Hi all
Were lucky enough to be comming over to Texas in April to see Springsteen and then the next night Bon Jovi both in Dallas.

ok were flying into Houston and propose to stay there 3 days then off to Dallas for 3 days next Austin for 2 days then onto San Antonio for 3 days.

As this is a dream for us we want to see as much of the cities as possible in that time and any help would be appreciated on what to do in these cities.

Also ive sorted the Dallas hotel but the other cities i would like recommendation on areas to stay that would possibly have public transport to get into the downtown areas as i dont really fancy driving.

My wife and I are both 42 and from the UK.
Weve travelled alot in the states but have never been to this part of the US.

Thanks in advance

Ade

As far as Houston goes, the public transportation is really limited. The light rail goes through the Rice University and Medical Center area/Midtown/Downtown, but otherwise, you would probably need to rely mainly on taxis. You really should consider renting a car because Houston is very spread out. You'll be fine with driving in Houston, especially if you avoid the freeways. A few suggestions: See a baseball game. The Astros are at home on April 11 and 12, and Rice University, one of the top ranked teams in the country, is at home April 8,11,12,and 13. The weather should be good that time of year. Check out www.artshound.com for all the perforning arts activities that are going on. Houston has lots of very good but not very expensive restaurants--eating out is one of the best things about the city. You might like to tour Bayou Bend--it's beautiful in the spring--check out the details on the Museum of Fine Arts' website: www.mfah.org Most people find a tour of NASA interesting. Hope these suggestions will give you a start. What specifically do you like to do?

first of all a big thank you for your response.

Well i suppose as we only really have at most 3 days in any one city we really want to do the highlights of that city.

Could you suggest an area to start looking at hotels?

We will have a rental car so i suppose location isnt a problem.

A ball game ....... now that would be cool

Thanks

Ade

I would look for hotels either in the Galleria area, or Museum District/Rice University/Medical Center. Downtown is also a possibility.

Keep in mind that traveling distance (without traffic) will eat up parts of your days. For example driving Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas is a four-hour drive, in optimal conditions. Austin to Dallas on Interstate 35 is a three-hour drive.

In Austin I would recommend staying downtown or on South Congress - if you click on my name you will see other threads where I and other posters have recommended Austin/San Antonio activities. The bus system in Austin is very good and you can map out your routes on their web site, Capitol Metro. Priceline.com offers some good deals on Austin hotels.

In April/May the wildflowers along the highways begin to bloom so you might get to see some beautiful scenery. Have fun, Texas is a wonderful place!

thank you once again

ade

In Austin, the Lady Bird Johnson wildflower center is really interesting, and should also be really pretty in April. www.wildflower.org

My favorite restaurants in Austin are Vespaio and Jeffrey's. http://www.austinvespaio.com/
http://www.jeffreysofaustin.com/

Casual breakfast or lunch at Sweetish Hill Cafe. www.sweetishhill.com

Also, walking/running the trail around Town Lake(your hotel will have directions and a map)is a good early morning thing to do. (As is the Memorial Park and/or Rice University loop when you're in Houston. Have to burn off those calories somehow!)

There is plenty of other stuff to do in Austin. Check out other threads on fodors.

I would recommend that you see a baseball game at the Ballpark in Arlington (Rangers Ballpark - Dallas area) rather than Astros Field in Houston (formerly Enron field) because the Ballpark in Arlington is a prettier stadium (in my opinion), and since the weather is so nice in April, you will want to guarantee that you can sit outside and enjoy the weather. Houston is very fickle in that they may close the roof of their stadium even on beautiful days whereas Arlington has an open air stadium. Baseball was meant to be played outdoors, not in an indoor climate controlled stadium. By the way, I took a colleague from the UK (Scotland) to a ballgame in Arlington and he was rather impressed.

I also think that you should spend less time in Houston and more in Austin. Austin has a very tight walkable downtown and many attractions. Be sure to see 6th Street, 2nd Street District, and to eat at the many fine restaurants there. You can also plan some time to see Hill Country and all the wildflowers. The wildflowers (blue bonnets) are just wonderful that time of year.

Am I correct in stating that you will be flying between the various airports because you don't like to drive? Then you might be better off eliminating Houston altogether, unless you also plan to see Galveston, which is worth seeing.

San Antonio should definitely not be missed. You could do the Riverwalk, Alamo, Hemisphere for a great view of the city, and Sea World (if you've never been, it's quite a place to see).

Austin and San Antonio are easily done without cars. Dallas can be done but is a little harder. Houston is all but impossible without a car.

Hope you have a good time in Texas.

