Itching to get out of town, Austinites? Skip those pesky airport security lines and jump in your car for a road trip to Houston instead. From watching the Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park to a mole flight at Xochi, we’re spilling all the details on how to have an unforgettable time in H-town.

📍 Essential info
Drive time: ~3 hours
Year city was established: 1836
Est. population: 2.4 million

A photo of Ed Sheeran performing to a packed crowd at Minute Maid Park. — Houston's Minute Maid Park has a massive capacity of 51,000. | Photo by ATXtoday

Experience

The Galleria
Put on your shopping shoes and treat yourself at the largest shopping mall in Texas.

Minute Maid Park
Depending on the day you visit, you can catch either a Houston Astros game or a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.

The Museum District
Peruse Houston’s impressive array of exhibits in the Museum District, which houses 19 museums within walking distance of one another. Don’t miss the Contemporary Arts Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.

NASA Space Center Houston
All ages are invited to learn about the history of human space travel through more than 400 space artifacts, exhibits, and experiences.

Rothko Chapel
View several original Rothko paintings for free in this completely silent building. Editor’s pick: have a seat and revel in the chapel’s silence and see what you can find.

Two decorative shrimp tostadas with flowers on top. — Xochi is pronounced "so-chee" after Xochitl, Goddess of the Flowers. | Photo by @xochihou

Eat + drink

Nancy’s Hustle
This East Downtown New American bistro is famous for its “Nancy-cakes,” served with butter and trout roe, and is nominated for the James Beard Award’s Outstanding Wine Program.

notsuoH

This enormous, eclectic bar and art project in Downtown Houston is filled to the brim with sculptures and leftover artifacts from nearby businesses of yore. Figi here — you could spend hours inside and not see everything there is to see inside notsuoH.

Phat Eatery
Try some Malaysian street food crafted by James Beard Award-nominated chef Alex Au-Yeung — with dishes including roti canai and curry crawfish — at an affordable price.

Street to Kitchen
Run by Best Chef: Texas nominee Benchawan Painter, Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen is famous for its drunken noodles, Panang curries, and basil chicken.

The homey atmosphere inside Squable pairs well with a melon margarita and good conversation. | Photo by ATXtoday

Squable

A great place for weeknight dinner or weekend brunch, the casual European fare serves incredible beef fat tater tots, kanpachi crudo, and melon margaritas.

Tatemó
Nominated for a host of awards — including by James Beard, Esquire, and the Houston Chronicle — Tatemó is known for its heirloom nixtamalized corn tortillas and BYOB tasting menu nights.

Xochi
This Mexican restaurant highlights Oaxacan cuisine, including mole flights and seafood plates, made by James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega.

A blue door next to a garage and plants on a tiny little townhouse in Houston. — Stay in this quaint little Montrose townhome for $75 per night. | Photo via VRBO

Stay

Hotel ZaZa
Stay in Houston’s massive Museum District near Montrose at this luxe-yet-Texan hotel, which has a sister location here in Austin.

The Houstonian
This lavish hotel is surrounded by 27 acres of woods, and has a full spa, multiple restaurants, shopping, and a resort pool.

Midtown Townhome
This quaint little pied-à-terre has everything two visitors need in the walkable Montrose area, all for a low price.

Wait a minute, Austinites. Before you head out the door, find the cheapest places to fill up your gas tank and stock up on road trip snacks from Buc-ee’s.