek, check out Yia Yia Mary's

http://www.yiayiamarys.com/location/

Thanks a lot guys. You have given me a lot of options. I will check with my wife and make a decision.

I will try to vist most of them in the coming months.

Once again thanks for your suggestions

marryann, thanks for the tip on Brio; I've never heard of that one. We'll try it!

here4u, Can you post back about the nature center? I'm curious to hear about it. Happy Anniversary!

I'd think Kemah Boardwalk or Galveston would be your best bets. Galveston gets a sea breeze and walking along the seawall (or rollerblading) would be a good outdoor activity, then you could take a dip in the Gulf to cool off. You could spend the day at Schlitterbahn in Galveston as well which is outdoors.

There are plenty of good restaurants at Kemah and Galveston once you're showered and cleaned up.

I would not reccomend Schlitterbagn Galveston unless you want to be around several hundred kids at once and other things I will left unsaid. At some point being anniversary the thoughts need to come from you as far as where, organizing etc. I for one would take her to the Marriott in Woodlands and plan full weekend there, many things to do, go on boat, attend concert, walk around shops, etc. Either way I hope you find something that will be rewards and memorable to you both..good luck. !

The Woodlands area would be a wonderful choice also!

Backstreet Cafe also has a nice atmosphere. Let us know where you end up!

http://www.backstreetcafe.net/about.html

maryann, there's a Groupon today for Lemon Tree. Can you make some recommendations as to what's good there? I'm not all that familiar with Peruvian food.

Here4u1979...Some of the above options might be a bit casual for an anniversary dinner. I would second Backstreet, but would highly recommend their sister restaurant Hugo's. Both are inside the city limits.

Other moderate anniversary restos on the west side, inside 610: Shade,Rainbow lodge (can be pricy), Cafe Rebelais

Outside 610 on the west side: I would recommend Le Mistral

Definitely check www.chowhound.com. Most of the restaurants mentioned have been written up there regarding food, service etc. Also, all the restaurants I mentioned have taken good care of me when I mentioned that I was there for a special occasion or with clients so I believe their service to be quite good.

Oh, one more thing!! Your anniversary happens to fall within restaurant week in Houston. You can visit some of the top restaurants and for a set price get superb meal. Details are here: http://www.houstonrestaurantweek.com/

If this fits your pricing criteria, I would recommend Marks for an anniversary dinner. It is consistently voted one of the most romantic in Houston.

Mark's is our absolute favorite, but the OP said a casual restaurant and moderate budget. Mark's can be pretty pricey. Totally worth it though if you can swing the cost.