With more than 7 million residents in its Metro area, Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the United States and a remarkable cosmopolitan destination. The city is home to a respected 19-institution museum district, award-winning performing arts groups, professional sports teams, a vast offering of international cuisine, and Space Center Houston the official visitors centre for NASA Johnson Space Center.
Here are some of the new and upcoming openings and developments that make Houston the place to visit in 2024!
World’s Largest Rodeo and World’s Championship BBQ Contest
RODEOHOUSTON, the world’s largest livestock show and rodeo takes place in Houston every year for three weeks. Visitors from across the world come to experience Western heritage in the nation’s fourth largest city.
The annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and World’s Championship Bar-B-Q ue Contest returns in 2024 with more than 250 barbecue teams competing for the coveted championship from 22 – 24 February 2024 prior to the world’s largest Rodeo from 27 February – 17 March 2024 at NRG Park. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo takes place in the afternoon followed by a live concert every night with a great line up of star entertainers. Concert line up will be announced on January 11, 2024
Established as the Houston Fat Stock Show in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has grown into the world’s largest event of its kind. With more than 34,000 livestock and horse show entries recorded, the Rodeo hosts exhibitors of all ages from across Texas, as well as several international competitors, trying for a chance to become a Houston champion.
Tickets for the 2024 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo are now available via rodeohouston.com
HOTELS
Thompson Houston – Located along Allen Parkway, just minutes from Downtown, the brand-new hotel will open early 2024. A new built, this 36-story luxury hotel offers 172 guest rooms, including 34 upscale suites with stunning views of the Houston skyline or Buffalo Bayou Park. Hotel amenities include event space, several destination restaurants, a private heliport, a full-service spa, and one of the city’s largest pool decks.
Hotel Saint Augustine – (Opening Fall 2024) Located in the heart of the Museum District in Houston’s Montrose neighbourhood, Hotel Saint Augustine will be a brand new build, set to open in late 2024. Bunkhouse group’s first project in Houston, Hotel Saint Augustine will be spread across five small buildings over two floors and feature 71 rooms, an all-day restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, intimate lobby bar, small event space, cloistered circular courtyard pool, and listening room. Bunkhouse is collaborating on the interior design with New York based award-winning studio, Post Company, taking inspiration from the subtle balance of dichotomies in the Museum District and in Houston itself — historic and modern, contemporary and classical, a love of history and a forward-thinking sensibility.
The acclaimed group is also partnering with renowned architecture firm and longtime collaborators Lake|Flato on the architecture, while Austin-based landscape architects Ten Eyck will be responsible for the lush grounds and gardens throughout the property, along with winding pathways and outdoor spaces integrated around significant existing trees. www.bunkhousehotels.com/hotel-saint-augustine
Great Wolf Lodge Gulf Coast Texas – The waterpark resort company is bringing the family fun resort to the Houston region with a new Great Wolf Lodge Resort scheduled for opening in late 2024 in Webster, a Houston suburb. The 532-room resort with 95.000 square-foot indoor water park, 58.000 square-foot Great Wolf Adventure Park and several dining options, will sit on 27 acres east of the Gulf Freeway and south of the NASA Bypass. Great Wolf Lodge Gulf Coast Texas will be opened year-round with attractions and amenities for families and visitors of all ages.
ATTRACTIONS / MUSEUMS
Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, EGMH, is the first ever museum, in the Americas dedicated to preserving and promoting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of nonviolent conflict resolution. EGMH proudly pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and Father of modern-day India. The museum opened on the 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on Oct 2nd 2023. The museum is housed on a 3-acre parcel of land in Southwest Houston and the outer walls of the semi-circle-shaped museum depict various peace activists including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Betty Williams, and more. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi stands in front of the museum.
The 5th and newest permanent installation of Meow Wolf will be opening in Houston in 2024, in the 5th Ward community, a neighbourhood just northeast of Downtown. As with other installations, Meow Wolf is working with local artists, more than 30 mostly from the Houston area, whose identities reflect Houston’s diversity for a Meow Wolf experience for all ages unlike any other. https://meowwolf.com/visit/houston
The popular entertainment destination Museum of Illusions debuted its Houston location, inside The Galleria shopping center, on September 1, 2023. For the Houston museum a collaboration with local based artist Donkeeboy (Alex Roman Jr.) resulted on two of his iconic works of art included within the museum’s exhibits. The Museum of Illusions in Houston features more than 60 exhibits in a space of 6.000 square feet, that includes the multi-faceted installation “Grand Illusions” – one of the concept’s primary attractions.
Museum of Illusions Photography
RESTAURANTS/BARS
Pitmaster Leonard Botello IV of TRUTH BBQ, has unveiled his newest addition to the beloved restaurant’s Houston location – a fully stocked bar with a focus on rustic modern design and a rare bourbon collection, complete with inventive “bar bites” that are breaking the mold of what a classic Texas ‘cue spot typically offers. An extensive offer of bourbon and whiskeys line the bar for the perfect BBQ pairing.
The newly opened Annabelle Brasserie restaurant from Berg Hospitality Group anchors the mixed-use Autry Park development on Buffalo Bayou Park, offering a delicious French cuisine menu and some of the best views of the park. https://www.annabellebrasserie.com/
PLAN YOUR OWN HOUSTON EXPERIENCE
The Houston Marketplace makes it easy for visitors to find, purchase and experience great family activities and things to do in Houston. The platform allows people to search and add a variety of experiences that range from museum passes, tours and top attractions like Space Center Houston and the Downtown Aquarium. Beer enthusiasts can also purchase a Brew Pass, available for 1 or 3 days, and experience some of the best local breweries.
For more information on Houston’s wide variety of hotel accommodations, from the budget conscious to five-diamond luxury to attractions, events, restaurants and to find everything you need to plan your trip, please visit www.VisitHouston.com.
