Where to stay

Families will find lots to do in Houston. Book a hotel in Downtown Houston and bring the family to the Houston Aquarium to see its varied exhibits ranging from rainforests to Louisiana swamplands. Find accommodations near the Texas Medical Center, which is close to the more than 6,000 fascinating animals of the Houston Zoo and innovative hands-on exhibits of the Children's Museum of Houston. Stay in Webster or Clear Lake, about a 40-minute drive southeast of Downtown, to visit the Space Center Houston, where kids can learn about NASA and the history and future of human space flight. Hotels in nearby Kemah provide easy access to the exciting rides, dining and entertainment of the Kemah Boardwalk.

Houston has great shopping to serve the more than 2 million people who live here. Stay in the Uptown neighborhood to shop at The Galleria, where more than 400 stores and restaurants range from casual to high-end. Not far away, Memorial City has several hotels and the Memorial City Mall, with 100 brand-name stores. About a 30-minute drive north of the city, hotels in The Woodlands offer access to great dining and shopping, especially in the Woodlands Town Center. Alternatively, Houston's Chinatown hotels are close to the Hong Kong City Mall, with 100 retail stores focused on Asian American items.

Book a hotel in the Houston Museum District, where 19 museums offer varied insights, from the Holocaust to fine arts. The hotels of the Theater District in Downtown Houston are very convenient for attending performances of the symphony, ballet, opera and touring ballet shows. Visit on Thursday nights when many sites offer free admission. Stay in the Houston Convention District to watch professional baseball and basketball. For more sports, hotels in the Texas Medical Center neighborhood are close to NRG Park, where the livestock show and rodeo offer authentic, exciting Houston experiences.

The Texas cattle ranching tradition means Houston is known for its steaks and barbecue, with restaurants across the city's neighborhoods offering beef and much more. Book a hotel in Downtown Houston for beef of all kinds, from humble hamburgers to juicy steaks. Hotels in Uptown are surrounded by steakhouses too. With more than 150 restaurants in The Woodlands, you can stay here for a week and never eat at the same place. Hotels in Greenway Plaza/Upper Kirby are convenient to international cuisine choices including Mexican, Indian, Japanese, Cajun and Asian fusion. Stay in Chinatown, where dim sum and noodles compete with hot and spicy Sichuan beef. Some of the city's favorite restaurants are in Montrose, a great place to stay for Italian bakeries, Mexican cantinas, Mediterranean bistros and gay bars.

Come to Houston to play in city parks and outdoor surroundings. The Energy Corridor west of the city is where many Houston energy sector employees work and it's also a great place to stay to enjoy parks, reservoirs, bayous and miles of trails. While Uptown's hotels are very convenient for shopping at The Galleria, they're also close to the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center and Buffalo Bayou, a good place for kayaking. Get a hotel in Humble or The Woodlands to join in local boating, golf or horseback riding or drive farther north for hiking in Sam Houston National Forest. Hotels in Kemah provide great access to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico for chartered boating and fishing.