<p>I am visiting Rice next week- </p>
<p>Can you somebody please give me a recommendation on
WHAT I SHOULD DEFINITELY DO/VISIT AT HOUSTON ?</p>
<p>Also, is there an easy-to-use public transportation around Houston?
Would you recommend a rent car for going around?</p>
<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERING!!!!!!!!!!!! IT REALLY HELPS A PROSPECTIVE RICE STUDENT!!!!!</p>
<p>There are plenty of things to do in Houston, as I’m sure any Rice student could tell you. Houston isn’t really a touristy city, so most of the points of interest will be things you could find in other very large cities with Houstonian/Texan twist, (stuff like the Beer Can House etc.) but you’ll find fun nonetheless. For instance, I’m a foodie, so I end up at Central Market every weekend…especially on Saturday! Most of the actual tourist attractions lie at the outer fringes of the city or outside of the city, like NASA, Galveston and the San Jacinto monument. It’s really all a matter of your interests. Here are some starting points for you: [Things</a> to Do in Houston - Houston Attractions - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g56003-Activities-oa20-Houston_Texas.html#TtD]Things”>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g56003-Activities-oa20-Houston_Texas.html#TtD)</p>
<p>[Houston</a> Restaurants, Dentists, Bars, Beauty Salons, Doctors](<a href=“http://www.yelp.com/houston]Houston”>http://www.yelp.com/houston)</p>
<p>[Visit</a> Houston Texas - Tourism, Houston Events, Special Offers, Info & More! - Greater Houston CVB](<a href=“http://www.visithoustontexas.com/]Visit”>http://www.visithoustontexas.com/)</p>
<p>[Houston</a> Things To Do - Houston Attractions - VirtualTourist.com](<a href=“http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Texas/Houston-878298/Things_To_Do-Houston-TG-C-1.html]Houston”>http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/United_States_of_America/Texas/Houston-878298/Things_To_Do-Houston-TG-C-1.html)</p>
<p>pimouse – you don’t need to shout at us! I suggest you use the search function, as this question has been answered a multitude of times.</p>
<p>However, you should be sure to visit Rice Village (the 16-block shopping/dining area next to campus), see some great museums (Museum of Fine Arts Houston and Houston Museum of Natural Science, 2 of many located close to Rice), visit downtown and stop at Discovery Green, see the Galleria, eat at some great restaurants, visit Memorial Park and/or Hermann Park (zoo), etc.</p>
<p>Houston is a car-oriented city, so you can definitely see more with a car! If you don’t have one you can still visit quite a few of the above sites by foot/light rail.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visit!</p>
<p>Eat at Barnaby’s. It’s awesome. =)</p>
<p>blackeyedsusan,
I am visiting Rice with my son for Owl Days later this week and I am staying at the Best Western on Main St., not too far from the campus. I was thinking of checking out Rice Village and wondering if you could give me your best guesstimate as to how long a walk it would be from the Best Western to the Village? I can’t tell from the Rice Campus and area maps. Thanks!</p>
<p>momof3sons – do you mean the Best Western that’s south of Braes Bayou (at Main St/Kirby)? That’s a little too far to walk from there, but you can definitely walk to Rice Village from the Rice campus. (It’s a little less than a mile from the far side of campus, and closer if you’re on the west side.) Or you could take the light rail to Rice’s campus and go from there. Here’s a website about Rice Village: [Rice</a> Village](<a href=“http://www.ricevillageonline.com%5DRice”>http://www.ricevillageonline.com)</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you need any other info for your visit.</p>
<p>Actually, I just looked at Google maps and it looks like you might be referring to the Best Western right in the Medical Center (just north of Holcombe)? If so, that should be about a 20 - 25 minute walk to Rice Village. For what it’s worth, you might be interested in knowing that there’s a new cupcake bakery on University Blvd between Rice and Rice Village called Celebrity Cupcake that might be worth checking out! 
<a href=“http://celebritycupcakes.com/[/url]”>http://celebritycupcakes.com/</a></p>
<p>Thanks! I do mean the Best Western that’s on Main St. near the Medical Center. A 20-25 minute walk is quite doable for me and a new cupcake bakery would certainly be worth more than just “checking out.” 
Hmmm, thinking about suitable breakfast cupcakes, lunch cupcakes…LOL</p>
<p>momof3sons, please be aware that the tree pollen count is very high at this time of the year. If you or anyone in your party have allergies, you will be absolutely miserable if you walk from the Best Western to Rice or the Rice Village.</p>
<p>Stop in at Ruggles for some great food in the village… yum…</p>
<p>Thanks for the pollen alert. DS and I both have seasonal allergies, and he will be bringing along several meds. It’s already been a pretty bad season in our neck of the woods, too, and every time I have checked on the weather for Houston during the next few days, the first thing that pops up is the high pollen alert. :(</p>
<p>blackeyedsusan,
I’m just back from Houston and what a shock! I “happened” to find my way to Celebrity Cupcake. I chatted with the owners and they were quite pleased that their establishment was being discussed in an online forum.</p>
<p>Too funny! Is there any way I can get a free cupcake out of that? Hope you had a good visit.</p>