jpmgp5

I am taking my daughter to see Taylor Swift at the Reliant Staduim in March - I would love your advice on what hotels to stay in and what do to while we are there! This forum is my go to guide for all our travels!

volcanogirl

Oh, are you guys going to the rodeo? The weather should be nice for you in March. The rodeo is paired with a huge carnival, so if that interests you, plan to ride the rides. Our favorite is the huge Ferris wheel.

Houston has some great museums; we're members of the Museum of Fine Arts, and it's really nice and gets lots of good touring exhibits. The Museum of Natural Science is fun to explore and has one of those interactive butterfly exhibits you can walk through, IMAX theater, etc. The zoo is also nearby. If you like shopping, The Galleria is huge and also has an ice skating rink. The Cheesecake Factory is a fun place to eat.

Closer down near the water is NASA. Kemah is nearby. We like to go sailing on the Captain Kidd and then eat on the boardwalk. This area was hit by Hurricane Ike, but several of the restaurants are already back up and running again. Galveston is also fun for a day - shop on the Strand and head to Moody Gardens. Moody Gardens is really fun and has an aquarium, 3-D IMAX theater, penguins, white sand beach, paddle wheel boat - really quite a lot to do there. We also like to go to the beach and fly kites.

If you like live theater, check out Jones Hall, The Alley, or The Wortham.

For sports, the Astros and Rockets are always fun to watch; Houston's stadiums are all new and very nice. Just have to check the schedule and see who is in town.

volcanogirl

Here are a couple of good websites for restaurants, etc.

www.b4-u-eat.com
www.houston.citysearch.com

seashell

Jpmgp5 - Will you be flying in to town or driving? Either way, for four days, you will need a car. There aren't many nice hotels around the Reliant Stadium and I'm not familiar with anything downtown. Hopefully someone can give you a nice recommendation. The Galleria area is a good option. Many nice hotels, shopping, etc. The traffic can be horrendous though. Wherever you decide to stay, you might want to check out the rodeo website (hlsr.com) to check out Park and Ride locations for the day of the concert. They are much easier than trying to find parking near the stadium. As Volcanogirl mentioned, there is a carnival that will take up all of the parking at the stadium. Enjoy your stay!

jpmgp5

We will be flying in and I had thought about renting a car - we are flying into Bush International - mid morning so I am hoping the traffic won't be too bad at that time -

volcanogirl

I agree that you should definitely rent a car. Houston is huge - you can drive for an hour and still be in it. The Galleria area is a nice area to stay in. The area around Reliant Stadium is not the nicest part of town, sort of run down.

seashell

If you are flying into Bush you really will need a rental car. Houston is not known for it's public transportation. And traffic is a hard thing to judge here. One accident and you can be sitting in traffic at any time of the day. I would suggest taking Hwy 59 from the airport to whichever location that you decide. If you decide on a location downtown, check for access to the metro rail. It will take you by the museums, zoo, park, etc. and to the Reliant Stadium. But from what I've heard, there's not much to do in the evenings. You may want to look at Travelocity or similiar sites for locations in the Galleria area and downtown and find something in your budget and go from there. There are a million great restaurants throughout the city.

volcanogirl

I'm not sure what your budget is, but there's a J W Marriott right by the Galleria that would be in a good safe location with lots to do in the area. Close to the Loop, so would be easy to get where you need to be. You can encounter terrible traffic anywhere in Houston, any time of day unfortunately, but then again you could get lucky!

Like Seashell said Houston has wonderful restaurants. We're probably best known for barbecue and Mexican food, but you can get just about any ethnicity of food you would like. If you want something posh, we love Mark's; it's a neat little restaurant built in an old church. Yia-Yia Mary's is good for Greek food; Niko Nikos is popular too. Kenny and Ziggy's is a good deli. Cafe Adobe on Westheimer has a fun outdoor patio where you can get Mexican food. We like Pappas Barbecue, but Goode Company is probably the best known. Your daughter might like to go to Crave for cupcakes.

dfr4848

I'll just add to some of the good suggestions given above.

Hotels during the Rodeo fill up fast so you may not be able to be real choosy. You probably want to avoid trying to drive to the concert - can be a nightmare. As mentioned there are shuttles which run from all over town. I'd try and find a hotel near one of the 5 shuttle locations. Check out www.hlrs.com and click on "Event and Parking Information" for shuttle route details.

Our public transportation does stink, BUT there is light rail from downtown through the Museum District and the Medical Center to Reliant Stadium which is very nice and easy to use. So the hotels downtown, Medical Center and the Museum District would be good options. As mentioned the Galleria area is also a good choice. If you get a hotel in the Museum District (such as the Za Za Hotel - really nice) you also have easy, walkable access to some museums like the Museum of Natural Science and Cockrell Butterfly Center, Museum of Fine Arts, Contemporary Arts Museum, the Zoo, etc as well as to rail access to the concert.

stumpworks73

If you are looking for mid-price Galleria, the Hampton Inn is a good choice. Well managed, clean and safe. Several others in that price range in the neighborhood, but I prefer the Hampton.

The Galleria Mall is Houston's finest. The main attraction in the area.

If you are into outlet shopping the mall at Katy is one of the largest anywhere.

You should have great fun. Houston is always enjoyable.

volcanogirl

We always ride the shuttle bus to the rodeo; they run things really smoothly. I agree that you don't want to try to park at the rodeo. You'll have to wait in a long line afterwards to get the shuttle back, but it moves fairly quickly.

Rich

We have stayed at the Lancaster HOtel a few times . . Downtown within walking distance to the Metro Rail line.

Nice rooms and a great Bistro

http://www.thelancaster.com/

Rich

Map of the Metro Rail line if yoiu are interested

http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/RailSched.aspx

volcanogirl

We've stayed at the Lancaster too and enjoyed it; it's a neat old historical hotel. If you want to spend $, La Colombe D'or is a really nice place to stay and something uniquely Houston; we like to stay in both those spots for special occasions. If not, there are a lot of La Quintas and things like that around too.

jpmgp5

Thanks, this is great - my daughter is so excited!

volcanogirl

Hotel Zaza was a great suggestion. I just read a review of it in Southern Living, and they raved about it. Looks very hip and fun for a teen. Let us know how it goes. Hope your trip is wonderful.