Astroworld
- Six Flags AstroWorld is a world-class entertainment complex filled
with exciting rides and attractions, including 11 roller coasters -
the most in Texas! Plus, there are family-oriented shows, games, shops,
restaurants, concerts, festivals and much more! And right next door
is Six Flags WaterWorld, a premier water park featuring a NEW family
raft ride and NEW 5-story interactive water treehouse! Plus a new six-lane
water slide!
The Reef - is a spring fed 40 foot deep lake with drinking quality
"Blue Water" We are located 10 minutes south of the Astrodome,
and just 30 minutes from every part of Houston.
The Houston Zoo - Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. everyday Admission:
Adults $2.50 Senior Citizens $2.00 Children, twelve and under $.50 Children
two and under are free Activities: (Be sure to double check the gate
handout for any changes in times.) Sea Lion Demonstrations: Daily, 11:15
a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Vampire Bat Feeding: Daily, 2:30 p.m. in Small Mammal
World Fruit Bat Feeding: Daily, 10:15 a.m. in Small Mammal World Duck
Lake Feeding: Tuesdays and Thursdays at Duck Lake, 2:45 p.m. Children's
Zoo Contact Areas: Open 10-5 p.m. daily Enrichment Center: Meet the
Keeper, Daily, 3:00 p.m. Puppet Shows: 10:30 a.m. Children's Zoo Auditorium
2nd & 4th Wednesday, and 1st & 3rd Fridays
Chase Tower - You may want to start your visit to Houston by
taking in the entire urban panorama from the 60th-floor observation
deck (weekdays only) of I. M. Pei's 75-story tower, built in 1981. (713)
223-0441
City Hall - Just northwest of Tranquility Park, this 1939 modernist
structure of Texas limestone was designed by Joseph Finger, Houston's
premier architect of the time. Of significant interest are the interior
allegorical murals.
Downtown
- The downtown area is experiencing a vigorous revival with the refurbishment
of famous old commercial buildings, including the Rice Hotel (1913)
and the Albert Thomas Convention Center (1963), into residential and
entertainment space, and the opening of the Astros' Enron Field, next
to the old Union Station (1911), which is being renovated to house stores,
restaurants, and a theater. More than 70 of the major business and government
buildings downtown are connected by a 6¾-mi labyrinth of underground
tunnels and skywalks, used by those in the know as a welcome escape
from the heat and humidity for which Houston is justly infamous.
Enron Field - The Houston Astros kicked off the 2000 season on
its brand-spankin'-new field of dreams in downtown east. The new brick-clad
stadium has the latest features -- cushy executive suites, a high-tech
sound system, a kids' play area -- and a retractable roof that closes
in a flash (12 to 20 minutes). (713) 799-9567
Galveston - One of Texas's most popular year-round coastal destinations,
Galveston is an island in the Gulf of Mexico 50 mi southeast of Houston,
connected to the mainland by a causeway and bridge. The restored Victorian
Strand district, resort hotels, and beachfront businesses give a commercial
feel to the north end of the island, while miles of private and rental
residences on the southern end offer solitude and open beach access.
Rothko Chapel - In a park next to the Menil Collection, the moody
chapel is an octagonal sanctuary designed by Philip Johnson. The 14
Mark Rothko paintings that panel the chapel's walls at first glance
look like simple black canvases; only when you come close can you see
the subtle coloring. Outside the ecumenical chapel is Barnett Newman's
sculpture Broken Obelisk, which symbolizes the life and assassination
of Martin Luther King Jr. (713) 524-9839
Smith-Louisiana Corridor - Architectural additions to the skyline
have spread out from the Smith-Louisiana corridor, a daunting canyon
formed by towers of glass and steel, running south from Tranquility
Park on the west side of downtown. A walk down these streets may be
the truest measure of the city's modernism, intensified by the outdoor
sculptures of Joan Miró, Claes Oldenburg, Louise Nevelson, and
Jean Dubuffet. (Dubuffet's Monument au Fantôme, on Louisiana Street
between Lamar and Dallas streets, is a particular delight to children.)
Space Center Houston - Kids and adults can learn about space
exploration at the Space Center, 25 mi south of the city. Life on the
deck of a space shuttle is simulated in the Space Center Plaza. In the
Kids Space Place, children can ride on the lunar rover and try out tasks
in the Apollo command module. At the adjacent Johnson Space Center,
the tour includes a visit to Mission Control and laboratories that simulate
weightlessness and other space-related concepts. Allow several hours
for your visit.: (281) 244-2100
Texas Avenue - Visible from the Chase Tower, Texas Avenue is 100
ft wide, precisely the width needed to accommodate 14 Texas longhorns
tip to tip in the days when cattle were driven to market along this
route.
Tranquility Park - This cool, human-scale oasis of fountains and
diagonal walkways among Houston's downtown skyscrapers was built to
commemorate the first landing on the moon by the Apollo 11 mission.
