After my previous quick trips to Houston, Texas and my latest Labor Day weekend visit, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what Houston has to offer. I’ll admit, growing up in Dallas and now in my 10th year in Austin, I didn’t think of Houston very highly. I didn’t know the city very well. My feelings changed by the end of the trip and as we were leaving, I couldn’t stop saying, “I really like Houston. I want to come back here.”

Houston is a fun city to visit! Our Houston trip revolved around art, food, and friends. The Kusama exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts was the main reason for traveling to Houston, but we saw a bunch of historic sights too. We met up with friends who lived in/near Houston and watched football and went dancing. We packed as much as we could in two and a half days, and there are definitely more spots for our another trip!

Here are some suggestions for things to do in Houston.

Buffalo Bayou Partnership Cistern

This 30-minute tour underground to see the cistern was interesting and eerie. We learned all about the cistern’s history and admired its reflective darkness. If you want to visit, check their website for reservations. They only allow a certain number of people on each tour and you need to arrive on time.

NASA Johnson Space Center

This place is for all the space enthusiasts! See artifacts, visiting exhibits, and more. Learn all about space history.

Beer Can House

File this under weird but cool. Began in 1968, the Beer Can House transformed over 18 years with new additions of beer cans in all forms. There are an estimated 50,000 cans attached to this house!

Waterwall Park

Take a quick stop at the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park for a look-see and photo-op. The 64-foot fountain circulates 11,000 gallons of water each minute!

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Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

We made it to Houston right before the visiting “Kusama: At the End of the Universe” exhibit would leave. I didn’t know much about Kusama before the exhibit, only that she was a Japanese artist. From the quotes posted around the exhibits and her art, I learned her inspiration in love and her thoughts on the afterlife. It was a captivating and magical exhibit and I want to see her other exhibits in Los Angeles and Tokyo!

Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity

Love is Calling by Kusama

We also toured the other exhibits in the museum. James Turrell’s The Light Inside Tunnel was one of my favorite experiences, as well as the visiting ‘Statements: African American Art from the Museum’s Collection’ and ‘The Age of Kusama: Pop Art and Minimalism’ exhibits.

The Menil Collection

This always-free art museum has permanent and special exhibits. Their mission to make art accessible brings varying and interesting exhibits to the museum.

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Contemporary Art Museum Houston

This contemporary art museum showcases two galleries and eight to ten different exhibits per year.

James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace

We also visited James Turrell’s “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace on the Rice University campus. The Skyspace is a 40-minute sequence and is best seen at sunrise or sunset. The structure is massive and the lights at sunset were dreamy. There are two levels inside the structure where you can sit and admire the lights. The middle of the roof has a square cut out of it, so you can see the colors blend into the sky. We made free reservations on the website for sunset, and reservations are required for sunset only.

Rothko Chapel

We stopped by the chapel but the obelisk structure had been removed for restoration. The inside of the chapel is for meditation if you prefer to partake.

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Murals

You can find murals around Austin. Many of the ones we saw were in the Montrose neighborhood. Here’s a handy Houston mural guide by Where + Wear + Well.

Biscuit Paint Wall

This colorful mural has been a popular stop for visitors and locals alike.

Nightlife

We weren’t too familiar with the nightlife and couldn’t find solid information, so we decided to go dancing at Barbarella, a place we like in Austin with a location in Houston. It was a fun time but very loud!

Sports

Houston is the home of many major league sports teams. See the:

• Houston Rockets (NBA) at Toyota Center
• Houston Astros (MLB) at Minute Maid Park
• Houston Texans (NFL) at NRG Stadium
• Houston Dynamo (MLS) and Houston Dash (NWSL) at BBVA Compass

Want to read more about Houston? Check out my Houston Travel Guide and Best Restaurants in Houston.

Have you been to Houston? What activities and sights would you recommend?

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Charleston, South Carolina is a fun city for a long weekend! It’s a city filled with history and great eats. I’m excited to tell you all about my trip and give you some recommendations about things to do in Charleston for your future trip. Take a look at my top five suggestions.

