Major Attractions in Houston

Splashtown, Houston Zoo, San Jacinto Battleground, Johnson Space Center & other Major Houston Attractions

There are many exciting things to do in Houston Texas. Family adventure begins at Splashtown, where Ramada IAH guests can enjoy all the fun and save with one of our great "Stay & Play" packages, or just by picking up your discount tickets at the front desk. Of course, everyone wants to tour the famous San Jacinto Battleground to see such an important piece of Texas and US history.

Catch a show in the Houston Theater District. With 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,480 movie seats, the Houston Theater District ranks second behind New York City for the number of theater seats in a concentrated downtown area. Enjoy downtown Houston and visit the many shops and restaurants along the way.

For a unique experience explore the Houston tunnel system which includes seventy-seven buildings, old and new, in the heart of downtown Houston. Experience a variety of restaurants, shops, and services located twenty feet beneath the streets of the nation's fourth largest city. The system is climate-controlled and features pedestrian walkways that link 95 full city blocks. Read the list that follows for more fun things to do in Houston.

Note that the selection list is in alphabetical order and indicates the distance to the attraction. For those who wish to scroll the entire list, it is in order by distance from the hotel.

Splashtown  •  10.8 mi

21300 Interstate 45, Spring, TX, 281-355-3300
SplashTown, located just minutes north of Houston in Spring, TX, features 15 rides and attractions with a combined slide total of 37. An impressive line-up of rides includes The Tornado, Texas Free Fall, and Thunder Run. For families, SplashTown offers Wild Wave Pool; Blue Lagoon Activity Pool with swings, geysers, water cannons, a diving rock, and waterfall; and Leaky Pipes children's activity center. Poolside, private, shaded cabanas are available making SplashTown a perfect tropical vacation location that's affordable and close to home.

Houston Tunnels  •  13.1 mi

11915 Cedarcliff Drive, Houston, TX 77070
Explore seventy-seven buildings, old and new, in the heart of downtown Houston, and experience the quantity and variety of restaurants, shops, and services located twenty feet beneath the streets of the nation's fourth largest city.

The Houston tunnel system is a system of tunnels 6 m (about 20 ft) below Houston's downtown street system. The system is 10 km long (6-7 mi depending on the source), and forms a network of subterranean, climate-controlled, pedestrian walkways that link 95 full city blocks.

Today's Tunnel is a series of underground passageways that, with above-ground skywalks, link office towers to hotels, banks, corporate and government offices, restaurants, retail stores, and the Theater District. Only one building, Wells Fargo Plaza, offers direct access from the street to the Tunnel; otherwise, other entry points are from street-level stairs, escalators, and elevators located inside buildings that are connected to the tunnel. Most of the tunnel system is located in the western half of downtown Houston.

Houston Zoo  •  16.5 mi

15350 JFK Blvd., Houston, TX 77032
The Houston Zoo is a 55-acre (220,000 m2) zoological park located within Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. Housing over 4,500 animals belonging to over 900 species, the zoo receives 1.6 million visitors each year and is the seventh most visited zoo in the nation.[1] The zoo is accredited by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) assuring the highest standards of animal care and husbandry.

Houston Theatre District  •  18.8 mi

More than two million people visit the Houston Theater District annually to experience its magic and excitement. With 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,480 movie seats, the Houston Theater District ranks second behind New York City for the number of theater seats in a concentrated downtown area. Houston is one of only five cities in the United States with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines of opera, ballet, music and theater.

The Gus S. Wortham Center, is home to the widely acclaimed Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera (the only opera company in the U.S. to win a Grammy, a Tony and an Emmy). The Wortham Center is a 437,000 square-foot facility that could fit a six-story building into the Grand Foyer and three football fields on the roof. Jones Hall provides the venue for the Houston Symphony.

• The Alley Theatre received the 1996 Tony Award for best regional theatre.
• Houston Grand Opera is the only opera company in the U.S. to win a Grammy, a Tony and an Emmy.
• Houston Ballet is the fifth largest ballet troupe in the country and the youngest of the major national dance companies in America.
• The Houston Symphony performs more than 200 concerts throughout the world for more than 300,000 people each year.
• Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is the largest non-profit producer of musical theater in America. TUTS' permanent downtown home-The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts-opened on May 10, 2002.

San Jacinto Battleground  •  19.5 mi

3523 Battleground Road, LaPorte TX 77571, 281-479-2431RESS
The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site holds a significant responsibility to preserve the proud history of the State of Texas and the United States. The famous Battle of San Jacinto that brought TEXAS its independence was fought on this site. Because of the great importance of the Battle to the course of history, the Battleground is of state, national and international significance, a fact that is attested to by the site's National Historic Landmark status.

The primary purpose of the 1,200-acre site is to commemorate the Battle and to preserve the Battleground on which Texian troops under General Sam Houston achieved the independence of Texas by defeating a Mexican Army led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna on April 21, 1836.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site consists of the Battleground, Monument and Battleship TEXAS. It is located within minutes of downtown Houston and a short distance to the beaches of Galveston Island. Millions of visitors come to this area each year to enjoy the mild coastal climate and cultural and sports activities. Students and visitors alike are most fortunate to be able to experience history first hand through living history at the San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship TEXAS State Historic Sites.

Space Center Houston  •  42.2 mi

1601 NASA Rd 1, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058-3199, 713-224-2100, 800-972-0369
At Johnson Space Center people can experience space - from its dramatic history and exciting present to its compelling future. Space Center Houston is the only place on Earth that gives guests an out-of-this-world journey through human adventures into space. Space Center Houston's unparalleled exhibits, attractions, special presentations and hands-on activities tell the story of NASA's manned space flight program. SCH is the only place in the world where visitors can see astronauts train for missions, touch a real moon rock, land a shuttle, and take a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA.