PS Most Excellent- I just found out the Main Street Arts Festival in Fort Worth runs from 4/17-4/20. If you're still in town then, don't miss it! It is my favorite event of the entire year! woohoo!

http://www.mainstreetartsfest.org/Home.aspx

Paula

:-( I posted this very long reply and my computer flakes and kicked me out. Oh well, I'm starting over.

Hiya Ade! Welcome to Texas! My husband is from the UK, we live in Houston and I have to tell you, he loves living in Houston. We're both outdoorsy people and although Houston doesn't have a very strong outdoors, we miss home when we are away. We're in our mid to late(ish) 30's, just to give you a background on the following recommendations although we've taken many visitors to the following in varying ages and all seemed to have enjoyed it.

Dallas - I can't really comment much on Dallas because to me, Houston and Dallas are very similar so I haven't really wanted to visit much. It's been awhile since I've been there.

Houston - stay in midtown/downtown. A good median distance hotel from both is Doubltree in downtown (we live in midtown and I can see that hotel from my balcony). Midtown and downtown should put you close to montrose are (for great restaurants) and close to the rail so you can get to the museum district and visit the different museums and the zoo. Check out miller outdoor theater for things going on during the time you are here (APril?). There are free concerts at the park (evenings) and you can bring a blanket and a picnic with some wine and enjoy the only bearable weather we get in the outdoors here in Houston! ;-) Don't stay by the galleria - it's too busy (traffic wise) and the best feature is shopping. If you have a car, you can do this one of the days. Day trips from houston is the kemah boardwalk (http://www.kemahboardwalk.com/flash_...h_content.html) which is something you can do after an afternoon/morning at nasa. the other is galveston but it's not that nice there.

San Antonio - stay at the river walk. The historic hotel is La mansion by the river but my top 3 hotels (in order) are the Hyatt, hilton's Palacio del Rio, and The Westin Riverwalk. My favorite restaurant is Bigas on Banks (on the river) and is a block adn 1/2 from the Westin. Make sure to se the Alamo (of course) and walk around the river walk. If you have a car, check out the San Antonio missions. (http://www.lsjunction.com/facts/missions.htm)

Austin - stay in downtown. We stay at either the Hilton on 4th and (can't remember the street) or the Hampton Inn on 2nd and San Jacinto. The first is about 4 bloack from 4th and colorado (the more adult nightlife area with restaurants vs the famous 6th street which is very young imo). My favorite restaurant is about 3 blocks from the hilton is a sushi place (sorry, blanking out on the name at the moment but the concierge should know this place. Starts with an M. If you have a car, visit hamilton Pool - go early (http://www.texasoutside.com/hamiltonpool.htm) and visit the Oasis that overlooks lake travis (http://www.oasis-austin.com/).

ALSO, I know you didn't ask for other towns but 2 hours northeast of Austin is Fredericksburg, a little germantown with a sweet main street full of beer gardens and antique shopping - try to stay overnight(http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/). It's also spring time when you are here and spring is bluebonnetts time, the state flower! Wildseed farms will sure have fields of gorgeous lanscape by then! This is about 17miles from the town. You will also pass by plenty of orchards - visit texas hospitality at it's best!(http://www.wildseedfarms.com/farm_photos.htm). There's also enchanted rock 16 miles from the town(similar to Ayer's rock of Australia but much smaller) http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/f...nchanted_rock/ Last but not least, the wineries! We were surpised that after going to Fredericksburg alot in the past, that it seemed to be sprouting wineries! We went to visit them this past Thanksgiving and it was alot of fun. My favorite was Tierra de Pietra. Check out the tx wine trail here. The surrounding area in kerville is also very beautiful. http://www.texaswinetrail.com/index.html

Ok, let me post before I loose all this data again. :-)

Hope this helps!

Wow!!!

Thank you one and all.........youve all been great and weve taken on board all that has been said.

Perhaps i should clarify that what were trying to do is sample all your great cities in the limited time that we have.........we have to fly into Houston and will be there for three days before going up to Dallas to see the gigs. Its not that i dont like to drive in the states as ive been over there many times but i tend to find it easier in the cities to stay somewhere where there is public transport if possible so that i can park the car and relax (if thats possible).
Weve booked to see the San Antonio spurs play the Utah jazz so that should be fun and im trying to go to see the Astros play on the 11th but as yet havent been able to purchase tickets via the website.
As for Galveston its just one of those places that weve heard so much about and have got to see (the picture in my head is its a bit like Daytona or Myrtle beach).
Once again we really appreciate your replies and help and welcome any further comments.
Thanks
Adrian
Wales UK

"...Dallas offer up a lot more than Houston"

Them's fightin' words, pardner!

And for something totally different-
don't forget the Dr Pepper museum in Waco.

You tell 'em, dfr! :)

I think you'll love Minute Maid Park where the Astros play; we see tons of games there. We've been to Arlington Field and enjoyed it too, but we love some of the unique aspects of MMP like the full-size train that runs around the top of the stadium and the hill and flagpoles that are in the middle of active play.

Galveston is fun, but the beach isn't very pretty - don't want you to get your hopes up. Moody Gardens there is a neat spot - aquarium, rainforest pyramid, etc. You'll have a wonderful time and are picking a great time to visit.

ade -
rewind that tape of Daytona or Myrtle Beach, Galveston is very different. The water is more turbid, and the beach is not white sand but more of a brownish gray. That may sound a bit dreadful but it really is a cool place to visit, though the beach itself is not the biggest draw - more so the historic locations and some recently developed tourist attractions such as Moody Gardens.

