DAY ONE
AM Start with breakfast at Barnaby’s in the Museum District, a true Houston classic. Go the full Texan and order the chipotle barbecue pulled pork and eggs.
After a wander through Centennial Gardens, spend the morning hoovering up Houston’s arts and culture in the Museum District from the Houston Museum of Natural Science to the Moody Center for the Arts.
Grab lunch at Cafe Leonelli, a casual Italian restaurant overlooking the sculpture garden at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Don’t miss the world-class art in the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, the new contemporary wing of the gallery which opened in late 2020.
PM Take a peek into the Rothko Chapel, a non-denominational chapel featuring 14 of Mark Rothko’s darkest – literally speaking – works.
After all that culture, cool off with a strawberry buttermilk ice cream from the Fat Cat Creamery, Houston’s artisan ice cream parlour. Find it at 19th Street in Houston Heights, Houston’s hottest shopping district.
In the evening, head to Post HTX, H-Town’s super-cool street food market in the old post office. It has pop-ups of Houston’s coolest restaurants, including Golfstrømmen Seafood Market, the first American outpost from Norwegian chef Christopher Haatuft.
Enjoy a nightcap at Skylawn, Post HTX’s rooftop garden overlooking the glittering Houston skyline.
DAY TWO
AM After a quick photo at the “WE HEART HOUSTON” sign on Polk Street in EaDo (East Downtown), wander around the corner and grab breakfast at Koffeteria, a cool Cambodian bakery which serves the best Pau buns and Thai fried omelette croissant.
Venture southeast of the city to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the immortal words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” were beamed around the world from Mission Control. It’s official visitors center, Space Center Houston, is a heaven for families and space geeks, here you can climb inside an actual Space Shuttle, learn about the mission to Mars, and meet a real- life astronaut if you visit on a Friday or Saturday. You can also see the new permanent Artemis exhibit and learn about the space program at NASA that will return humans to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.
PM For lunch, it’s a short drive to the coast and Joe’s Crab Shack on Kemah Boardwalk. Overlooking Galveston Bay, Kemah Boardwalk with its wooden rollercoasters, carousels and Ferris wheels is like a Texan Coney Island.
It’s back to H-Town for dinner at the city’s most celebrated new restaurant, Jūn – pronounced June – a new concept by chefs Henry Lu and Evelyn Garcia, a finalist of Bravo’s Top Chef. Their ‘New Asian American’ cuisine combines flavours both chefs grew up with forming a funky Texas-meets-the Bronx fusion.
DAY THREE
AM After breakfast head to Discovery Green and Buffalo Bayou Park, Downtown’s green lungs. Pick up a B-Cycle, Houston’s public bikes, grab a map and explore these beautiful green spaces at your own pace.
For lunch, explore the Houston Farmers Market on Airline Drive, recently renovated it’s home to some brilliant restaurants, including Crawfish & Noodles for Viet-Cajun fusion or Underbelly Burger, which flips proper old-school burgers.
PM After lunch, head over to Arts District Houston on the Washington Avenue Corridor. Potter through the Sawyer Yards artist’s studios, catch a performance at the Site Gallery – housed in a pair of repurposed grain silos – and see awesome urban street art along Art Alley.
Don’t miss a selfie at the famous “Houston Is” Mural on Travis Street.
Aside from barbecue, Tex-Mex is the state’s staple food. For dinner, try Mama Ninfa’s famous fajitas at The Original Ninfas on Navigation, “the best Mexican food since Texas was part of Mexico.”
Say farewell to H-Town with a pint of Houston’s most famous beer at Saint Arnold’s Brewery, Texas’ oldest craft brewery.
There are a number of direct flights to Houston, TX from the UK, including Singapore Airlines from Manchester, and British Airways and United from London Heathrow.
For more information on Houston’s wide variety of hotel accommodations, from the budget conscious to five-diamond luxury to attractions, events, restaurants and to find everything you need to plan your trip, please visit www.VisitHouston.com.