<p>In mid Feb, I have to be in Houston and D has the time off, so we will be there 3-4 days and would like to visit Rice. </p>
<p>Aside from a tour, any great recommendations for visiting Rice and Houston? </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>The museums! They’re right in the neighborhood. You might want to search for other threads on this topic, what to see in Houston while visiting Rice. It’s been discussed before.</p>
<p>Also, you ought to take some time to go to the Rice village. It’s about 2 minutes driving time away from campus (I would say that it’s within walking-distance, but it is a little far from the heart of the campus). The Rice village is a consists of a lot of different shops and restaurants.</p>
<p>zoo, museums, light rail, shiva indian restaurant, all walkable from Rice</p>
<p>Visit Montrose in Houston…its not too far from Rice, but its pretty cool. Its just an area of Houston with a lot of cute shops, and a lot cheaper than Rice Village. Also, chinatown here is good too, so you should definitely check that out.</p>
<p>Bumping this to see if anyone else has any suggestions for a Houston visit in mid March. We’ll have an extra day besides visiting the campus and was wondering what to see as a Houston tourist?</p>
<p>Mid-march?? It’s got to be the rodeo!</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> - Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo](<a href=“http://www.hlsr.com%5DWelcome”>http://www.hlsr.com)</p>
<p>^^YES!! If you’re going in mid-march, the Rodeo is a MUST! It’s a classic annual festival here in Houston.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, partake of the amazing array of restaurants. “No eating at big, national chains” should be your mantra.</p>
<p>There’s also the Theater District, downtown. Here’s the schedule for March: [Houston</a> Theater District - Calendar and Event Registration Information for Houston Texas US about Performing Arts and Entertainment](<a href=“http://www.houstontheaterdistrict.org/en/calendarevents/monthly.asp?date=3/13/2010]Houston”>http://www.houstontheaterdistrict.org/en/calendarevents/monthly.asp?date=3/13/2010)</p>
<p>There’s so much to see in Houston – from the Holocaust Museum to the Art Museum – but how about really exploring the campus, visiting Fondren Library and imagining where you’d want to one day study, ordering a snack at Brochstein Pavilion, checking out the bookstore, finding unexpected places to sit down and chat, talking to the students you meet along the way and asking them about their favorite places… See for yourself why Princeton Review gave its number one spot for Quality of Living to Rice.<br>
Enjoy!</p>
<p>Stop by the rec center, for sure! Menil museum, too…</p>
<p>Check the Shepperd School of Music calendar [Shepherd</a> School of Music - Rice University](<a href=“http://music.rice.edu/calendar/index.shtml]Shepherd”>http://music.rice.edu/calendar/index.shtml)
for any performances while you are there. They have world class conservatory students and some remarkable concerts.</p>
<p>The Menil Museum … [The</a> Menil Collection](<a href=“http://www.menil.org%5DThe”>http://www.menil.org) … and how could I have forgotten the new rec center! Not to mention taking in a Shepherd School performance, as suggested … and it might be helpful to pick up a Rice Thresher to see if there are any plays, musicals, lectures that sound interesting.</p>
<p>If you have a car and are willing to brave the Houston traffic, visit the Space Center</p>
<p>[Space</a> Center Houston](<a href=“http://www.spacecenter.org/]Space”>http://www.spacecenter.org/)</p>
<p>I second the Space Center. My family spent most of an afternoon there last spring. We took the tour. There were times the guides gave me goosebumps and I’m not one that really follows NASA news.</p>
<p>We also drove down to Galveston. We’re from Ohio and any time we get the chance to see the ocean we do. </p>
<p>Oh, and IMO, Houston traffic is overrated. If you are from a major city you’ve been through traffic like you’ll find in Houston.</p>