First off, can I come to Springsteen with you?? ;-) The Rangers are playing at home April 8 - 15. You should definitely go to a game at The Ballpark at Arlington, it doesn't get more American than that! And you can tell your friends you saw the new Cowboys Stadium while still under construction. Also, can you get over to Fort Worth while you are here?? You really should see the Stockyards and then have a drink and dinner on the rooftop of Reata. I would give up a day in Houston to sneak in a day in Fort Worth, but I am biased. It should be a beautiful time of year, I hope you will love Texas!!

Ade -

I have lived in Houston for most of my life, but am originally from England. Much as I love Houston, and think it's a great place to live, I have to agree with the other posters that there's more to see and do in Austin and San Antonio. I can't speak for Dallas, as I haven't been there in many years.

With that said, while you are in Houston, definitely stay in the downtown/medical center/Rice U area. Unless you're a big shopper, in which case staying by the Galleria would be great. Minute Maid Park (downtown) is a great place to watch a baseball game, and the roof is usually open in April, and the weather is usually really nice. I'm not sure exactly when in April you'll be in Houston, but if you enjoy basketball, you could go to a Rockets game (or a Spurs game in San Antonio or the Mavericks in Dallas). The Rockets play downtown at the Toyota Center.

Without a car, if you stay downtown or in the Medical Center, you'll be able to use the light rail to get to quite a few places - Herman Park/the zoo/Houston Museum of Natural Science/Museum of Fine Arts/Rice University/etc. There's also usually festivals in the downtown area that time of year that are always fun.

There are a ton of great restaurants in the area, that are relatively inexpensive (when compared to comparable places in NYC). Cabs are the way to go for those, and some you'll be able to walk to.

Austin is full of things to do. If you like live music, there's always bars to go to to hear local talent. The University of Texas campus is close to downtown, and beautiful to wander around. Downtown there's the Capitol, lots of great restaurants, etc.

San Antonio has the Riverwalk, and the Alamo is within walking distance of that. There's lots of hotels on the Riverwalk, as well as shopping and restaurants.

My British grandparents really enjoyed visiting San Antonio above all other cities in Texas, I think b/c it has more "history" than Houston or Austin. In addition to the Alamo, there's other missions you can visit (though I think they would require driving).

The drive between Austin and San Antonio is really pretty. If you like to shop, the outlet malls in San Marcos are fun. San Marcos is actually a very pretty smaller town - there's a river that runs through the campus of Texas State University.

The MS150 is a bike ride from Houston to Austin that will be on April 12-13 this year, so watch out for that if you plan to travel b/ween Houston/Austin/San Antonio that weekend!

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy your visit to Texas!

I definitely agree with Maryann's suggestion to see a ball game at Minute Maid Park. It's a wonderful stadium, fairly new, and the weather should be great in April so the roof will be open. If you're looking for an upscale dining experience, our favorite spot is Mark's - it's built in an old church, so the architecture is great, and the food is wonderful. The Museum of Fine Arts is great too; they are getting ready to do an exhibit on Pompeii that looks really interesting. Agree with going to Bayou Bend as well; all the flowers should be in bloom then, and it will be really pretty. If you have time, you might drive down to Kemah and have lunch on the water. We saw Bon Jovi at the rodeo of all places, and they were so much fun. Enjoy!

In San Antonio, you'll definitely want to eat on the River Walk; we love Boudro's for their tableside guacamole and prickly pear margaritas, and you'll want to see the Alamo - it's smaller than you would expect but still worth seeing.

In Austin, we always like to go to the Oasis for the great views of Lake Travis - nice place to watch the sunset and have a margarita.

Be sure to get some good barbecue and Mexican food while you're here.

I am constantly amazed at folks who say the 4th largest city in the US has "nothing worth seeing" . . I suspect that most who offer that opinion have not been there.

I also suspect I posted this on the wrong thread . . sorry . . intended to respond to a different thread bashing Houston

Rich, I think you're right - some people don't know where to look. We adore living here.

If you can swing it, stay at Hotel Zaza in Houston and The Driskill in Austin.
Both are well located.
Zaza is right in the museum district. It's brand new, in a completely restored 1926 building.
The Driskill is a historic 1886 hotel. It's a grand old place.

Where are you staying in Dallas?

Depending on when you're here in April, you might want to check out a Rockets game at Toyota Center - another nice new stadium and pretty fun to watch Yao Ming and TMac; the season runs into April. If you're into theater, Houston has a really vibrant theater district; check out the Wortham, Jones Hall, and Alley Theatre to see what's running.

