10 Things to do in Houston

Michelle K. Pickett shares 10 things to do in Houston.

When I first saw the topic for this post, I immediately started writing about Michigan, which is an awesome place to visit. It’s where I was born and raised, so even though I’ve been in Texas for nearly nine years, I still think of it as home. So I can probably give you a handful of things to do without stopping to think… so if you want my take on Michigan, email me. ☺

Everything we do in Houston, or the area, is family oriented, so if you’re looking for fun, nightlife stuff… I got off that train a while ago. LOL.

So here are ten fun things, or places, in Houston or the surrounding area that my family enjoys…

The downtown aquarium. It’s AWESOME. I put it first because I think it’s my favorite place to visit. I love going with my son, who plans to go to school for marine biology. He can narrate the different species of fish in each exhibit. Not only is the aquarium an incredible place for our family to visit (and eat. The dining room is beautiful), but it gives us an opportunity to connect with our son about something he loves… so that makes the aquarium amazing by itself.
Okay, what list of fun things would be complete without visit to the zoo? We buy a yearly membership so we can visit whenever we’d like. We usually pack a picnic to eat on the lawn. Our zoo just opened a new Gorilla exhibit that’s really nice. It has a children’s zoo that is great. There’s a giraffe feeding area (love this!), and finally, the thing I love most, a bat habitat.
Nasa! The Johnson Space center is located near Houston. We love visiting. You can walk into a real shuttle, feel a moon rock, and they always have some kind of exhibit that kids (and adults!) will love. There’s also a Tram ride through the grounds
The Woodlands Waterway is a touristy thing to do. The Woodlands is just a little drive from Houston. It has shopping, restaurants, the boathouse, movies, there’s always something cool going on at the Pavilion and more.
Sea World isn’t in Houston, but I couldn’t leave it off my list. It’s just cool. We don’t make it there often, but we have an awesome time when we do.
Houston Museum of Natural Science has a little bit of everything, including a planetarium, and a butterfly exhibit, which is where you’ll find me hanging out and relaxing with the hundreds of butterflies and the awesomely cool praying mantis. The only thing that would make it better? Bats! Which brings me to number seven…
Want to see 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats? Well, yeah! Every night bats fly from the Waugh Bridge near Buffalo Bayou to eat their fill of mosquitos. I love bats! Oh, and if you go early while people are still out and about, you can scare the crap out of them by making the bayou burp (Located in Buffalo Bayou, beneath the Preston Street Bridge.)
The Children’s Museum is the first place my family visited when we moved to the Houston area. They loved getting to touch and use the exhibits. It’s a great interactive place to take your kids, they get the excitement of things like the robotic station, and you know you’ve taken them somewhere educational.
Walk the Kemah Boardwalk. It has gorgeous views of the water, with awesome restaurants, gift shops, and rides. You can even see fireworks if you visit on a Friday night during the summer.
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center is a great place to spend the day. You can even take your dog! It’s located on the western edge of Memorial Park. I like the birding classes they offer, too. This is a great place to go if you don’t want to spend a lot of money. The five miles of trails are free to walk, and include a pond, forest, wetland and meadow. The Discovery Center has hands on things to entertain the family, and is where my kids want to go. I like spending my time on the trails.

So there you go. My ten things to do while you’re in Houston. But I have one more thing that you need to visit: The Texas Book Festival, held in Austin each year. Yeah, I know it isn’t in Houston, but it’s an awesome thing to do if you’re a book lover, or author, or blogger, or kid, or… well, you know, everyone!

Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Gillian. I really enjoyed sharing the things my family loves to do, and it made me realize just how great my city, and state, is!

Meet Michelle in person

If you live in the Houston area, come see me! I’ll be signing the Milayna Series at the Spook-tacular Book Bash, October 24th from 11am – 3pm, the Grand Palace in Spring, TX.

Bring your own books, or buy them there. I’m scheduled to sign Milayna and Milayna’s Angel, but if you have other books of mine, bring them and I’ll sign them too. Oh, and I’ll be holding a drawing for a HUGH prize basket with books, SWAG, and more!

Milayna’s Angel (The Milayna Series, Book 2) by Michelle K. Pickett
Published: July 7th, 2015
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Genre: YAm Paranormal Romance
Content Warning: Adult language and violence
Recommended Age: 16+

Synopsis:

Now that the battle with Hell’s angel, Azazel, has ended, you’d think eighteen-year-old Milayna’s life would take a turn for the better. After all, what could be worse than having the angel of Hell trying to steal your soul? Plenty. Abaddon, the demon of destruction, is angry that Azazel failed to convert Milayna before her demi-angel powers matured. Now she’s untouchable… or so she thinks. It seems even in Hell, there are loopholes.

Not only is her life in danger, but her love life is crumbling, too. Just when Milayna and fellow demi-angel Chay get comfortable on their little cloud of bliss, Xavier comes to town. He’s one angel that’s as hot as the very embers of Hell, and he has his sights set on Milayna.

Now she has the demon of destruction out to kill her, Xavier out to steal her heart, and she still has to take final exams before she can graduate high school.

Sometimes life sucks, even if you are half angel.

Purchase on Amazon | Add to Goodreads

Sometimes life sucks, even if you are half angel. #YA #Paranormal #Romance #CleanTeen Milayna’s Angel by Michelle K. Pickett

About the Author

Michelle is the bestselling author of the young adult novel “PODs.” She was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in a sleepy suburb outside Houston with her extremely supportive husband, three school-aged children, a 125 pound “lap dog,” and a very snooty cat.

Red Bull or Monster Khaos are her coffee of choice, and she can’t write without peanut butter M&Ms and a hoodie. A hopeful romantic; she loves a swoon-worthy ending that will give her butterflies for days. She writes across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups. She loves to hear from her readers.

Michelle signed her new young adult contemporary novel— Unspeakable, with Clean Teen Publishing in 2014.

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