Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Things to do in Houston

REGIONAL FAVORITES

HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO. Yee-haw, it’s rodeo time! The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was organized for charitable, educational and scientific purposes and more than 24,000 community volunteers come together annually to make each rodeo year a success. The rodeo features a large livestock show, rides and entertainment for families, bars and evening dancing for adults, shopping galore, carnival fare (including fried oreos!), nightly rodeo competitions (e.g., bull riding, barrel racing, chuckwagons, mutton busting for the kiddos), and a line-up of world class performers, which has included Clay Walker, Trace Adkins, Sugarland, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Kiss, Keith Urban, Janet Jackson, and Brad Paisley in recent years.  

The rodeo will take place at Reliant Stadium (1 Reliant Park), which is approximately 8 miles from the Hilton Americas Hotel, and which can be easily accessed via the Houston Metrorail. Proceeds from the rodeo go to support educational endowments and agricultural scholarships for young people. The 80th annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will be in full production from February 28 – March 18, 2012. To learn more about the entertainment and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.hlsr.com/.

MUSEUMS. Houston boasts the 4th largest museum district in the country, with 18 museums within walking distance of one another, all about 3 miles away from the hotel and accessible by Houston Metrorail. Museums include the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, the Health Museum, The Children’s Museum, Contemporary Arts Museum, and the Menil Collection. For more information about these and other local museums, see: http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/. 

THEATER. Houston is one of only a few U.S. cities with resident professional companies in the four disciplines of the performing arts: Ballet, opera, symphony and theater. The theater district is about 1 mile or so from the hotel and there are bound to be multiple performances of interest during the SRNT conference. You might want to check this out and buy tickets ahead of time! For more information, see: http://downtownhouston.org/district/theater/ or visit the individual sites of interest. These might include the Houston Ballet at: http://www.houstonballet.org/, the Houston Grand Opera at: http://www.houstongrandopera.org/, the Theatre Under The Stars at: http://www.tuts.com/, The Alley Theatre at: http://www.alleytheatre.org/, the Houston Symphony at: http://www.houstonsymphony.org/, or Da Camera of Houston (e.g., chamber music, jazz) at: http://www.dacamera.com/.

HOUSTON ZOO. The Houston Zoo (6200 Hermann Park Drive) is open year round, is located about 4 miles from the hotel, and is accessible via Metrorail. Open daily. For more information, see: http://www.houstonzoo.org/. Phone 713-284-5888.

SPACE CENTER HOUSTON. Space Center Houston is a privately owned visitor’s center at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Early space capsules, a full-scale replica of the space shuttle, a 3-D lunar landscape and moon rocks (you can touch them) are among the exhibits. Guided tours, included with the price of admission, take you through astronaut training facilities at Johnson Space Center (including the Wet-F, a huge swimming pool used to train space-suited astronauts to work in a weightless environment) and a museum that covers the history of U.S. space exploration. A permanent memorial honors the astronauts killed in the Columbia explosion. Also on the grounds is the last remaining Saturn V launch vehicle. Open daily at 1601 NASA Road 1 (about 25 miles from the hotel). Phone 281-244-2100. Please see: http://www.spacecenter.org for more information.

SHOPPING!

OUTLET SHOPPING. It’s a hike, but if you rent a car and are up for a 35-mile drive from the hotel, we’ve got some deals for you at the Houston Premium Outlets in Cypress, Texas (29300 Hempstead Road). There are 145 stores including Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Kenneth Cole, Cole Haan, Tag Heuer, and J Crew. Bargain shopping galore!  For more information, check out the website at: http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=77.

Also, a slightly shorter commute away (about 30 miles from the hotel) is the Katy Mills Mall (5000 Katy Mills Circle in Katy, TX), which features 175 outlets and value retail stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Tommy Bahama, Coach, Juicy Couture, and Last Call by Neiman Marcus. For more information, see: http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=1253.

MALL SHOPPING. Don’t let the word “mall” fool you. This is no normal mall. The Galleria is home to 2.4 million square feet of retail space and is the 4th largest mall in the nation. The Galleria features 375 fine stores and restaurants, an indoor ice skating rink, and two Westin hotels. Upscale stores include Tiffany & Co, Gucci, Cartier, and Louis Vuitton. The Galleria is about 8 miles from the hotel and located at 5085 Westheimer Road. For more information, see: http://www.simon.com/mall/?id=805.    

BOUTIQUE SHOPPING. There are many boutiques in Houston, but one well-known shopping and eating destination is Rice Village. Open for over 70 years, Rice Village has over 300 shops and dozens of restaurants and bars within an immediate 16 block area. It features chain stores as well as small and eclectic shops. Recommendations for the beer drinking shopper include a trip by the Ginger Man Pub (http://houston.gingermanpub.com/) with its many beers on tap. Recommendations for shoppers with a sweet tooth include a cupcake (or two!) from Celebrity Cupcakes (http://celebritycupcakes.com/) or a coconut macaroon from Thierry Andre Tellier (http://www.cafeandpastryshop.com/). Rice Village is about 6 miles from the hotel. For more information, see:  http://www.ricevillageonline.com/.

PARKS AND GARDENS

DISCOVERY GREEN. Discovery Green is a 12-acre/5-hectare park that opened in April 2008. Acres/hectares of parking lots have been replaced with jogging trails, tranquil ponds, horseshoe and croquet greens, a seasonal ice-skating rink and the towering Mist Tree, which is a kids' play area built to attract birds. The Wi-Fi-connected green environment is lush with spacious lawns and uses trees and water features as organic boundaries. Kinder Lake features model sailboat racing and is frozen over in the winter, converting it into Houston's first outdoor ice rink. There are also two architecturally stunning eateries located on the grounds. The park is open daily. Admission to the park is free. 1500 McKinney Street (mere steps from the hotel). Phone 713-400-7336. See http://www.discoverygreen.com for more information.

HERMANN PARK. Hermann Park is a centrally located park with lots of attractions: zoo, golf course, Miller Outdoor Theater, Museum of Natural Science, Houston Municipal Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and playground. Visitors can enjoy a picnic under the pines, ride a miniature train, rent a paddleboat or simply stroll. The Houston Municipal Rose Garden is an enchanting place to visit in the spring when the thousands of roses are in blossom. The Zen-like Japanese Garden is a quiet area with a pond for fish and ducks, and traditional Japanese flowers and trees. The park and Japanese Garden are open daily Admission is free. 1500 Hermann Drive (about 4 miles from the hotel). Phone 713-524-5876. See: http://www.hermannpark.org for more information.

HOUSTON ARBORETUM & NATURE CENTER. The Houston Arboretum & Nature Center covers 155 acres/63 hectares of urban forest near the Galleria area. There are miles/kilometers of walking trails through the more than 450 species of native plants. Grounds and trails are open daily. Admission is free. 4501 Woodway Drive (about 7 miles from the hotel). Phone 713-681-8433. See: http://www.houstonarboretum.org for more information.

SESQUICENTENNIAL PARK. Sesquicentennial Park is a lovely little green space bounded by Buffalo Bayou on the west and the water fountains of the Wortham Theater Center on the east. Stainless steel pillars have depictions designed by schoolchildren of Houston landmarks and characteristics. Open daily. Admission is free. 400 Texas Avenue (about 1.2 miles from the hotel). Phone 713-845-1000.

TRANQUILITY PARK. Tranquillity Park was named to commemorate the landing on the moon's Sea of Tranquility. This downtown park has earthly amenities such as trees and grass, but also otherworldly towering copper fountains and metal grids. Open daily. Admission is free. 400 Rusk Street (about 1 mile from the hotel). Phone 713-845-1000.