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Guide to Houston, USA - Texas
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Houston
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Houston Standing as the fourth-largest city in the US - Houston, Texas is full of excitement and attractions sure to please history buffs and club goers alike. Though it is not the premier destination in the state, it does hold some record holders of its own, and is home to a great mix of unique downtown life and nature preserves. Strolling through the streets of Houston you may get the sense that there is rarely anybody around, but the secret to their absence is theyre all traveling via the underground tunnel system, where pedestrians can shop and eat at the many stores and restaurants dotting the underground walkways connecting the buildings of downtown to one another.
When to go:
Most locals confirm that the best time of year to visit Houston is in late spring-early summer. From April to July the weather is ideal rainfall tapers off, and humidity is at its lowest of the year (during autumn the humidity percentage can stay as high as 93% without a drop of rain). Summer, however, is quite hot, and youll find yourself running for the tunnels as soon as you hit the tarmac. Spring is the ideal time, however, be prepared for crowds of travelers just like yourself here especially for the festivals.
Getting there and around:
There are two airports service the Houston metropolitan area, and theyre both quite a distance away from the city. George Bush Intercontinental Airport is located a whopping 35km (22mi) away, and it mostly serves domestic and international flights of major airlines. The less frequented runways are at the William P. Hobby Airport mostly serving flights of the carrier Southwest Airlines. The William P. Hobby Airport is located 18km (11mi) from downtown Houston.
Getting into the city is painless but not quick. We strongly recommend staying away from the airport bus service for transportation, as it is a sketchy service. The better choices are taxis, or private shuttle buses. Theyll both take you to your destination ASAP, and are not too expensive. Both airports also have car rental agencies, and if you can rent a car, do it; parking is available everywhere and is free in most places around the city.
Getting around the city, if you havent rented yourself an automobile, is done by the metro network of nearly 100 bus lines. Youll always find a bus available, and if you feel like walking, you can always go to the tunnels accessible from nearly any downtown location.
Attractions:
Hermann Park is a once stop destination for a multitude of activities. You can stroll around the nearly-407 acres (165 hectares) of park ground, or visit all the attractions located here. Visit the Houston Zoological Gardens, where, meshed together beautiful are tropical plants and palms with gorillas, tropical birds, lions, bats, and more interesting inhabitants. Youll also find a beautiful aquarium, and the Museum of Natural Science. Inside the museum, youll be struck (not literally) by an enormous rotating granite globe. Explore the museum some more and youll find exhibits for dinosaurs and everything else imaginable pertaining to science. You will come upon the Cockrell Butterfly Center, where youll get to walk through an environment home to thousands of butterflies a great attraction for kids and nature buffs.
The Johnson Space Center is another great attraction in Houston, where you can get a walk-through tour showing a few space capsules used in missions and a zero-gravity test center.
Houstons Museum District is a place very frequented by visitors, and youll find the Museum of Fine Arts, Contemporary Arts Museum, and Holocaust Museum all in close proximity to each other. The Museum of Fine Arts is the oldest museum in Houston, and its sculpture garden is quite noteworthy. The Contemporary Arts Museum is quite extraordinary in that there are no permanent exhibits. About 10 or more temporary shows are given throughout the year. The Holocaust Museum is a newly built memorial center with a grim atmosphere and lots of photographs from concentration camps.
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