jenste98

I have a stopover in Houston for 10 hours (in July). I won't have a car, but I can take the bus or taxi if needed. Any suggestions on where I should go or something that should not be missed?

As well, I have never eaten real Southern cooking before so I'd definitely like to have a nice lunch or dinner somewhere with real Southern cooking.

maryanntex

What are you interested in? Shopping, museums, or something else? Houston will be really really hot in July, so you would need to take that into account in your planning. As far as "real Southern cooking" goes, I can't think of anywhere in Houston that would fit the bill. Houston is the most ethnically diverse city in the U.S., and has all kinds of great different ethnic restaurants, though. Mexican food is what I consider to be most authentically Houston, and there are lots of great places to find that. Houston is also really spread out, so taking a cab from stop to stop will be a pain, but can definitely be done. What time do you arrive in Houston, and what day of the week?

jenste98

The stop over is on a Saturday from 11am-9pm. But I should probably return to the airport by 7pm. If it's that hot, maybe it would be better to do things indoors, like go to a museum or a tour of the city hall.

I like walking, museums, nature, etc. It's a pity about the Southern cooking. I'll guess I'll have to try it if I ever get the chance to visit another Southern state.

Cranachin

Here is a link to the Houston CVB's listing of Soul Food restaurants.

http://www.visithoustontexas.com/res...ice=0#searchBr

You can limit the search by area of town. There are none listed for the Greenspoint/IAH area (I am assuming your stopover is at IAH).

You can also use the site to check out what is going on in Houston the day you will be there.

maryanntex

Of the restaurants on the list that Cranachin posted, this one is the only one that I might recommend. http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-breakfast-klub-houston-2 I have never been there, but it has good reviews. It's soul food, and serves only breakfast.

Look here to see what is going on in Houston as far as the arts and museums go: http://www.artshound.com/ The Museum of Fine Arts www.mfah.org and Museum of Natural Science www.hmns.org would be your best bets for museums.

Why don't you check a map of Houston and see where things are located and then post again. You might want to think about renting a car just for the day. I absolutely would do that. Public transportation in Houston is not good.

And Greenspoint (mentioned above by Cranachin)--OMG do not even think about going anywhere around there. Highest crime area in Harris County!

Clint_Acree

Iwould maybe check our the sky lobby at the JPMorgan chase Tower on the 60th floor. Great views of the city.

Also the San Jacinto monument is nice to visit. It's the world's tallest monumental column. It has an observation deck as well that offers great views of southeast Houston's Industrial complexes and oil refineries on the ship channel that give a good perspective of what drives the city.

jenste98

Thanks for the links. I'll check them out! I did not know it was called soul food. That's probably why I wasn't finding much on the internet. I can't rent a car because I don't have a license. But I think there's a bus or van from the airport that offers trips into the city.

maryanntex

Soul food is traditional southern African-American food. Not my favorite, but I have heard that The Breakfast Klub is good. The line at breakfast is always long, and I've never wanted to wait. As I mentioned before, to me, Mexican food is more authentically Houston than just about any food, but we have Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Italian, Lebanese, Salvadorean, Cuban, Chinese, Japanese, vegetarian Mexican, seafood, new American... Once you figure out to what area you'll be going, post again and I'll give you some specific suggestions. (Houston is the most "eating out" city in the country, too, and I'm one who helped make that statistic!)

jenste98

Thanks maryanntex! I'd prefer to eat somewhere that's walking distance from the Space Centre or walking distance from the airport or even within the airport itself.

So soul food is something different then, not another name for southern food. I was thinking along the lines of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn bread and grits. All the traditional stuff. But if isn't not possible, then Tex Mex would be good too.

I come from a big city so there's plenty of asian, european and middle eastern restaurants back home and it would be great to try something different. We have Mexican, but not Tex Mex so that would be great too.

kkukura

You might want to try barbecue, although down here in Clear Lake near the Space Center, I probably would recommend going out toward Kemah and trying T-Bone Tom's. It has been on Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives. It is a fun, casual restaurant. http://www.tbonetoms.com/

maryanntex

You say "walking distance." In Houston, no one walks anywhere, and this is especially true in July. You certainly can't walk anywhere from the airport. If you go to the Space Center, there might be somewhere that is a short cab ride away. kkukura would be able to tell you about distances there. I have lived in Houston for 35 years but have never been to the Space Center! By the way, it's almost 50 miles from IAH.

starrs

It's a pretty obscure idea, but we enjoyed the National Buffalo Soldiers museum. You'd have to cab it there and back - and it's pretty much a "homemade" kind of museum, but it was very interesting and I'm very glad we went. We walked there after the Princess Diana dress exhibit (no longer there) and what a contrast in exhibit. We spent more time in the BSM than we did in the PD traveling exhibit.

starrs

http://houstonmuseumdistrict.org/mus...tional-museum/

kkukura

maryanntex- Don't say you have never been to Space Center Houston! I live within a couple of miles from it. I used to have a family pass when my children were little and we would go there all the time. You really should go there once to see how the Space Industry has impacted the US, and the Houston area as well. (But, I am a teacher so I like things like this!). Where do you live in Houston?

jetset1

I am still drooling over the fantastic dinner I had with family at Taste of Texas. The salad bar alone was heaven. So worth it!

Cranachin

jenste98,

As maryanntex noted, soul food is African-American Southern food, but "Southern food" as cooked by blacks and by whites has lots of similarities (as well as a few differences). You can get fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and grits (among many other things) at either a Soul Food restaurant or a Southern Cooking restaurant.

Do any Houstonians know anything about Potatoe Patch? It is close to IAH and has mostly positive reviews on Yelp, but I have never been there. (I know more about Southern Cooking places in Austin.)

Some people might scoff, but another possibility is Cracker Barrel (there are a couple on I-45 that fit your bill: one at Exit 63, near IAH, and one at Exit 23, near NASA). Yes, it's a chain, but it IS Southern food, and most of it is very tasty (even if it's not always quite as good as what Momma and Granny make). Plenty of Southerners eat there and enjoy it (including members of my immediate and extended family). I think their blackberry cobbler is wonderful!

And just in case you are from the US outside the South and have been to a Cracker Barrel near you—it's NOT the same. CB in the South is far better (I speak from experience).

Cranachin

A couple more possibilities—

Plugging "chicken fried steak" in to the Houston CVB search engine gives the following results:

http://www.visithoustontexas.com/res...ice=0#searchBr

One of them is the Humble City Café, which is reasonably close to IAH.

The Dot Coffee Shop is on I-45 SE of downtown (on the way to NASA).


Some people will also scoff at this suggestion, but you could try Luby's if you can't find anywhere else. It's a cafeteria chain, but it is based in Houston. And they do (or at least did) have some good Southern items on the menu (I liked their chicken and dressing, for example). Kinda lacking in atmosphere, though; pleasant enough, but it IS a cafeteria. Also, I found (again, in Austin) that the quality could vary among locations. Sorry I can't help with Houston info.

travelerfromtx

Cranachin, I also thought of Cracker Barrel, but was hesitant to mention it because others will probably put it down since it's a chain. I enjoy Cracker Barrel! I always find something browsing through their store while waiting to be seated, too. My daughter loves to stock up on all the different flavored candy sticks they carry, with root beer being our favorite.

Cranachin

travelerfromtx,

I figure some people will put down Cracker Barrel because it is Cracker Barrel (it goes beyond just being a chain).

WillTravel

Jen, take a look at the suggestions I got on a similar thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...what-to-do.cfm