St. Michael’s Church

1. Walk the city. (Take a historical walking tour by Bulldog Tours.)

Downtown Charleston is very walkable, especially if the weather is perfect. There is much to see and walking around will help you take it all in. Around every corner is something that will catch your eye. You’ll see colorful buildings, interesting businesses, historic plaques and more. While we did do a lot of walking by ourselves (a lot of walking from restaurant to restaurant!), we also enjoyed a historic downtown walking tour by Bulldog Tours. The guide was very knowledgeable about the city’s history and showed us his favorite spots. Charleston also has downtown carriage tours like Old South Carriage Tours and nighttime ghost tours. Charleston Footprints is another recommended walking tour. If you’d like to make your own tour, here are some places to check out:

• Battery Park / White Point Gardens: This waterfront area gives you great views of the water, waterfront mansions and historic sites like Fort Sumter and Castle Pickney.
• Rainbow Row: On East Bay Street, you’ll find the well-known, pastel row of houses. You can’t miss them. Just look for the tourists taking pictures across the street!
• St. Michael’s Episcopal Church: Oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston, it’s one of the most well-known and visited churches in the city.
• Four Corners of Law: You should stop by the intersection of Broad and Meeting streets to observe this unique sight. On the four corners you’ll see St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Charleston City Hall, Charleston County Courthouse, and the United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse. These buildings represent the law institutions of federal, state, local and religion.
• King Street: This is a long street filled with antique shops, bookstores, restaurants, and gift shops. Part of the street includes many chain restaurants and stores.

Rainbow Row

Palmettos near Battery Park

2. Visit a Plantation. (Visit Middleton Place.)

Charleston’s economy was built on plantations and many were made into historic sites. Many have been restored or enhanced so that they are a beautiful sight to see. Some may have historic homes on the land to show you how people lived. We visited Middleton Place, which is 30 minutes outside of downtown Charleston. The gardens are immaculate at Middleton Place and we saw many varieties of colorful flowers. We toured the Middleton House with an official guide and did a self-guided walking tour around the plantation where we saw the stables and what used to be rice fields. If you’d like to visit a plantation, I’ve read that Magnolia Plantation is also a favorite.

3. Visit Angel Oak Tree.

About 30 minutes outside of downtown Charleston stands the majestic 400-500 year old Angel Oak Tree. This tree is enormous! It’s 65 feet tall, its longest branch is 187 feet, and its circumference is 28 feet. On a Monday, the tree only had a few visitors and everyone walked around quietly admiring it.

4. Visit Fort Sumter.

On the Charleston bay, you’ll take a 30 minute ferry ride out to Fort Sumter. The ferry ride was a fun part of this experience because we were able to see the Charleston skyline, a great view of the Ravenel Bridge and sailboats. At Fort Sumter, you’ll see, hear and learn about what the fort endured during the Civil War. Plaques around the fort tell you its story and guides are available to give you more information. A small museum exhibit on top of Battery Huger, a structure built inside the fort in 1898, gives you a timeline of the fort’s history.

5. Visit a beach.

One thing we didn’t do (because of time and distance), was visit one of Charleston’s beaches. I’m sure this is a must-do when the weather is warmer! In my research, I saw that Folly Beach was a favorite spot, but you also have the options of Sullivan’s Island, Kiawah Island, Isle of Palms, and Seabrook Island.

Blue Bicycle Books

If you have time, or have particular interest, here are some other activities you may enjoy in Charleston.

• Charleston Museum: We got multiple recommendations from people in Charleston to visit this history museum.
• Mac & Murphy: This cute stationary store has a good selection of cards, notebooks, and other trinkets.
• Blue Bicycle Books: This new and used books store is on King Street. I liked their section with books about Charleston. A great Charleston souvenir would be a cookbook by one of Charleston’s chefs. Try: Heritage by Sean Brock, Callie’s Biscuits and Southern Traditions by Carrie Morey, or The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen by Matt and Ted Lee.
• Lulu Burgess: Located on King Street, this gift shop has unique Charleston gifts along with fun knick-knacks.
• Charleston City Market: We visited this market expecting something like San Francisco’s Ferry Building but it turned out to be a market filled with souvenirs. A quick walk-through took about 10 minutes.
• South Carolina Aquarium: Another recommended spot, the aquarium is along the waterfront and by Fort Sumter’s ferry.
• Candlefish: We didn’t make it here but Candlefish is a popular candle and gift shop.

Mac & Murphy

So there you have it. If I missed a sight or attraction you loved, be sure to leave me a comment below!

We were given complimentary passes to Middleton Place, Fort Sumter and the Bulldog Tour by the Charleston Visitors and Convention Bureau. Reviews were not required and my recommendation is my own opinion. I thought the three experiences enhanced our trip greatly!

Stay tuned for my recommendations for restaurants and a travel guide to help you plan your trip!

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