My Hometown: A Travel Hotspot?

Growing up in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston was definitely not the most thrilling experience of my life. Granted, I love my house and love where I live. Needless to say, it is B-O-R-I-N-G.

I guess because of that, I associate the whole city of Houston as being boring and therefore was appalled when I found an article by Nicole Frehsee from Budget Travel Magazine naming Houston as one of the Top Budget Travel Destinations for 2011.

How can it be?! I mean, my brother lives downtown and I know he enjoys the life there, but still, I have never considered Houston a tourist hot-spot.

Courtesy of Google Images.

Also on this list were some great places including Dublin, Ireland; Lisbon, Portugal; Tallinn, Estonia; Colombia; Shanghai, China; Sri Lanka; Jamaica; and Banff in Alberta, Canada. These all sound pretty amazing to me, so how did Houston manage to sneak on to the list?!

Well, according to Frehsee, Houston is a highly budget friendly city.

"Houston is home to Texas's biggest shopping mall at 2.2 million square feet; 56,000 acres of green space; and the third most Fortune 500 companies in the country, but when it comes to prices, the U.S.'s fourth-largest city is all about scaling down," she said.

According to a Hotwire.com report, hotel rates in Houston have dropped 5% since 2009 and it is possible to find a four-star hotel room for only $96 a night in the city. I guess that's pretty commendable. You go H-town!

The city also has over 8,000 restaurants in conjunction with an average meal price more than $2.50 lower than the national average. I guess that is why I am so well-fed at home! One of my personal favorites? Check out Catalan Food and Wine for some delicious and gourmet Spanish-inspired food. I went there in December for my mom's birthday, and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. I guess I am just proving to myself how awesome Houston actually is. Oh, and the best part of the meal? For my mom's birthday they brought out two giant martini glasses of COTTON CANDY!

Photo Courtesy of Stacey Scheff

Anyways, back to the fabulosity and budget-friendliness of Houston. Besides pigging out on cheaper than average gourmet food, there is much to do in Houston. The CityPASS offers you a choice of six attractions around Houston for only $39. These include Space Center Houston, Downtown Aquarium, the Houston Museum of Natural Science (a personal favorite of mine), the Houston Zoo, The Health Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The Children's Museum of Houston (also a personal favorite).

Children's Museum of Houston. Photo Courtesy of Google Images.

CityPASS offers passes for a multitude of cities, and Houston's pass is by far the cheapest. Rock on Houston!

So bloggers,if you are going to come stop by the city that raised me, my best advice would be DO NOT GO IN THE SUMMER! It is hot and humid and gross. I would definitely suggest springtime, particularly March because you can get a true taste of Texas by going to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The best part about coming to Houston is that 33 cities in the United States have non-stop flight to Houston on Southwest. How cool is that?!

So I guess I stand corrected. Houston seems to me to be a great city to visit on a budget. Just make sure you don't go over your budget with all of that shopping around!

Hmmm...maybe my next staycation will be in Houston this summer. Do you have any plans of coming to Houston? I would love to play tour guide!