What is there to do in Houston/Austin?

quantumleap · May 25, 2012

After talking to my sister about visiting her for the past couple years I finally have some time to visit. She lives near Sugar Land but travel shouldn't be a problem.

We also may drive up to Austin. She and her husband actually owned land up there and planned to move there because they liked it so much but couldn't find a job.

I told my sister NASA is a must and I would also like to sample some of that good old Texas BBQ. Other than that, does anyone have any must-see places to go? I like all sorts of things from museums, art galleries, sporting events, etc.

texasfan? festeringZit? Can you help me out?

wolfie_cr · May 25, 2012

I did the VIP tour where you can go and see the actual/in use control center that they use for the ISS station, this tour you need to reserve in advance and there is a limit in capacity (I think 12/day but could be more now)

Its also quite long and only for the serious space fan, the initial part was a little boring and my wife was quite bored

You also get to see the historical control center for the apollo missions.

boatboatboat · May 25, 2012

Just off of the top of my head, America's fourth-largest city is a cosmopolitan destination, filled with world-class dining, arts, hotels, shopping and nightlife. Take a stroll through the historic Heights, spend the day exploring the Museum District or head down to Space Center Houston. Later on, grab a bite in one of dozens of award-winning restaurants, or hang out with the cool kids on Washington Avenue. There's always something to do in this Southern hospitality meets urban chic city. Come explore YOUR Houston!

festeringZit · May 25, 2012

Austin:

If I were here for a day or two, I'd plan on spending an afternoon checking out the Capitol building (bigger than the White House) and the
Texas State History Museum (Bob Bullock Museum) which is just down the street from the Capitol.
http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/

I would eat dinner somewhere downtown, and then get some drinks at dusk near the Congress St Bridge and watch the largest urban bat colony in
the world come to life. More than 1.5 million bats fill the sky at dusk, looking for a meal:
http://www.austin360.com/search/content/events/special/bats.html

I would then spend an evening walking 6th street and check out all the different live music - Austin is considered the live music capitol of the world.

YourAllAmerican · May 25, 2012

If you make a trip up to Austin you can go just a little out of your way on the drive up and come through Lockhart, which is home ot three of the best barbecue spots in Texas (ergo, the world). Drop me a line if y'all make the drive and I'll get you some specifics.

boatboatboat · May 25, 2012

get the sausage.

Good stuff.

quantumleap · May 25, 2012

wolfie_cr said:
I did the VIP tour where you can go and see the actual/in use control center that they use for the ISS station, this tour you need to reserve in advance and there is a limit in capacity (I think 12/day but could be more now)

Its also quite long and only for the serious space fan, the initial part was a little boring and my wife was quite bored

You also get to see the historical control center for the apollo missions.

That sounds great! I'll ask my sister and her husband if they would be interested.

quantumleap · May 25, 2012

boatboatboat said:
Just off of the top of my head, America's fourth-largest city is a cosmopolitan destination, filled with world-class dining, arts, hotels, shopping and nightlife. Take a stroll through the historic Heights, spend the day exploring the Museum District or head down to Space Center Houston. Later on, grab a bite in one of dozens of award-winning restaurants, or hang out with the cool kids on Washington Avenue. There's always something to do in this Southern hospitality meets urban chic city. Come explore YOUR Houston!

Did you used to work for the Houston Chamber of Commerce?

quantumleap · May 25, 2012

festeringZit said:
Austin:

If I were here for a day or two, I'd plan on spending an afternoon checking out the Capitol building (bigger than the White House) and the
Texas State History Museum (Bob Bullock Museum) which is just down the street from the Capitol.
http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/

I would eat dinner somewhere downtown, and then get some drinks at dusk near the Congress St Bridge and watch the largest urban bat colony in
the world come to life. More than 1.5 million bats fill the sky at dusk, looking for a meal:
http://www.austin360.com/search/content/events/special/bats.html

I would then spend an evening walking 6th street and check out all the different live music - Austin is considered the live music capitol of the world.

My family drove through Austin back in the 70's on our way to San Antonio and we stopped at the capitol. I remember hearing that it was the 2nd biggest capitol in the country behind the nation's capitol which, by law, has to be the biggest.

I would love to stop in a hear some live music. I'm sure my sister knows about 6th Street. I'll ask her about that too.

quantumleap · May 25, 2012

YourAllAmerican said:
If you make a trip up to Austin you can go just a little out of your way on the drive up and come through Lockhart, which is home ot three of the best barbecue spots in Texas (ergo, the world). Drop me a line if y'all make the drive and I'll get you some specifics.

Lockhart looks like it's right along the way. Can you tell us your 3 favorites here?

festeringZit · May 26, 2012

quantumleap said:
Lockhart looks like it's right along the way. Can you tell us your 3 favorites here?

http://www.lockhart-tx.org/web98/visitors/bbqcapitaloftexas.asp

For me, it's Kreuz's and Black's. Kreuz's is different because they don't serve it w/ BBQ sauce, they want you to really appreciate the taste of the meat.

