I’ve recommended the Space Center to friends that have gone to visit and they usually enjoy it (at least they say they do): http://www.spacecenter.org/

I moved away from Houston 6 years ago, so I don’t remember specific food places all that well, but I definitely miss the Tex-Mex and bbq. It won’t be hard to find good places to eat.

Houston is admittedly nut the most tourist friendly town, but those who live here (or most anyway) know that there’s a lot to do and see. Running down the typical list of attractions, Houston has great museums (particularly MFAH) and they’re mostly clustered in the museum district, which is really accessible from the light rail. Herman Park (good place to just walk around) and the Houston Zoo (not top notch, but up to the standard you’d expect from a big city zoo) are right in that same area. Space Center Houston is certainly a unique attraction, but the exhibits are geared more for kids. The tour is the real attraction. I’ve never been to the San Jacinto monument and museum, but I’m told it’s worth seeing and a real piece of Texas history. There’s also a battleship there you can take a tour of. That’s down on the ship channel. If you want to see some alligators, you can go to Brazos Bend State Park, but that’d be a short drive out of town. Downtown has some nice areas that are worth walking around, if you go over to the theater district and down by Buffalo Bayou. The city had dumped some money into landscaping around there. The Aquarium is over there. I’ve never been inside, so I can’t vouch for it. They have some rides and stuff for kids. For places to go out and get a drink, there’s a few pretty good bars on Main St (Flying Saucer would be my rec if you like a big beer selection-there will assuredly be fans of both teams there before and after the games) just a few blocks from the stadium. A few more blocks south is the Houston Pavilion, with some good happy hour spots, some restaurants, a House of Blues, and a Lucky Strikes bowling alley. Houston has awesome food. We’re a huge city with lots of money, people from every corner of the world, and a reputation for healthy waste lines. I could fill pages with recommendations for all price points and cuisines, so I wouldn’t even know where to begin. If you post back with some preferences, I’d be happy to give some pointers.

Hopefully you’ll have a good time and find the people of Houston to be welcoming and friendly. Only thing I can guarantee is that it’ll be hot and humid. Have fun!

Thanks for the input, guys!