The 17.75K will celebrate the founding of the Marine Corps; Registration open.
Houston After Dark
Nightlife in downtown has really picked up in the last few years. Houston Pavilions, downtown’s new mixed-use development with dining, entertainment and retail, is home to hot spots like House of Blues, Lucky Strike Lanes and Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar. Inside downtown’s new Discovery Green park is The Tree House - a treehouse-feel terrace bar that offers one of the best views of downtown. Midtown, on downtown’s southwest border, has emerged as a hot spot. The live-music hangout Continental Club and popular dancing spot Sammys are both steps away from the METRORail, and hip locals and visitors flock to The Roof for its famed rooftop terrace overlooking the downtown skyline. Rice Village, near Rice University, offers a variety of pubs and bars including, The Ginger Man, Kelvin Arms, Baker St. Pub, Brian O’Neill’s and Little Woodrow’s.
A couple miles west of downtown is Houston’s newest and hottest nightlife spot, Washington Avenue. This area is a bar hopper’s heaven with nearly 30 new bars, including Porch Swing Pub, Washington Ave Drinkery, Pearl Bar, Ei8ht, Nox, Sawyer Park, Taps House of Beer and many more!
For the Sports Fans
Houstonians have had many reasons to cheer on the home team. The Killer “Bs” led the Houston Astros to victory as the 2005 National League Champions and the first World Series in Texas. Seven-foot-six-inch Yao Ming has added a dose of star power to the Houston Rockets as one of the most popular players in the NBA. Native Houstonian Gary Kubiak is coaching the Houston Texans to victory. Houston Dynamo, Houston’s professional soccer team, won back to back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007.
Houston’s professional teams and players are not the only reason sports fans are flocking to the games. Houston offers three of the most state-of-the-art stadiums in the world — Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros; Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans and the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; and the Toyota Center arena, home to the Houston Rockets and Aeros. All stadiums are linked by METRORail. Houston’s newest professional team, the Houston Dynamo soccer team, will play its home matches at Robertson Stadium, located on the campus of the University of Houston
Houston has recently hosted national sporting events--Super Bowl XXXVIII, Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, 2005 World Series, 2005 Big 12 Conference Football Championship, 2006 NBA All-Star Game and WWE’s 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania. Houston is looking forward to hosting the NCAA Final Four in 2011.
On Stage
Houston is one of five cities in the United States with resident companies in the four disciplines of the performing arts — Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Symphony and Alley Theatre. Houston’s 17-block Theater District is home to all of them, as well as musical theater performances by Theatre Under the Stars and Broadway in Houston and innovative local groups like Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre and Da Camera.
Fun for the Family
Some of the newest features at the Houston Zoo are the Wildlife Carousel, with 64 hand-carved animals representing endangered species, and Natural Encounters, the highly anticipated renovation of the Zoo’s small mammal building that features meerkats, otters, and vampire bats. Stoll along the Kemah Boardwalk and choose from a variety of family-friendly restaurants, ride the Ferris wheel and train for fun, or just watch the sailboats from your table. Dine at the Downtown Aquarium under several giant aquariums, take shark tunnel tours or enjoy fun and games that include a Ferris wheel and a carousel.
Almost every major cruise line now departs from the Port of Houston or the Port of Galveston for luxurious Caribbean cruises. Before you embark on your journey, spend some time in historic Galveston at the various art galleries on The Strand or catch a show at the Grand 1894 Opera House.
Whether you’re experiencing a space shuttle landing at Space Center Houston or splashing around in more than two million gallons of water at Six Flags SplashTown, Houston’s attractions are full of adventure. Explore the world’s oceans from inside Moody Gardens’ 12-story Aquarium Pyramid, then appreciate science and nature in the Rainforest and Discovery Pyramids. Place bets on horses at the Sam Houston Race Park or greyhounds at the Gulf Greyhound Park. Or visit Traders Village on the weekends for food, fun and great finds from more than 800 vendors. For history buffs, visit the San Jacinto Battleground Complex, which marks the spot where Texas won its independence from Mexico, or the Lone Star Flight Museum, a large collection of restored aircraft and photo archives housed in a hanger. Step back in time at the George Ranch, a working ranch, where visitors can experience more than 150 years of Texas history.
Houston’s modern climate encourages year-round recreation. Gulf beaches, a boardwalk, lakes, 165 public and private golf courses, countless swimming pools and tennis courts and hundreds of parks make getting out and about a pleasure. Houston has recorded just 14 snow days since 1939. The normal maximum temperature in January is about 62 degrees, and the normal maximum temperature in July is 94 degrees.
Cultural Encounters
The Museum District is within walking distance of Hermann Park — home of the Houston Zoo, Japanese Gardens and Miller Outdoor Theatre — and is adjacent the beautiful Rice University. The Museum District is home to 18 museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Children’s Museum of Houston, The Menil Collection, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and many more. Visitors to the Museum District can view one of only two Rembrandt paintings in Texas, one of the most highly renowned Surrealist collections in the country, the top collection of gems and minerals in the world and a 7,400-square-foot model of the human body.
Shopping Spree
A visit to Houston would be incomplete without a shopping spree. The Galleria is Houston’s premier shopping destination, recently renovated with more than 375 fine stores and restaurants and a full-size ice rink. Several miles from the Galleria are Uptown Park, Houston’s European-style shopping center, and Highland Village, an outdoor upscale shopping village. Katy Mills Mall, a sprawling shopper’s paradise west of downtown, features the best names in manufacturers and retail outlets with more than 200 stores. With its dramatic makeover complete, Memorial City Mall pulls out all the stops, delighting shoppers with a wealth of stores, food and entertainment choices. Mixed with a vast selection of upscale shops and anchor stores such as Dillard’s, Lord & Taylor and Target, you are sure to find everything on your list.
Culinary Excellence
For a long while, Houston has had one of the most exciting food scenes anywhere. Home to more than 8,000 restaurants, Houston offers everything from fine dining to hole-in-the-wall Tex-Mex. You’ll find every variety of ethnic food found in America, from a slew of wonderful Chinese restaurants to fine Japanese sushi bars. Houston’s enormous Vietnamese population has not only led to a boom in good seafood but also in a variety of Vietnamese restaurants. You can get your fill of Gulf Coast Creole food, South and Central American, Cuban, Korean fare and Spanish tapas at a variety of fine restaurants—not to mention Houston’s Italian restaurants of every style.
Off the Beaten Path
Through art cars, oranges and houses covered in cans, Houston embraces folk art and unique spaces. Only in Houston can you find a chicken-shaped coffin, on display at the National Museum of Funeral History, whose tagline is “every day above ground is a good one.” The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is a major preserver and presenter of Houston’s folk art, organizing the annual Art Car Parade — the oldest and largest of its kind — and preserving notable sites like the Beer Can House and The Orange Show, a 3,000-square-foot monument to the creator’s favorite fruit. Houston has all kinds of hidden gems like these throughout the city — it simply takes a little exploring to find them.