Enfuego · May 26, 2012

6th Street for dinner and drinks is a must while in Austin.

texansfan · May 26, 2012

Well, in one area here they have the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural Science, a Planetarium, and the zoo. The Astros might be at home when you're here. They also have a brand new stadium in Sugarland where they play baseball in the Atlantic League I believe it's called. If you like soccer we have a brand new stadium where the Dynamo play.

As far as eating, the possibilities are endless. You need to hit the Galleria Mall as well.

AustinMark · May 26, 2012

If you stay in the Houston area, you can always drive to Galveston for the day. The beach is not much to speak of (dirty looking water), but it is nonetheless a beach! Good food and drinks on The Strand. It's always a good time.

As others have mentioned, Austin is great for live music. 6th Street is a must. Also, we have a lot of great food. The possibilities are endless depending on your appetite! Have a great time!

YourAllAmerican · May 26, 2012

quantumleap said:
Lockhart looks like it's right along the way. Can you tell us your 3 favorites here?

Kreuz Market, Smitty's Market and Black's Barbecue.

There's an interesting history between Kreuz and Smitty's -- the owners are related and the only reason they're two different restaurants is because of a family feud following the death of the original barbecuer. Smitty's is housed in the building (and uses the same very old pit) that used to be Kreuz Market, while the new Kreuz Market moved to it's present location back around 1999 or so. They say the "new" pits are better because they are able to adjust temperatures more.

Black's isn't quite as good as Kreuz or Smitty's, but it's still really good.

All three are near enough that you can hit them all up in one visit.

NOTE: The last time I ate at Smitty's the sausage was terrible. Really, really bad -- grease freely running out, and not the good kind of greasiness. They were so bad neither I nor any of my buddies finished a single sausage. After describing the problem to my brother (who is a tournament barbecuer here in Texas) he thinks it was likely the result of shoddy making of a particular batch and may not be an ongoing problem, so they're worth a try.

Of those three places, Smitty's probably has the best atmosphere and Kreuz the best food. Black's also has a great "1970s living room" kind of atmosphere that I like a lot.

quantumleap · May 26, 2012

Enfuego said:
6th Street for dinner and drinks is a must while in Austin.

I'm going to try to talk my sister and her husband into going there Saturday night.

quantumleap · May 26, 2012

texansfan said:
Well, in one area here they have the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural Science, a Planetarium, and the zoo. The Astros might be at home when you're here. They also have a brand new stadium in Sugarland where they play baseball in the Atlantic League I believe it's called. If you like soccer we have a brand new stadium where the Dynamo play.

As far as eating, the possibilities are endless. You need to hit the Galleria Mall as well.

Thanks tf. My sister mentioned some of the museums you mention here. I'll ask her about the Galleria Mall.

quantumleap · May 26, 2012

AustinMark said:
If you stay in the Houston area, you can always drive to Galveston for the day. The beach is not much to speak of (dirty looking water), but it is nonetheless a beach! Good food and drinks on The Strand. It's always a good time.

As others have mentioned, Austin is great for live music. 6th Street is a must. Also, we have a lot of great food. The possibilities are endless depending on your appetite! Have a great time!

I always love beach areas with food and drink areas.

quantumleap · May 26, 2012

festeringZit said:
http://www.lockhart-tx.org/web98/visitors/bbqcapitaloftexas.asp

For me, it's Kreuz's and Black's. Kreuz's is different because they don't serve it w/ BBQ sauce, they want you to really appreciate the taste of the meat.

Interesting:

"Texas Legislature, first the House of Representatives in the Spring of 1999, then in the Fall of 2003, the Senate passed a resolution proclaiming Lockhart to be The Barbecue Capital of Texas."

quantumleap · May 26, 2012

YourAllAmerican said:
Kreuz Market, Smitty's Market and Black's Barbecue.

There's an interesting history between Kreuz and Smitty's -- the owners are related and the only reason they're two different restaurants is because of a family feud following the death of the original barbecuer. Smitty's is housed in the building (and uses the same very old pit) that used to be Kreuz Market, while the new Kreuz Market moved to it's present location back around 1999 or so. They say the "new" pits are better because they are able to adjust temperatures more.

Black's isn't quite as good as Kreuz or Smitty's, but it's still really good.

All three are near enough that you can hit them all up in one visit.

NOTE: The last time I ate at Smitty's the sausage was terrible. Really, really bad -- grease freely running out, and not the good kind of greasiness. They were so bad neither I nor any of my buddies finished a single sausage. After describing the problem to my brother (who is a tournament barbecuer here in Texas) he thinks it was likely the result of shoddy making of a particular batch and may not be an ongoing problem, so they're worth a try.

Of those three places, Smitty's probably has the best atmosphere and Kreuz the best food. Black's also has a great "1970s living room" kind of atmosphere that I like a lot.

Thanks. Now I really just want to eat in Lockhart and have elimnated any possibility of other BBQ places at least for this first trip.

What is there to do in Houston/Austin?

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