A thriving business center, the city has become increasingly cosmopolitan, with an influx of diverse ethnic groups and a strong emphasis on the arts. Opera, ballet, symphony and theater are all top-notch, and museums abound.
The midday heat is easily escaped inside the numerous attractions and shopping areas, particularly in the pedestrian-friendly 6.5-mile underground city or Galleria, the city’s holy grail of retail. Have lunch there and take the kids to its own indoor ice-rink.
Since you’re in the place that broadcast man’s first step on the moon, you may want to pay a visit to Space Center Houston, where you’ll be whisked into outer space through simulations and films. Once back on earth, you can hop on the tram to the complex’s NASA/Johnson Space Center to watch astronauts and engineers at work and in training.