Houston's vibrant Museum District is home to 19 different museums, including The Museum of Fine Arts

For today’s  Destination of the Week , TPG Contributor   Casey Hatfield-Chiotti takes us to a Southern hub with a thriving arts scene, fantastic food, the Johnson Space Center, and where visitors get a healthy dose of good ol Texas hospitality. We re headin to Houston.
u2 concert tour Houston may be better known for being the nation’s energy capital than for tourism, but the fourth-largest city in America is also a thriving metropolis, u2 concert tour with delicious restaurants and great access to the arts. One of the only cities in America with resident companies in all the major performing arts, Houston has a theater district with 120,000 seats, second only to New York City. The largest port city in the South, Houston has abundant access to seafood; combined with bountiful local ingredients and a diverse array of cultures and cuisines, the result is an exciting, chef-driven food scene.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the world’s largest and draws hundreds of thousands of people over 20 days. This year’s rodeo is March 4-23 and includes a World Championship Bar-B-Que contest, Bull Riding u2 concert tour and a star-studded concert lineup that will include Usher, Blake Shelton and Robin Thicke.
Tram tours can be taken at the historic Johnson Space Center east of Houston, or you can make reservations for the behind-the-scenes Level 9 Tour. Limited to 12 guests per day, this takes four to five hours and allows visitors to see areas not typically open to the general public, such as ISS Mission Control. If you’re lucky, you may event get to have lunch with the astronauts themselves.
Houston’s vibrant Museum District is home to 19 different museums, including The Museum of Fine Arts and The Houston Museum of Natural Science . On the Rice University Campus next door, check out the  “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace , a piece of dynamic public artwork by artist James Turrell. At sunrise and sunset each day, this pyramid-like structure u2 concert tour made of grass, concrete, u2 concert tour stone and steel projects u2 concert tour a light sequence onto an elevated roof with a small cutout that s open to the sky. While it’s free to visit the Skyspace artwork, reservations are required u2 concert tour for the sunset showing and can be made online .
Biking is an ideal way to explore Houston s leafy, sprawling parks. Look for Bcycle bike share stations throughout downtown and midtown, then go for a spin through Memorial Park and/or Herman Park (which contains the  Houston Zoo ).
Texas’s u2 concert tour oldest craft brewery, u2 concert tour Saint Arnold Brewing Company , is also in Houston and offers tours, tasting u2 concert tour and fixed-price beer pairing lunches on weekdays. Fifty miles southeast of Houston, a popular u2 concert tour side-trip destination is Galveston Island , where you ll find Victorian architecture, antique shops and 32 miles of sandy beaches.
Named one of 2013’s best new restaurants by Bon Appetit , The Pass Provisions is two innovative dining concepts in one. Italian-inspired Provisions occupies most of the former warehouse space and serves dishes like mushroom truffle pizza and pumpkin conchiglie u2 concert tour with beef short ribs. Tucked within the restaurant is The Pass, a more special-occasion-worthy spot that serves 5- and 8-course tasting menus. Elegant dishes include lamb with Swiss chard and coffee yogurt, u2 concert tour and oyster mushroom chowder with harissa. Wine and cocktail pairings can also be added.
Another tasting menu option is Oxheart u2 concert tour , set in Houston’s historic Warehouse District. Owned by native Houstonians, the restaurant uses Texas’s best ingredients in creative u2 concert tour dishes like slowly roasted pickled okra with smoked black garlic and crème fraiche. The historic space features brick walls, white subway tiles and a repurposed wood counter with drawers that contain your serving utensils. Three tasting menus, including a vegetarian option, are offered nightly.
Chef Anita Jaisinghani’s bright Indian street-food-inspired café Pondicheri is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and serves fresh juices along with smoked eggplant dosa and creamy cashew curry. Jaisinghani is also a pastry chef, so don’t miss desserts like chai pie and a decadent chocolate u2 concert tour brownie.
The Montrose neighborhood just west of downtown, is exploding with great new bars and restaurants. Check out Underbelly , a new take on American Creole cuisine where you’ll find slow-roasted pork belly with cauliflower and sweet potato. The Hay Merchant has a great craft beer selection as well as comfort food like chicken-fried steak and gumbo. Anvil Bar Refuge is the place to go for strong drinks made using fresh ingredients; the same folks own Blacksmith , a hipster-friendly coffee shop and café down the street.
For some of the city’s best seafood, head to Reef in midtown where the menu changes daily based on what’s available and includes dishes like crispy-skin snapper and a jumbo crab cake with pickled vinaigrette.
