Day Trips from Houston
 

Hi All - Looking for recommendations for a good day trip out of Houston to see some of the Texas country, eat some good BBQ, and just get out of the big city. We'll be there for four days in January for a wedding and don't want to spend all of our time in Houston proper. Thanks!

Consider driving the state roads over to Austin for a day trip. Austin has excellent barbecue. Depending on the day of your visit, you could find a music event to attend.

I love Austin--a great place to visit--but it is three hours away, so that makes for a very long day if you don't plan to spend the night. Kate, what day of the week were you thinking about making a day trip? You might tour NASA--that's sort of a day trip. Otherwise, we have tons of good restaurants and also wonderful museums.

we did Galveston as a day trip. Walked on the beach, visited the Bishop's house (I think?), shopped a bit. It was nice.

Yes, NASA and Galveston (visit the Strand, old mansions, Moody Gardens, etc).

Or the painted churches in Schulenburg (along with some great food).

Or the Stark Museum, the Stark House, and Shangrla Nature Center and Preserve in Orange (some rather amazing art collections and nature center) [www.starkmuseum.org].

Check out how limited destinations are in Galveston from the Hurricane. Most beachfront businesses are probably still not back in business.

Should have mentioned that if you do Austin that Rudy's BBQ is worth a try.

Galveston and Kemah are both nice daytrips. We had dinner at the Kemah boardwalk recently, and it seems like they're really getting everything back in order after the hurricane. NASA is nearby. In Galveston, you could go to Moody Gardens, get seafood, fly a kite on the beach if the weather is warm. Lots of historical places to tour like the Bishop's Palace, Moody Mansion, Ashton Villa, etc. Shopping on The Strand is fun.

If you can spend the night somewhere, I'd go to San Antonio for a day - tour the Alamo, take the boat tour, and eat on the River Walk. Gruene is a very cute little town too - eat at the Grist Mill on the river and shop at all the cute little shops.

Houston itself has great restaurants - lots of good barbecue and Mexican food, but also just about any ethnicity of food you could want.

I forgot to mention that we like to sail in Kemah on the Captain Kidd. They have a website. They'll let you bring food and a bottle of wine on board. We've had a couple of 75-80 degree days recently, so if the weather is nice, that's a great day.

I wanted to go to Austin, but we've booked our hotel in Houston already and can't cancel now. We have Friday free, but need to be back in Houston for rehearsal dinner that night. NASA sounds like a good bet. Are there any scenic drives to take in the area outside of Houston.

In my opinion, the most scenic thing about the Houston area is how green it is in the spring and summer. In January, it's really not that green and not that scenic. What part of town are you staying in? It's fun--and scenic-- to walk or run in the mornings around Memorial Park or Rice Univeristy or Allen Parkway/Memorial Drive. there are other parks and walking trails,
too--just need to know where you're staying.

Too bad you won't be here in March/April - that's when all the wildflowers bloom, and it's really pretty. January not so much...

College Station is about a 90 minute drive. It is home to Texas A&M University and the George Bush (41) Presidential Library. There is also a Rudy's Bar B Que there.