Houston – Mission Control Metropolis

Though not touted as a tourist destination, if you happen to find yourself in Houston for business or family reasons, there are some excellent museums, theatres and restaurants that deserve your attention. Not to mention the NASA Space Center and Astrodome sports pavilion. Texas’s largest city sprawls across the Gulf Coast plain of East Texas but despite a concentrated urban population, remains lush and green because of its neighbouring belt of cypress forest. A hot, humid climate has tempted much of the tightly-packed downtown community below ground and you’ll find seven miles of air-conditioned shops and restaurants linked by a system of underground pedestrian tunnels. Go shopping in the uptown Galleria district for designer clothes and Jimmy Choo shoes or trove for secondhand bargains and antiques along 19th Street. For a truly space-age experience, check out the Space Center Houston and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Why Go?
Go for the diverse attractions, the space museums, the shopping and the food. Or take your pick of All-American sports – choose from American football at Reliant Stadium, professional baseball in Minute Maid Park and hockey at the Toyota Centre. Don’t forget the popcorn and hotdogs!

When to Go?
Houston enjoys a humid, subtropical climate with hot desert winds, summer thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes. Air conditioning is a necessity in the sweltering summer months, though winter months are cool and temperate. To be comfortable, the best times to visit are between late October and mid May.

How to get there?
Houston is served by two major airports linked by a shuttle service: the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) – 22 miles north of downtown Houston - and the smaller William P. Hobby Airport, which is the home of Southwest Airlines, 9 miles southeast of the city. Long haul flights can be taken to Houston (IAH) from London and Manchester.

Must see
Float on air with an anti-gravity demonstration at the Space Center Houston, which is part museum and part NASA visitor centre. Take a tour of the 18 fine art, history and science museums in the Houston Museum District and don’t miss the quirky Beer Can House at The Orange Show, a folk art museum. Dance to live country music at Blanco’s or follow in the footsteps of celebrities and prime ministers, and pick up a pair of custom-made leather cowboy boots at Tejas.