Houston

Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States, simmers with activity year-round. The heart of the U.S. oil industry, downtown is populated by buildings both historic and contemporary, and there are plenty of restaurants and bars for the after-work crowd. But this quirky city is much more than oil and money: Houston is home to a vibrant arts community, a terrific museum district, and one of the best and most diverse collections of restaurants in the world. Houstonians eat out more than residents in any other city and have their pick of every imaginable cuisine from Gulf seafood and barbecue to New American and Vietnamese. South of ...

Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States, simmers with activity year-round. The heart of the U.S. oil industry, downtown is populated by buildings both historic and contemporary, and there are plenty of restaurants and bars for the after-work crowd. But this quirky city is much more than oil and money: Houston is home to a vibrant arts community, a terrific museum district, and one of the best and most diverse collections of restaurants in the world. Houstonians eat out more than residents in any other city and have their pick of every imaginable cuisine from Gulf seafood and barbecue to New American and Vietnamese. South of downtown, NASA's tourist-friendly Space Center Houston is a can't miss attraction, and on the way to such waterfront destinations as Kemah and Galveston. The city itself has no zoning, leading to an interesting patchwork of residential, industrial, and commercial areas, punctuated by colorful folk-art masterpieces like the incomparable ode to citrus that is the Orange Show and the Beer Can House, a house clad in thousands of formerly full beer cans.

About the Expert

Eric Peterson has written and contributed to numerous Frommer’s guidebooks covering the American West, including Montana & Wyoming, Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks, and Texas.