For Those Traveling to Houston...
For anyone traveling to Houston, I've been living here for the past 11 years and would be more than willing to help provide some good advice/information regarding the area for those who are coming. Please let me know what you need help with or looking to know and i can put together a nice map/info PDF for your travels. I'll sift through the comments tonight and hope to have something up for everyone tomorrow evening.
I'm planning to be at the fan experience event in the convention center on Saturday for anyone else who'll be there. Can't afford tickets, but i'll be here to help!
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:51 PM ^
Asking the important questions.
January 3rd, 2024 at 2:21 AM ^
Great question. I'll be there; but getting inside looks like a financial impossibility after the Pasadena trip. If anyone knows any open tailgates and/or Michigan watch parties around NRG, please let us know.
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:22 PM ^
Where’s the best BBQ in the city?
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:58 PM ^
Yes.
January 2nd, 2024 at 11:56 PM ^
…dropping this comment here as well…
My brother lives in Houston (yay for free lodging!!) and I’ve visited him twice in the last year. Went to Truth for bbq both trips. Amazing. Stacks up with the quality I’ve had in DFW and Austin.
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:29 PM ^
Also, please let me know where we can find cheap/free tickets. TIA
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:36 PM ^
Best public toilet?
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:00 PM ^
Per our friends in Ohio, nothing beats a good cooler.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:52 PM ^
I thought about this way too much: the lobby at Hotel Zaza.
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:54 PM ^
For those of us looking at getting tickets, is there a list of the Michigan sections?
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:55 PM ^
Map of the stadium and Michigan sideline
and her is the stadium site including maps for the whole thing
January 2nd, 2024 at 4:59 PM ^
Dad and I are coming in Saturday evening. Plan to hit a few touristy things Sunday and Monday morning/afternoon. Thinking Museum of Science and the space center. Are these the two you'd recommend? or something else?
Staying near the stadium and want to find food I can't find in Atlanta or he can't find in Michigan. What's your go-to restaurant that you'd point people to? We'll be there for 6ish meals, so throw as many out as you can think of. Not looking to get dressed up, but also don't care about costs.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:35 PM ^
Besides brisket, Viet food for one. One of the larger Viet populations for sure, outside of Los Angeles.
January 2nd, 2024 at 6:13 PM ^
Crawfish and Noodles is a Viet-Cajun place that features a James Beard finalist chef. It's about a half-hour drive from where you are staying. Viet-Cajun cuisine is pretty unique to the Houston-New Orleans area. Yelp reviews.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:50 PM ^
Plan for a whole day at the Space Center. It is not near anything (unless you're staying out that far) so you'll spend at least an hour and a half on the road (min 45 minutes each way). The Museum of Natural Science is definitely worth it, as is the Museum of Fine Arts next door.
When I go back to Houston to visit family, we always eat at Toasted Coconut or Kau Ba. Hugos is another personal favorite from when I used to live there especially if cost is not an issue. All three are relatively close to the museum district.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:04 PM ^
Is Houston vastly comprised of desert like Dallas? LOL
January 3rd, 2024 at 12:12 AM ^
If you mean, places are so far apart that it feels like walking through a desert, then yes, lol.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:12 PM ^
Flights to Houston are quite expensive. How bad of a drive is it from Austin or Dallas?
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:26 PM ^
3 - 4 hours on the outside. But remember, you would have to drive back as well (to catch your flight).
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:30 PM ^
Been a while since I've made these drives, but they were 2:45-(ish) from Austin, 3 from SA, and 4 from Dallas.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:51 PM ^
Downtown to Downtown
Dallas - Houston 4-5hrs depending on traffic on I45
San Antonio to Houston 2.5 hrs with some slowdown west of Houston where the freeway is being expanded
Austin - Houston about 2.5 to 3 hrs.
Note all these are interstate, there are other state highways and roads that can avoid the indirect routes that these trips take with the exception of San Antonio - which is straight west to east.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:54 PM ^
It's 3 hours from Austin, 3.5 hours from San Antonio, and 4 hours from Dallas. Airfares to those cities are not going be much less than a flight on United to Intercontinental (IAH). IAH is a United hub.
January 2nd, 2024 at 6:03 PM ^
Southwest to Hobby would be the other high volume flight option.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:25 PM ^
Hey all. I live in Katy on the west side of Houston.
Food- Tex Mex- Guadalajara Del Centro
El Tiempo
Irmas
BBQ
Truth BBQ was voted top 10 in the state
Charley's in Bellaire is good
The Pitt Room
By me in Katy you have Brett's
Kenny and Ziggys is NY style sandwiches
Taco Truck- Tex Taco. It's worth the drive for breakfast tacos. Get the Randy. Also the fajita burrito is legit.
Brewery -St Arnolds
Stay out of the Wards and don't get off Interstate 45 north at night and park or eat.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:27 PM ^
City Center is a good place as well, South-east corner of I-10 and Beltway 8.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:48 PM ^
or I 45 south till you get past 610 either
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:54 PM ^
I second Irmas, Saint Arnold's brewery, and the Pitt room.
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:46 PM ^
I have lived in the Houston area for 47 years and let me clear some things up.
1) yes traffic can be bad. However Houston Metro area is the largest metro area in total SQ miles of the 5 largest cities, and there are multiple routes to get somewhere.
2) Houston does have speed limits :), but if you are driving the rules I would suggest you follow are first go with the flow and if you are uncomfortable on the freeways google maps can get you around on the other major roads. And also Keep right and let the real crazies have the far left lane if at all possible.