As for San Antonio, you will be here right around the beginning of Fiesta, a citywide celebration. If you have not yet booked hotels get on it as rates go up and availability goes down during Fiesta. You may want to avoid hotels in the area where the carnival sets up, as it gets pretty darn crowded and sometimes rowdy - look carefully at addresses. You can check out the schedule of Fiesta events at http://www.fiesta-sa.org/

Ade,

Since Galveston seems to be high on your list, I have two suggestions.

1) NASA lies between Houston and Galveston. So if you want to split your time, you could do both.

2) If you want the true experience of Galveston, book one night at the historic Hotel Galvez. Built in 1911 and recently refurbished. Grand place. Here is link:

http://www.galveston.com/galvez/

Paula

Hotel Contessa on the riverwalk in San Antonio is very nice

dfr4848,

Bring it on! I like to stir it up, especially among fellow Texans. Of course, I have to personally side with Austin over all other TX cities!

volcanogirl,

Noticed that I toned down my post - just for you this time! ;)

Glad your husband got to enjoy the LSU Tigers pound Ohio State to smitherines. (Oh, I know this may stir it up dfr4848 but I think I can hold my own!) My brother was there enjoying it in person as well.

The taxi situation is such that the cabs get set fees per person (I think $5/person) during special events, regardless of where the destination is. This is a city law. It is designed to prevent price gouging, which used to happen during Mardi Gras (unsuspecting tourists could be driven to the lower 9th ward and back when they were just trying to go from the Superdome to the French Quarter). This would run up the meter. So, this law pretty much ensures that only quick trips occur, which turns the cabs over quickly. It's not in the cabs interest at all to take you to a hotel near the airport. All you have to do is to politely place several 20's into the cab drivers hand (at least 60 for the airport), and you will be off to wherever you need to be. Hence the comment about "How much will you pay me." During special events, the meter doesn't run, and it's not to their advantage to let you pay $5/person to drive you to the airport. Sorry that happened to your husband, but next time he'll know.

adehughes,

Since Galveston is very important to you, I recommend staying one night in the Kemah area, so you can go to the space center and then the boardwalk, then you can drive on down to Galveston and I'd recommend spending a couple of nights down there. It's a cute seaside town with lots of historic homes, a nice seawall that's great for walking /biking/rollerblading, and the beach is good to look at, but don't expect Florida white sand beaches and crystal clear water.

Moody Gardens is definitely worth it (just do the Rainforest Pyramid), and the Galveston Schlitterbaun Waterpark is a water park that you can go to even if the weather is too cool at the beach for swimming (quite a possibility in April) as the water is heated and it's indoors. In warm weather the roof comes down and it's outdoors.

dfr4848,

Or in Texas drawl,

"Bring it on, sonny!"

bk, a-ha, now it all makes sense! My poor husband could not get a cab until 1:30 a.m., and he was not a happy camper. When we went to the Alamo Bowl, San Antonio had hundreds of buses running to take the fans back to their hotels, and it all went so smoothly; New Orleans was just a mess because everyone was clueless on the situation - next time he will know.

ade, in San Antonio, we like the Marriott Rivercenter - I definitely think you'll want to stay right on the river. And I agree with those who said you'd enjoy a peek at Fort Worth - it's probably the most "Texasy" of all the towns we have.

Again thanks for the wonderful information.

A question for all you Astro fans ...Why cant i buy two tickets for 11/12 th April from their website.....will they come on sale later in the year or do you have to buy them on the day of the game?
Sorry to sound dull but weve never been to a baseball game and dont really understand the pre season etc.

And yes we will be in San Antonio for the first two days of the carnival so that should be good.

Again thanks!

Ade
Wales UK

volcanogirl,

Based on our posting times, I can see you're a morning person, and you can probably see I'm a night owl. :)

Hi, ade - We don't usually buy our tickets so far in advance, but on the website, there's usually a spot on the schedule that says "click here to buy tickets" or something similar. If you're not able to do that, they probably are just not available yet. I would give them a call though, and they could let you know when they'll go on sale. I hope you get to see a good game! By they way, they started selling these great cupcakes at the stadium last year, be sure to ask if that interests you because I highly recommend them.

bk, I'm a night owl, and a morning person too - my husband doesn't know how I do it, but if you check the Latin America board, you'll see lots of midnight posts from me. I've been bringing loads of work home lately, and I pop in here for a little break! :) I guess I just don't need a lot of sleep!

No one has yet mentioned a drive to the Hill Country. It is located north of San Antonio and includes some popular towns like Fredericksburg, Wimberley and New Braunfels. I know that you have many things that you want to see, but April is one of the nicest times to visiti the Hill Country. If you are lucky the wildflowers will still be in bloom and it makes for a pretty drive. Just adding my 2 cents!

volcanogirl,

midnight is early for me! I work from home, so I always get to check on this, but I rarely wake up before 7:30 AM. By the way, did I ever say that the people in Houston area are always nice (everyone I've ever met), and you are no exception :) I still do not favor the city itself (mainly what it stands for), but there are some wonderful people there. I hope that clears things up a bit...

ilovetulips,

You are exactly right, the OP should include Hill Country in their itinerary if they can. It may be cramming too much in though. When we go overseas, we usually don't like to cram too much, and I'm sure the OP, who is from the UK probably thinks the same.

What does it stand for???

ilovetulips & bk - I mentioned the hillcountry! links included! i really do think you shouldn't miss out on the perfect timing for fredericksburg Ade. Check out the links. It's fantastic up there!