A giant shuttle replica sits on top of a 747 shuttle carrier at Nasa’s Space Center. Photo / Wendy Petrie
Wendy Petrie touches down in Texas on a mission to discover all the best things to see and do in Houston. Spoiler alert: Nasa Space Center is just the beginning.
The state of Texas conjures up images of cowboy hats, oil fields, large sprawling cities with even bigger multilane highways and supersized pick-up trucks. So, with a trip to Houston, Texas booked, I was amazed to discover a plethora of art and science museums, city blocks of graffiti murals and Michelin star restaurants.
My mission in Houston was to see my daughter Liv swim as a freshman in her first big college conference, held at the University of Houston. I figured if I was going to spend plenty of time inside a stuffy, hot chlorine pool complex, I also needed to find time to see the real Houston.
READ MORE: A foodie’s guide to Houston: The ultimate weekend itinerary
I arrived during a ‘record breaking arctic outbreak’ sweeping the US. Not the hot and humid Houston I was expecting.
Stepping off a direct Air New Zealand 14-hour flight from summery Auckland to Houston, the subzero windchill took my breath away. My five-day visit to Houston had started how it would continue, full of surprises.
The saying, “everything is bigger in Texas” is however, still, bang on.
The Museum District boasts an incredible 19 museums, from a world-class Natural Science exhibition to the newly redeveloped, Museum of Fine Arts, stretching over three city blocks. The district is Houston’s cultural centre and one of the top tourist attractions, with millions of visitors every year. From a children’s museum, science, photography, Holocaust, health, African-American culture, there’s something for everyone. The art collections and exhibits are vast and I managed to see two, but you could spend days wandering through each.
Boutique Hotel Zaza, where I was staying, fits right in. With art adorning the walls, moody lighting, plush couches and chandeliers, it’s a recipient of a Michelin key, a Michelin guide for hotels, like star ratings for restaurants. It was a pity it was freezing as the rooftop pool looked great.
Sitting on the fringe of the Museum District is Hermann Park, so big it houses the Houston Zoo, a miniature railway and lakes with pedal boats. I went for a run through it on a brisk winter’s morning to find it deserted apart from some windswept ducks, but in warmer weather I bet it’s busy.
With the swim meet over and Liv’s college, San Diego State University, the winners of the Mountain West Conference, everyone was happily heading off home. Now I had time to do some serious sightseeing outside the pool complex.
A trip to Houston wouldn’t be complete without a tour of Nasa’s Space Center. It’s a half hour drive and on arrival, there’s a queue to get in. Standing watch at the gate, a giant shuttle replica sits on top of a 747 shuttle carrier. Once inside, it’s impressive with interactive displays on Mission Mars, Artemis and the International Space Station.
I took a tram tour to the Mission Briefing Control Center, now a national historic landmark, which is like taking a step back in time. On July 20, 1969 the Mission Control Center guided the moon landing, where the first words uttered were “Houston, the eagle has landed”. With ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts, funny old TV sets and dinosaur computer monitors, it really does feel like you’re in the hot seat, guiding the historic moon mission. Space Center Houston is still a busy place with 8000 workers, although Elon is making noises about cutbacks.
Now, we have to talk about the food. The Michelin Guide just arrived in Texas in 2024 and so far, six Houston restaurants have made the cut.
The food is indeed ‘darn’ good. If you’re after “Tex-Mex” Texan-Mexican food, you’ll not be disappointed. At Ninfa’s, you watch the chef make your tortilla shell. Xochi has incredible Mexican food from the Oaxaca region. At Rainbow Lodge, you’ll feast on wild game and seafood, inside a 116-year-old-log cabin.
Then, there are the barbecues.
One thing I’ve learnt about Texans is their love for barbecues. This isn’t your usual sausage on the barbie. According to Patrick at Pinkerton’s restaurant, coming to queue for your barbecue meal is “the most Texas thing to do”. Think beef brisket, pork ribs, jalapeno sausages, ribs, south Texas beans, mac-n-cheese and tangy coleslaw. It’s 5 degrees on a Sunday afternoon and Texans are queueing out the door and down the street to get their fix. It’s hard to fathom until you are indulging in some Texan brisket to die for.
When you finally get your tray of food, you sit at long tables with strangers who soon become your friends, according to Patrick, thanks to a family atmosphere. And I certainly felt very welcome in a dine in, full of a wonderfully diverse clientele.
A Texan tradition that I missed by one week was the famous rodeo at the NRG Stadium. With a capacity of 70,000, the stadium hosts a nightly rodeo for 20 days straight. It’s the world’s largest livestock exhibition and rodeo with two million attendees. Every night concerts are held at the stadium featuring country music stars with a few non-country music stars scraping in. This year for the first time, there’s a World Championship Bar-B-Que Contest, where 250 barbecue teams will compete for the best dishes of fiery flavours. There’s also a Rodeo Run and parade through downtown.
Houston is known for its graffiti art with many a giant mural painted along buildings around the city. The rise of graffiti art began in the 70s along with the hip hop scene. Street art tours are offered to visit the city’s various murals, or you can do your own which I did.
One thing many travellers come to Houston for is conferences. For the energy capital, business is a big part of this US city. Houston hosts many a conference with two major convention centres drawing hundreds of thousands of attendees. The city hosts over 300 meetings and conventions annually. Celia from Visit Houston tells me the biggest one is a Quilt Trade Conference. I realised she wasn’t joking.
So quilt makers and all, Houston really has something for everyone. There are sensational culinary experiences, a swathe of museums, a trip to Nasa and if you’re missing the Texas of your imagination, head to Houston for the March Rodeo.
HOUSTON, US
Fly non-stop from Auckland to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston) with Air NZ in approx. 13 hours, 20 minutes.
https://www.visithoustontexas.com/
From skipping the queues to planning your parade spot, here's all you need to know.