Fun Facts

The lightning whelk is the official state shell of Texas

The King Ranch in Texas covers an area larger than the state of Rhode Island

Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center offers more than a million square feet of rentable space.

Your Itinerary

If You Have Two Hours
Consider it the Disney experience. The Health Museum debuts Houston’s first 4-D Theater with surround sound, high-definition film and plus environmental special effects including mist, wind, lightning and aroma. Put on your 3-D glasses for the first film, opening Sept. 6. It takes viewers on a virtual journey into the inner workings of a human lymphocite cell as it battles cancer. No cliffhanger here – the body triumphs (713.521.1515, thehealthmuseum.org).

If You Have 2 Days
Save money and avoid lines with Houston’s new CityPass. Tickets to the top eight attractions in Houston – the first Southwestern city to be included -- are offered in each coupon booklet, whether you’re a visitor or resident. The booklet that’s pocket-sized and thinner than an iPod offers up to half-off on Space Center Houston, (pictured) the Children’s Museum, the Houston Zoo, the Downtown Aquarium and the four-generation cattle-to-oil baron spread of the George Ranch. Plus, you get attraction information, maps, best times to visit – and the ability to avoid most ticket queues. Treat yourself to a mini-vacation by staying at Hotel ZaZa and checking out five attractions within walking distance of the hotel, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Museum of Contemporary Art and the Houston Museum of Natural Science (888-330-5008, www.VisitHoustonTexas.com or www.citypass.com). 

If You Have a Long Weekend
Before famed architects I.M. Pei, Philip Johnson and Mies van der Rohe contributed to Houston’s skyline, Alfred C. Finn collaborated with the city’s early developer, Jesse H. Jones. An exhibit of 200-plus photographs and artifacts captures not only their work, but other architectural gems, businesses and notables from 1885 to 1945. The show, “Developing Houston: Photographic Treasures from the Cecil Thomson Collection,’’ is displayed at San Jacinto Museum of History in LaPorte, off Houston’s Ship Channel. While there, explore the museum’s permanent collection, take the 489-foot ride to the top of the San Jacinto Monument, view the film “Texas Forever!! The Battle of San Jacinto’’ and explore the 1,200-acre battleground (through May 2009, 281.479.2431, tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/battleship_texas/).

Convention & Visitor's Bureau