Space Centre Houston, the official visitor centre of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre, is the only place in the world where you can enter a replica space shuttle resting on top of the original shuttle carrier aircraft, NASA 905. This extraordinary re-creation gives a real insight into the workings of the shuttle, allowing visitors to walk through seven dynamic areas within the aircraft, including the flight deck, mid-deck and payload bay. And as if that wasn't excitement enough, a visit here also includes the chance to experience the sights and sounds of a real launch in the multi-screen Blast-Off theatre, an opportunity to take an interactive, virtual journey across the solar system and into the future of space exploration, and a 90 minute tram tour behind the scenes of NASA and Mission Control. 

Houston's downtown Museum District is the city's cultural heart, with venues exploring subjects ranging from natural science to the African-American experience. Particular highlights include the Menil Collection and the Museum of Fine Arts. 

Housed in buildings designed by architect Renzo Piano (and widely regarded as masterpieces of modern architecture), the Menil collection contains 15,000 works dating from the Paleolithic era to the present day, including an impressive collection of 20th Century surrealist art, a permanent installation of work by Cy Twombly and a chapel dedicated to the paintings of Mark Rothko.

With over 65,000 objects ranging from Antiquity to contemporary times, the Museum of Fine Arts is a place to return to time and again. However, must-see collections for a one-off visit include The Glassel Collection of African Gold, the 19th century paintings of the American wilderness, the displays of contemporary decorative arts and the textile and costume galleries, home to some exquisite examples of English and French haute couture. Architecture aficionados should also make a point of visiting the Museum's Cullinan Hall and Brown Pavilion, both of which were designed by that master of modernism, Mies van der Rohe.

Houston is an international city and its culinary scene reflects its ethnic diversity - at the last count there were 10,000 restaurants offering cuisine from more than 70 different countries and regions of the US. And it isn't just the variety that's impressive; many people also consider Houston to be America's food capital so, whether your taste is for waffles and chicken wings, Creole gumbo and jambalaya or European fusion, this is the perfect place to indulge your appetite!

Houston has plenty to tempt shoppers too, from the Art Deco splendour of the Rover Oaks Shopping Centre to the independent craft artists at the Houston Centre for Contemporary Craft. We make a special visit to Joann Fabric and Craft Store which boasts the city's best selection of fabrics, yarns, beads, scrapbooking, and paper crafting goods.

Galveston Island, lying fifty miles south of Houston on the Gulf of Mexico, is a relaxed retreat with mile upon mile of beaches and a wealth of stately historic homes belonging to generations of the most powerful families in Texas.  Although many of the island’s buildings were destroyed in the Great Storm of 1900 many, such as the 1859 Ashton Villa, 1892 Bishop's Palace and 1885 Moody Mansion did survive and offer a fascinating glimpse into turn of the century family life among Galveston's elite.

Other highlights include The Grand 1894 Opera House, ranked among the US's finest historical theaters, and the Rain Forest Pyramid at Moody Gardens. This fascinating tropical garden provides a rare, up-close and interactive experience with endangered plants and animals, ranging from Giant Amazon River Otters to Saki Monkeys and Chinese Alligators in an extraordinarily realistic replica of a real rain forest.

Historic Old Town Spring, just thirty minutes from Houston, shot to fame in the 1930s when the infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde robbed the town bank. (The bullet holes are still there today.) Today Old Town Spring is a charming little town filled with art galleries, antique stores and independent Victorian-style shops, including GRS Creations. Known as ‘the hidden quilt shop in Old Town Spring’, it has eleven rooms stocked with more than 18,000 bolts of fabric. Our visit to Old Town Spring includes time at this treasure trove, so make some room in your suitcase. 

San Antonio is the oldest and most beautiful of Texas’ major cities. Historic mission churches and repurposed industrial landmarks combine with cutting edge museums, bustling markets, a buzzing restaurant and bar scene, and a cosmopolitan mix of peoples and cultures. There is so much to see – here are some suggestions for your free time

Downtown

As well as San Antonio’s most iconic sights, Downtown also offers treats such as the Briscoe Western Art Museum which tells the story of cowboys, Hispanic settlers and Native Americans and depicts the fall of the Alamo through a fascinating diorama. Make time too for a stroll along the famous River Walk, a network of waterside pathways tucked below street level. The meandering paths are lined with cafes and gardens and criss-crossed with cypress-shaped footbridges. 

Alamo Heights

This historic neighbourhood is full of grand, Spanish colonial houses, vintage shops and the McNay Art Museum. The permanent collection of Texas’ first modern art museum contains works by many of 19th and 20th greatest names including Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso, Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keefe. 

East Side

San Antonio's East Side neighbourhood has all kinds of claims to fame – Joan Rivers was born here, and one corner even inspired the Doobie Brother's song ‘China Grove.’ But its real history and heart comes from the Black community, who have been calling the East Side home since the Civil War. You can learn about this history at the African American Community Archive and Museum. Jazz fans shouldn’t miss the Carver Community Centre, the early 20th century music hall where blues and jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington played.

King William Historic District/Southtown

This pretty Victorian neighbourhood is full of beautiful old homes including the magnificent Italianate mansion, Villa Finale. Built in 1876 it is filled with historic decorative objects and antiques.  

Westside

This is the place to try Tex-Mex cuisine – a blend of Mexican, Spanish, and southern American cooking styles first created in local Tejano kitchens. Work up an appetite with a stroll through the streets to see numerous examples of ‘muralismo’, a form of street art dating back to pre-Colombian Central American cultures and made famous as an expression of Chicano identity and politics after the Mexican Revolution.