3) If there is a specific food you want to try (BBQ, Seafood, Steak, Tex-Mex China, Japan, Indian Cajun) look for local ownership and avoid the national brands.
4) avoid parking at Reliant if you do not have a pass for in close parking. The best bet is the Metro Rail with the Parking at the Fannin Parking lot total cost for 4 people would be $15 for parking $3 and the rail passes. $3 round trip
5) Hotels are everywhere, Inside 610 and south of I-10 will keep you closer to the event,
6) Plenty of shopping for everyone the Galaria, and other locations.
7) Houston Zoo, Houston Museum of Natural Science are top rate for all especially families.
8) If you are a runner Memorial Park and Herman park are good.
9) Further out of town, if you are here for a few days, Nasa(Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston, Galveston and the Strand for history buffs, The George Observatory out in Richmond if you want to do some stargazing.
10) The downtown area can be entertaining with the Rockets, playing on the 3rd 5th and 6th, there are also places like Joystiks which features all you can play classic arcade games on the first and last Friday of the month for $15 (21 and over).
Finally realize that the stadium is south central inside the 610 loop and there are areas around it that still have not cleaned up like people hoped. If you have a question about a hotel location I will be glad to let you know if you need to lock your items in the room safe or not :)
Hope everyone who comes enjoys their time here and Go Blue!!!
January 2nd, 2024 at 5:53 PM ^
Thanks for the information. What is a good bar by the stadium to watch the game?
January 2nd, 2024 at 6:06 PM ^
I would say look on Westheimer or Richmond unless you are looking for something specific. I know the Houston UM alumni have their game watching parties somewhere inside 610 and off of I-10.
Canyon Creek Cafe Bar & Grill
6300 Durford Dr, Houston they will at least know how to handle real fans.
January 2nd, 2024 at 7:40 PM ^
Thanks
January 2nd, 2024 at 9:12 PM ^
Many, many thanks for this. I note that there’s a fannin lot a stop or two south of the stadium, and another one a few stops north of it. Would either work? Any thoughts on how early you’d need to arrive to get a spot in one of these places?
And I take it your comment about the neighborhoods around the stadium means we shouldn’t look for on street parking in areas just west of it? (I’ll be coming in from Austin.)
January 2nd, 2024 at 9:35 PM ^
To save money, we are basing everything out of Austin. (Flying in on Sunday evening & flying out Tuesday afternoon; Staying at the Austin airport Marriott both Sunday & Monday nights.) The general plan is to rent a car in Austin & make it a LONG day trip by driving to Houston sometime Monday, attending the game, and (pretty much) immediately driving back to Austin. We know we wont get back until the wee hours of Tuesday morning, but figure we’ll be wired & won’t be able to get to sleep anyway regardless of game outcome. Hopefully we can get late check out, still get ~6-7 hours of sleep, and catch our 2pm home bound flight out of Austin.
We have two general options:
A) Get on the road ASAP & spend as much time Monday in Houston before the game; or
B) Spend Monday morning in Austin as much as possible & head to Houston later with the goal of going straight to NRG Stadium, only leaving some extra time for contingency/traffic purposes to make sure we’re there at kickoff.
1) Which option should we choose? I’ve heard generally Austin is a better city to experience than Houston. OTOH, will there be certain areas or events in Houston specifically designed for Michigan fans or the CFP NC game generally on Monday for pre game festivities such that we shouldn’t try to get “too cute by half” by trying to explore Austin on Monday morning?
2) Regardless of your answer in #1, what activities/areas would you recommend we explore with the 6-7 hours we’ll hopefully have on Monday pre-game?
January 3rd, 2024 at 12:22 AM ^
Answering this here. Take a short trip to Lockhart, TX and eat some real BBQ, then make your way to Houston for the game. By taking a drip south towards San Antonio, you can also get on 10hwy for a much easier commute into town. In my new post, i'll have several options for food, but depending on when you get to Houston, you may just want to check out the Museum district area.
January 2nd, 2024 at 10:07 PM ^
Parking? I have a flight that lands on Monday at 4:15 and hope to rent a car and make it somewhere near the stadium by kick-off. How late will I be? (I've been to Houston once and remember the traffic being horrible....)
January 3rd, 2024 at 12:23 AM ^
Depends on which airport you are landing at, but yes, i think you'll make it if you dont have any baggage in the baggage claim. Hobby Airport would be the best and closest.
January 3rd, 2024 at 12:01 AM ^
so, just going to vent a little bit. I didn't get a flight ahead of time, and now the man is trying to screw me with $2.5K flights that are usually like $200. Anyone work in the biz to say there is a chance they will drop within a few days?
January 3rd, 2024 at 9:16 AM ^
Prices will likely not drop. I would search other airports on both ends of your trip. Not sure you’re flying from but in TX I would search IAH, HOU, AUS, SAT. I found that flying on Saturday and out on Wednesday worked the best fare wise.
January 3rd, 2024 at 12:31 AM ^
Should I make plans to tailgate or bar hop? Hotel I’m staying at is 5 minutes by car or a 30 minute walk. Was thinking about parking near the stadium in one of the lots. If it’s not really walkable should I stay downtown since I have a vehicle? I’m in Houston from Saturday night to Wednesday morning.
I appreciate all the helpful advice. I’ve been to many cities in TX but never visited Houston.
January 3rd, 2024 at 6:55 AM ^
Any recommendations for a great breakfast spot? Loving all the coffee recommendations and also wanting to head out for a midwest-style breakfast spot as well!
January 3rd, 2024 at 2:59 PM ^
Does anybody know where the team or alumni association are staying? Which hotels are "Michigan" hotels?