<p>Visiting Rice next weekend and flying in from the northeast, staying near campus/Rice Village for a couple of nights and then my son is overnighting on campus, sitting in on classes etc. Would like to visit NASA, a couple of the museums, maybe the zoo, maybe downtown. Has anyone had experience with the light rail service near campus? And/or has anyone done this with taxis? Hoping to avoid car rental. Also - any recommendations for typically Texan dining (ie TexMex or barbeque) near campus/in Rice Village etc. Any tips appreciated - a little late doing major research on this. </p>
<p>The zoo is across the street, so within walking distance, as I believe some museums are too. Downtown is a very short bus ride (or train ride, don’t recall which at the moment). S says that downtown isn’t much, certainly not a tourist area.</p>
<p>My S uses the train and buses frequently. While things tend to run roughly on time, as with any public transportation, don’t schedule your time tightly. </p>
<p>Lots of good food in the area :-)</p>
<p>Where are you from?</p>
<p>@crazymomster - thanks. We’re from New York.</p>
<p>Well when your are done, post a report of the school please! My 2ds applied but we don’t know much about it other than web. I was in the campus once, lovely area, but that’s about it. </p>
<p>Don’t forget about the Rice buses. As far as I know they don’t check ID’s, but you should probably confirm. Zip cars are available on campus if you want to rent a car for a few hours but don’t want the hassle of a rental car to and from the airport. <a href=“http://transportation.rice.edu/”>http://transportation.rice.edu/</a></p>
<p>My favorite Tex-Mex is El Real Tex Mex Cafe, <a href=“http://elrealtexmex.com/”>http://elrealtexmex.com/</a> The restaurant is a converted old movie theater, and I’ve been following the restaurant ever since the concept was first announced. </p>
<p>If you want BBQ, try Goode’s BBQ, <a href=“Goode Co. Barbeque Restaurant | Slow-Smoking Meats Since 1977”>http://www.goodecompany.com/restaurant-bbq1.asp</a> Goode’s is an old Houston institution, and they do the BBQ catering for Rice University. </p>
<p>We had pretty good meals at Hungry’s Cafe in Rice Village <a href=“http://hungryscafe.com/”>About - Hungry's, and also at Amazon Grill (close to Goode’s BBQ) <a href=“Cordua.com”>Cordua.com;
<p>I’m offering these restaurant suggestions, but I don’t know how you would get to either one without a car. Maybe some of these are near a Rice bus, public bus, or the light rail.</p>
<p>The museums and zoo are literally across the street from the school, so weather permitting you could walk once you are on campus.</p>
<p>Best wishes and good luck on the trip! I hope that your son enjoys the school.</p>
<p>@3tallblonds
My son will be there also next Sun 16-Tue18. He’ll stay 2 nights on campus during Vision 2014 and he’s going alone. When he comes back I’ll be more than happy to post his experience.</p>
<p>Thank you @sciencegirlmom - lots of goodies in your post! That Zip Car idea is really interesting, too.</p>
<p>@rampions
Please, when you go home from Houston let us know how you liked it. I’d like to hear from you also. </p>
<p>My brother went to Rice, so I’m really familiar with the area. I visited Houston again back in October and spent the whole day in the Museum District. I’m usually very bad with directions, however, I found walking through Downtown on my own relatively easy. The museums are all within a few blocks from each other, however, to get back to Rice you have to take the street train. There are two separate rail stations in the Museum District, one North-bound and one South-bound. Be sure to take the North-bound train & get off at the Hermann Park station which is 2-3 stations away, it is right next to the main entrance to the Rice Campus. The Zoo is also really close by as well but I haven’t been there in years. Just thought I would share my tips! I hope you enjoy your visit!</p>