Houston has two commercial airports William P. Hobby  offers only domestic flights u2 concert tour on AirTran, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue and Southwest. Hobby is about 7 miles from Houston, and taxis to the central business district run about $27. Car rentals and shuttle service can also be arranged.
u2 concert tour George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is a United hub, and fields u2 concert tour 800 daily flights, both domestic and international, representing all the major alliances. Alaska, u2 concert tour American, Delta, United, US Airways, Frontier, and Spirit offer domestic service. AeroMexico, Air Canada, Air China, u2 concert tour Air France, British Airways, u2 concert tour Emirates, KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines and VivaAerobus offer international flights.
IAH is 23 miles north of downtown Houston, and transportation options include SuperShuttle, rental cars, taxis and a bus that picks up at the south side of Terminal C and drops off at the downtown metro station. A taxi to downtown Houston from IAH should cost $52.50.
u2 concert tour Country Inn Suites By Carlson, Houston Intercontinental Airport u2 concert tour East : This 62-room hotel, two miles from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, recently went through a $1 million renovation and now has more contemporary look and feel. Gone are the dated floral bedspreads in favor of textured solid red duvets.  There’s also enhanced lighting throughout the hotel and rooms have flatscreen TVs, refrigerators, microwaves, and free high-speed internet. The hotel also has a new fitness center, heated indoor pool and complimentary breakfast. I n February, nightly  rates at t his Category u2 concert tour 3 property start at $109 per night or 28,000 Gold Points.
Other Club Carlson properties in Houston include Country Inn Suites By Carlson Houston Intercontinental Airport South , Country Inn Suites By Carlson-Katy and a Park Inn by Radisson u2 concert tour in North Houston.
Hilton University of Houston : The only hotel located on the Houston University Campus, this hotel is actually attached u2 concert tour to the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, so students can get valuable hands-on training. Guestrooms have floor-to-ceiling windows providing panoramic views of the city, as well as 250-thread count sheets and contemporary furnishings. Eric’s Restaurant serves American cuisine with Mediterranean flair in a bistro-style setting. Guests also enjoy complimentary use of the nearby Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, which has basketball courts, an outdoor pool with waterfalls, and group fitness classes. WiFi at the hotel is complimentary. In February,   nightly  rates at this  Category 5 property u2 concert tour start at $179 or 40,000 HHonors Points.
Hilton Americas-Houston : This hotel is connected to the George R. Brown Convention Center u2 concert tour via two indoor skywalks and is sandwiched between u2 concert tour Discovery Green Park and the Toyota Center, home of the Houston Rockets. The modern, largely glass structure has 1,200 guestrooms that feature sleek contemporary furniture and spectacular city views. The hotel has a grand lobby with Italian marble and Venetian glass chandeliers and dining options include a coffee shop, The Café (known for elaborate buffet breakfasts) and an opulent u2 concert tour Lobby Bar that has an impressive tequila list and small bites. On the 23rd floor, the hotel has a 75-foot Olympic-size indoor pool, a spa and health club. In February, nightly rates at this   Category 6 property start at  $239 or 50,000 HHonors points.
Other Hilton properties in the metro area include Hilton Houston Plaza/Medical Center , Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake , Hilton Houston Westchase , Hilton Houston Southwest , Hilton Houston Post Oak , Hilton Houston North , and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Houston Hobby Airport .
Hyatt Regency Houston : Guestrooms at this downtown Houston hotel have a contemporary look, with modern furniture, a simple, neutral color palette and 32-inch flatscreen TV s. Built in 1972, the Hyatt’s rotating glass-walled restaurant, Spindletop , has become somewhat of a local landmark; make reservations for dinner and enjoy elegant seafood dishes and a 360-degree view of the city. Other dining options include Shula’s Steakhouse , owned by for former NFL Coach Don Shula, and an Einstein Bros Bagels.  The outdoor heated pool is an oasis in the city, but if Houston’s infamous heat and humidity start to get to you, you can always seek refuge in the air-conditioned, seven-mile u2 concert tour tunnel system; there’s an entrance to the underground shopping and dining destination in the hotel lobby. I n February, nightly rates at  t his Category 3 property start at $239 or 12,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points.
Other Hyatt properties in Houston include HYATT House Houston/Galleria , Hyatt North Houston , Hyatt Place Bush Intercontinental Airport , HYATT House Houston Energy Corridor ,  HYATT Place Houston/Sugar Land, Hyatt Market Street The Woodlands  and Hyatt Place Houston/The Woodlands .
Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria : Located in the trendy Uptown District, this boutique hotel is walking distance to upscale shopping at The Galleria , Texas’s largest shopping center. u2 concert tour The 131-guestroom hotel features cheerful coastal-inspired décor, including a blue-toned u2 concert tour color palette u2 concert tour and furnishings like white Adirondack