I checked and found the concerts are scheduled for Apr 13 & 14. That would put you in San Antonio around the beginning of Fiesta!!!! We spent 9 days there 2 yrs ago. It's great! - a city-wide celebration. See http://www.fiesta-sa.org/ Lodging will be less available and pricey, but stay near the Riverwalk to be close to most activities. We stayed at the Courtyard of Marriott which is not on the river, but next to a trolley stop and also within walking distance. Check the downtown trolley system. Too bad you won't be there mid-week for NIOSA!

Rich,

Apparently, you've never been to Houston. LOL

I've been there many times, my sister lives there so I have to go now and then to visit.

I understand the appeal to "live" in Houston, as the cost of living is low and the winters are mild, but a tourist destination Houston is not. I also question whether the quality of life is really that good - my sister is always complaining about the traffic. Please note, I'm not bashing Houston, it has some benefits which I've pointed out. I just believe there are many, many other cities that are much better tourist destinations. In Texas - San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas offer up a lot more than Houston. Everything you can do in Houston (baseball/basketball game), you can do in Dallas, and the facilities (Ballpark in Arlington and AA arena) are better (in my opinion). San Antonio has history (Alamo), the Riverwalk, and Sea World. Austin has the lakes, outdoor activities, and a funky nightlife. Dallas has amazing sports arenas and Ft. Worth has great country and western style places.

bk, I'm so glad you chimed in. We all know from your previous posts that you don't like Houston, but I have another question for you. Since you love New Orleans, my husband was just there for the National Championship game and could not get a cab to save his life. They were told to wait at the cab stand after the game, and they did, but after 1/2 an hour no cabs ever came. They decided to walk to try to find one, but no one would take them anywhere but the French Quarter. Literally 5 cabs that were empty refused to take them to their hotel which was on the way to the airport. One guy said, "How much will you pay me?" Are the cabs not run on set fares? Everyone was complaining about it, and no one could figure out what to do about it. I was just at the hair salon telling my stylist, and she and her husband had the same problem on a different weekend. Sorry to hijack this post, but my husband wanted me to ask you since you love NOLA. Can you explain?

ade-

I'm so delighted you are coming to visit this beautiful state! (I am a native of Chicago, but have lived in the Fort Worth/Dallas area for almost 20 years.)

I lived in Houston for a number of years. There are plenty of lovely things to see in Houston. The problem is that Houston is not a "compact" city like most others around the country. It is almost actually "L.A.-ish" in that it is SOO spread out. That is the drawback. You could see a lot there, but it will take you awhile just traveling. The traffic in Houston IS awful, sorry to say. You will have to decide what it is you most want to see/do while there.

My opinions: NASA is a fun time, but might take you a full day, as it is on the far southeast side, not even in Houston proper.

The Museum of Fine Arts- most excellent museum! One of my favorites. I frequently travel to Houston just for their exhibits. (Just rec'd the Pompeii Exhibit info in the mail yesterday!) That would be WELL worth seeing! And it is in the "cultural district" where many other things are worth seeing.

That being said, save the ballgame for Arlington. I'm with several other posters when I say it is a better experience than going to a game in Houston. We have an incredible stadium and yet it feels very "homey". It was designed like the original stadiums of the early 1900's.

Dallas and Fort Worth are only 30 miles apart. I urge you to take in both cities if you can- they are like night and day. When I was younger, I liked the more cosmopolitan feeling of Dallas, but now that I'm past my 30's , I much prefer the slower, more intimate Fort Worth. There are three great areas to see.

One is the cultural district, including the Botanic Gardens [don't miss the Tropical Conservatory-huge prehistoric plants will blow you away!). Great Mexican restaurants in this area are Uncle Julio's or Joe T. Garcia's.

Second, is the Stockyards, as previously mentioned. It is an area of the city dedicated to it's cattle history. All things "Western" can be found here, including a daily "drive" of cattle down the main street.

Third, downtown. I LOVE just walking around Sundance Square and stopping in at one of the fine restaurants in the area. Try "Mi Cocina" for good Mexican food. "Daddy Jacks" for good seafood. Or head to "Riata" for truly "Texan" fare and a nice view of downtown.

As everyone else has stated, too, you are coming at the perfect time of year. The wildflowers at that time of year are indescribably beautiful. (A good reason to drive.)

Here are some useful sites:

http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tex

http://www.visithoustontexas.com/

http://www.fortworth.com/

I'd be happy to provide any other info or answer questions via email. [email protected]

Hey, if I'm free, maybe I can meet up with y'all for a drink!

Happy trails to you!

Paula