Houston for 2 days in August

[kiwi17]

We are looking at going to NZ next August with a then 5 and a half year old and a 13 month old. We are looking at a flight that comes back via Houston and considering stopping off for a couple of days before heading back to the UK. Just wondering if anyone has any pointers of things to visit, we would quite like to go to the space centre but it looks quite far out, good areas to stay and ways to travel around? I've also read that it will be very hot and humid, what are we talking at end of August , 30 degrees? Thank you for any help! :)

No advice I'm afraid but average temp in August is closer to 36.

Ok so very hot 😆 thank you! Will definitely need summer clothes then coming from a wintery NZ.

I used to live there

it will be super hot and very humid but everywhere is air conditioned.

buses are air conditioned and used to be very cheap but don’t underestimate the misery of walking to and waiting at bus stops in the high humidity. Would recommend taxis or a hire car instead if you can.

there is a children’s museum and an aquarium. Also there used to be a butterfly area, might still be there. Other good museums and art galleries too.

lots of great restaurants.

And if you like theme parks there is a big one near there.

everything is sprawled out so even though it has a downtown it’s not what you might be used to and hardly anything is walkable in that heat not even a couple of blocks.

there’s a big shopping mall called the galleria which has\had an ice rink and is air conditioned.

honestly though I wouldn’t recommend a flying visit in the summer with small children.

the space centre is cool but is out of town.

If you do decide to go, I used to live in midtown which was a nice area with walkable cafes and bars. Not sure if there are any hotels there though.

@JodiMahoney thanks that's really helpful! I've never been to the US so in a way was looking to just get a bit of an American taster! Wondering if it's possible to stay near the space centre and just do that we will have to have a look. Didn't really think about how much the heat would affect it though! We did a day in Singapore last time we went to NZ and that was very hot and humid too.

It’s basically a massive parking lot. The Galleria is massive and depressing. My DH didn’t believe me about the heat and walked from a sports store to a coffee shop to meet me. He was panting when he crashed through the doors. He could not contemplate driving across a HUGE parking lot so almost got heatstroke instead. Idiot.

Yes the heat is oppressive but everywhere is air conditioned so if you limit time outdoors it’s doable as indoor spaces are large. There are hotels attached to the galleria for example.

The space centre is a long way out and I don’t think it would occupy more than an afternoon, or a day for a space mad kid. But I went years ago so no idea what it’s like now.. there was an interactive bit at the front for kids then a little ‘train’ tour where you could see mission control and some bits of rockets and some training set ups. There were also rockets outside, but again, hot! it was unique to Houston though so definitely worth a look if you can. I think there are age restrictions on some exhibits too, not sure why.

just don’t underestimate the heat and humidity and stay indoors as much as possible and you’ll be fine!

that is how I felt when I first moved there but by the end I’d learned to ignore the ugly bits and zone in on the little gems!

and yes, the heat will get you if you’re not careful!

We did a year - it was enough! I feel we got out whilst it was still almost bearable.

We did a year - it was enough! I feel we got out whilst it was still almost bearable.

We were young with no kids and plenty of money so I guess we were better placed to make the best of it and we really enjoyed our time there. Out all the time, loads of friends, went to the theatre, opera, ballet, big comedy and music gigs as well as tons of parties and restaurants. Also travelled Texas and a lot of the states in between working and carousing. I guess we were just lucky.

there’s a big shopping mall called the galleria which has\had an ice rink and is air conditioned.

I lived there for 6 months when I was 9/10 ish. This comment has brought back so many happy memories!

Thank you for all the comments so far! It's interesting to see different views and I do get that the heat could be an issue although if we coped in Singapore hoping that it wouldn't be too different as that is also super humid? I will check out those suggestions though thanks 😁