Houston: Five Must See Sites

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest city in the United States with more than 2.1 million people living within the city and six million people in the metropolitan area. The city welcomes more than seven million visitors each year that visit the numerous Houston tourist attractions. Some of the most notable attractions in Texas such as the Johnson Space Center are located in Houston. Here are the top five tourist attractions not to miss in Houston.

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

"Houston, we have a problem." Made famous by such space programs as Apollo, the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is center for NASA's human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The space complex houses 100 buildings on 1,620 acres of land. While on a Texas vacation, tourists can visit Mission Control and take a tour of the place that is also home to the Untied States astronaut corps. Many people wouldn't even think of sight-seeing in Houston without a trip to the space center.

Houston Zoo

More than 1.6 million vacationers tour this zoo ever year in order to visit with the more than 6,000 animals that call this zoo home. Situated on 55 acres within Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo is the seventh most visited zoo in the United States. As one of the main Houston tourist attractions, the zoo allows visitors to get an up close and personal view of the more than 900 species living on the grounds. Wild-life plays an important role in the environment and everyday life, therefore viewing these animals while sight-seeing in Houston is an educational and fun experience.

Museum District

What is better than one museum filled with art, science, and cultural artifacts? Try 18 museums that welcome more than 8.7 million visitors each year. The Houston Museum District is a collection of 18 buildings that consist of museums, galleries, cultural centers and community organizations. Each of these attractions in Texas offer free admission during certain hours, and 11 of the museum offer free admission all day. Tourists may even need to extend their Texas vacation in order to see all that the Museum District has to offer.

Bayou Place

Located in the Houston Theater District, the Bayou Place was formerly the Albert Thomas convention center. Reopened in 1997, the 130,000 square foot entertainment center is home to numerous bars, theaters, and restaurants. Whether a tourist is looking to do some sight-seeing in Houston or relax in one of the many restaurants, this destination has a little bit of something for everyone. The main Houston tourist attractions include the Hard Rock Café, Verizon Wireless Theater, and Sundance Cinemas.

Downtown Aquarium

If the Houston zoo did not provide enough wild-life entertainment during a Texas vacation, the Downtown Aquarium is sure to fix this. This unique aquarium was constructed out of two existing buildings: Fire Station No. 1 and the Central Waterworks Building. Housing more than 200 aquatic species in more than 500,000 gallons of water, the aquarium is situated on six acres in downtown Houston. The aquarium joins many of the other attractions in Texas as a great source for education and entertainment.