7 Mistakes People Make When Visiting Houston
What Not to Do in Houston on Your 1st Visit
This list of mistakes people make when visiting Houston range from common slipups related to travel planning to misconceptions about the city’s size. Through this guide, we show some common pitfalls first-timers to the city often face in order to help you avoid them.
The large Texan metropolis is closely linked to NASA thanks to its Space Center, but there’s plenty to see and do beyond Independence Plaza and its impressive Space Shuttle. Read on to learn more about what to avoid on your first trip to Houston to ensure your smooth and enjoyable visit.
1. Not choosing the right area to stay
Would you rather stay around Downtown or in the Museum District?
On your first visit to Houston, you’ll surely want to make the most out of your trip, but the ease of access to certain highlights depends on where you’re staying. Downtown is a first and top choice for being close to most of the attractions, or at least with convenient connections to other highlights elsewhere.
Northwest Houston is a great choice if you’re on a budget, with plenty of 3-star hotels and easy access to Downtown. If you’re looking for some of Houston’s best shopping and nightlife scenes, Uptown Houston is a good option. And if you’re planning to travel as a family for sightseeing with plenty of cultural and historical landmarks to admire, the Museum District is for you.
2. Underestimating the climate
Be prepared for the heat and humidity
In Texas, the saying goes: “if you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes and it’ll change”. Houston is no exception to this rule. The city is certainly known for its hot and humid summers but, if you’re visiting between June and August, you can expect occasional scattered shows and thunder in the afternoons. In fact, June is the wettest month of the year. Make sure you pack right for the weather – any weather.
One additional thing you should also know about Houston’s weather is that it can get quite extreme with hurricanes and flooding beyond the summer months through November. Once you get into winter, though, you can expect relatively dry and mild conditions.
3. Visiting just for the Space Center
There’s more to Houston than the Space Shuttle and Mission Control
When you’ve seen everything about NASA and rockets at Space Center Houston, it’s worth adding some of the city’s other top highlights to your list. There’s a lot more to see in Houston, so consider allowing an extra day for the Museum of Natural Science, Houston Zoo or Downtown Aquarium.
Other cool sights for when you have extra leisure time in Houston include Discovery Green, where you can roam or picnic in 12 lush acres for free, and Hermann Park with its 400 acres filled with historic monuments and beautiful installations. A great 2-for-1 visit in Houston is the Museum of Fine Arts and the nearby Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens.
4. Underestimating the layout of the city
“Everything’s bigger in Texas” – including travel times
Houston is a big metropolis that’s about 60 miles wide, meaning the distances between its many attractions can be pretty big. Although you have the metro train that covers the Downtown area, it doesn’t quite reach the other areas where your intended sightseeing destinations might be located. In such cases, you’ll often need a car to get around.
5. Underestimating the traffic
Don’t expect to get around quickly
Just like the rest of Texas, in Houston, you can expect longer travel times to reach your destination – and not just because of the distances involved. It’s a car-based city and Houston’s traffic scene is quite notorious. Don’t expect to get around quickly and try to avoid travelling in a car during rush hour – typically from 7 am to 9 am.
Even so, if you’re staying around Downtown and planning to visit nearby attractions and areas, you don’t always need to get a car like everyone else. You can make use of public transport options available like taxis or the METRORail light rail system.
6. Skipping Houston’s Tex-Mex offerings
Don’t miss the original fajitas and queso, among others
Houston has quite a booming food scene thanks to it being a melting pot of cultures with an ensuing variety of cuisines. An eclectic array of restaurants run by families present offerings created from treasured family recipes. There’s everything from pad Thai to pho noodles, spicy Sichuan stir-fries to wholesome German schnitzels and Pakistani delights.
Some of the not-to-be-missed Houston food include original Tex-Mex delights such as those offered by Ninfa’s – the restaurant has plenty of branches throughout the city, with the original on Navigation Boulevard. It’s where the national fajita and queso craze allegedly started.
7. Not getting the Houston CityPASS
A great option for budget travellers
If you’re travelling to Houston on a budget, getting a Houston CityPASS can help you get the most out of your visit. Although some of the city’s attractions feature ‘free days’, it can be a gamble most of the time as there can be long queues of like-minded groups and families. That’s where the CityPASS comes in handy.
After purchasing your pass online, you’ll have access to Houston’s most notable and must-see attractions. These include Space Center Houston, Downtown Aquarium, the Museum of Natural Science, Houston Zoo, and the Museum of Fine Arts. All prices are discounted and, since you’ve already basically purchased tickets, you won’t need to wait in line.
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