Thank you so much for these great ideas! Just what we were hoping for! We really appreciate the responses!!
Iāll second the Dallas Arboretum. Itās very very pretty in the spring.
If youāre not from Texas (Iām not but two if my kids have attended college there and one lived in Dallas for about a year) Buc-eeās is an experience.
Whenever I visit my son (UNT music major) I get kick out of the outrageous Dallas-area billboards as well.
You all know buc-ees is not just in Texas anymore. Right ??
While I prefer QT to Buc-ees Iām guessing OP not looking to spend a half day at any gas station.
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Can I add on a question about what to see or do or eat when visiting Rice? And where to stay?
I had read about Buc-eeās prior to our fall 2021 campus visits, but you have to see to believe. Wow.
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In defense of going before applying, we did that, several times. It was fun, and our sonās list was dialed. He didnāt apply to a single school that he wouldnāt attend. What happens if you get a handful of acceptances, go visit, and then find out your student doesnāt like any of them. 
Have fun!
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We went to our first Buc-eeās, in Daytona Beach, Florida, in October. Wow. My sister-in-law is very involved in local matters. She said traffic studies showed that ONE OUT OF ELEVEN travelers on the adjacent highway stop at this āgas station.ā I agree, you have to see it to believe it.
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Iāve been to College Station a handful of times as my brother in law lives there and is an A&M graduate. The town has tons of restaurants to cater to all the visitors and students but thereās not really much to see or do as a fun tourist activity. I DO recommend going to a Buc-eeās though! My bro loves his life in college station, been there over 20 years now and even he goes to Buc-eeās if heās going by one. He bought his smoker there! You could look for a fishing excursion if youāre into that.
Houston has around 30 schools, besides Rice, and amazing restaurants/sights, but you have a pretty set schedule already!
Wherever you go - do it with the Leon Bridges āTexas Sunā soundrack while driving!
My D gets a kick out of making college tour playlists for us. Our recent Nashville playlist was fun, lots of Dolly!
Have you booked flights already? If not, I would suggest flying into Houston and doing a Rice, TAMU, UT, Baylor and SMU path. If something is really compelling about TT, it is ok to go there but it is a lot of driving. If you have the interest, NASA is in the Houston area.
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Houston is so spread out that you really want to stay inside the loop (610) and better yet, in the the Museum District/Medical Center area. If you can get a decent rate at the Zaza (formerly the Warwick), the location is ideal, and you can walk to Rice as well as museums and Hermann Park. The Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, MFAH are the big three, but thereās also a good natural science museum and a number of smaller museums. On the Rice campus itself, check out James Turrellās Skyspace. The Rice Village is walkable from campus and has shops and restaurants, although many old favorites have been replaced by chains. The Pit Room is good for bbq; Hugoās serves wonderful interior Mexican food (neither of these is in the village, but both are within a short drive or Uber).
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Might as well consider Trinity and Southwestern.
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Wow thanks much.
Sorry that Iām coming to this thread a little late. I grew up in Austin and have since lived in Lubbock, Waco, and Dallas; youāve had some excellent suggestions here so far. A few additional thoughts FWIW:
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Getting between and around Houston/Dallas/Waco/Austin is not too bad, although the traffic on I-35 in Austin is atrocious at all times. Lubbock is a different story - itās a long, lonely drive of 5-6 hrs each way from either Waco or Dallas, with not much along the way. Keep an eye out as you pass through the tiny town of Trent on I-20; itās the only school Iāve ever heard of that has Gorillas as the mascot, and thereās a gorilla statue in front of the school. And there are wind farms. So, so many wind farms.
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As others have said, there is little to do in Lubbock. Aside from the university itself, Lubbock exists primarily to provide goods and services to all the farmers who live within a 200-mile radius or so, stretching over into New Mexico. So there are a disproportionate number of doctors and hospitals (itās not uncommon to hear of New Mexicans who travel 2+ hrs each way to their doctors in Lubbock), as well as chain restaurants. People are friendly and typically very religious - I know Lubbock once led the nation in churches per capita, probably still does.
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Austin has more good restaurants that you can count. Almost anything on South Congress will be worth your time, and I personally like the old favorite El Arroyo on West 6th. Barton Springs is a great experience, as long as you understand that the water will be really cold.
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Waco: Bummer that Magnolia will be closed. I second the Dr Pepper Museum. If you have time to kill, try the Waco Mammoth Site, where they have uncovered a bunch of woolly mammoth fossils right outside of town. Order the Jackie Chihuahua at Ninfaās downtown and get custard at Katieās on Valley Mills - youāre welcome.
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If you have to be in College Station, youāll probably be looking for reasons to leave :), so run over to the Blue Bell Ice Cream factory in Brenham. Each scoop $1.
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Agree with this advice! Definitely stay near the Medical Center or at ZaZa for the best Rice experience. Be aware that hotels in that area might cost a bit more than away from campus. If you follow some of the links on the Rice website you can often get discounts:
Also, I believe Zaza might have a Rice discount if you ask.
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