How to spend 72 Hours In houston, TX: a weekend getaway
Houston, Texas is a destination with a lot to offer, and with only 72 hours to explore, it can be overwhelming. But by stepping out of your comfort zone, you can experience a familiar place in a new light. In this blog post, we’ll share our experience of spending three days in Houston and discovering new places to stay, how to get around, and where to eat. When thinking of adventures, Houston, Texas isn’t normally what comes to mind. Would you take a chance on experiencing a familiar place in a new light by stepping out of your comfort zone?
After a few months of playing it safe and avoiding travel, we decided to take a quick trip to Houston, TX to kick off the Summer.
Houston is a HUGE city with so many things to do that it can be overwhelming, especially with only 72 hours to explore. To make the best of it, we wanted to have an experience unlike any previous visits.
Adventure starts by stepping out of your comfort zone.
Getting There
The great thing about Houston, TX is that it’s a hub city for quite a few major airlines. You can find a flight at literally any time for a fairly reasonable price. Something I have noticed is that plane tickets from more southern states tend to be significantly cheaper than those from up north.
I booked a flight from Atlanta, GA (ATL) to Houston Intercontinental (IAH) via Southwest Airlines two weeks before the trip. I used my handy airline points left over from pre-pandemic travels. They came in handy because flights were super expensive due to the uptick in travel this summer.
I met up with a friend at the airport and rented a car from Avis Car Rental. When visiting Houston, I would definitely recommend renting a car because Ubers become very expensive. The city is very spread out, so it can take you an hour to get somewhere 10 miles away at times. Also, be prepared to sit in traffic (A lot of traffic).
The Housing
Being a typical traveler, I always stay in hotels or Airbnbs when I’m away from home. This time I was craving something different. Since this was a last minute trip, I decided to check out alternative housing options. There was one type that I had been curious about for a while, hostels. I did a quick search and immediately found one in Houston called Wanderstay.
Since I knew nothing about hostels, I relied heavily on reviews and pictures. From the reviews it looked clean and appeared to be safe. That’s all it took and I booked two non-refundable rooms: The Female Dorm that sleeps 10 and the Diverse City Dorm that sleeps 4. I chose these two because they had bathrooms attached. They also had a few other similar options and private rooms.
The hostel was located in the Museum District at 4018 Chartres St. The neighborhood around the hostel was quiet our entire stay. We parked on the street upon arrival to go check the place out and behind the gate the rest of our stay. From the outside it just looked like someone’s home, but they totally transformed the inside space. There were a few social areas inside and a lounge area out back with hammocks.
Virtual check-in is available if you don’t arrive before their workers leave. We arrived right before one of the girls working the front desk left. She gave us the rules of the house and liability agreements to sign.
I also purchased gated parking as well as a lock and key for my locker.
She showed us around the house which included a lounge area out back and social areas in the front, along with some bedrooms and a full bathroom. Then we went upstairs where there were more bedrooms and a stocked kitchen where people could also hang out.
We had no intentions of using any of the common spaces, but for people who want to have the full hostel experience, I think they were pretty nice.
The rooms looked just like they did in the pictures. All of them had bunk beds, some with more than others. The room and bathroom were clean and luckily so were all of my roommates. It was a full house, but you wouldn’t have known it without looking because everyone was very respectful of each other. I was pleasantly surprised.
I did use the locker to store my purse at the end of the night. The lock was just to make me feel good, no one else used one.
The whole place was cute and simple. Perfect for a short trip and very affordable. Staying in a hostel was definitely an experience for me and I’m glad I took the opportunity to try it out. Wanderstay is a Black Female owned business
Once housing is settled, it’s time to hit the streets of Houston!
The Food
One of the best things about Houston is that it is one big melting pot. There are people from all over the world that have settled there and opened their own businesses. There is a wide variety of options available. Enjoy a combination of all types of restaurants from large to family owned. You won’t be disappointed.
After a long day of travel on Friday I was in the mood for sushi. I did a quick search on yelp and found RA Sushi Bar Restaurant on Westheimer.
I didn’t make a reservation and got a seat and service immediately. They have high top tables, booths and bar seating available. I got the Hot Night Roll, Filet Mignon Skewers and the Agedashi Tofu.
The skewers were seasoned very well and were tender. My favorite appetizer though was the tofu. The chili sauce gave it a sweet spicy taste. You definitely have to like tofu to enjoy it. The sushi was fresh. It was neatly prepared and presented. I would definitely recommend it.
On Friday night we wanted to try something different. Again I used Yelp and stumbled across Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant. This was my first time trying Ethiopian food and I was not disappointed.
From the outside it looked like a small family owned place. When you first walk in it’s a wide open space full of tables and a bar. One of the owners met us at the door and asked where we would like to sit. They have the main part of the restaurant and then in the back there’s a whole different vibe. It’s more like a lounge with darker lighting and colors. I liked the atmosphere in the back so we grabbed a seat back there.
We didn’t know what to order, so we asked for suggestions. Our host brought out a sampler called the Meat & Veggie Combo. It was SO good. First of all, there were only two of us and that plate could have fed four people. Everything on the plate was good. You also can eat with your hands and it’s not frowned upon, which was pretty fun.
We ate as much as we could and then we ordered some of the honey wine. It’s a homemade wine infused with a sweet honey. AMAZING! It tasted like you were drinking the honey itself. It also comes in cute glasses you can drink out of.
I enjoyed the food and the vibe. If I wasn’t so tired I would have tried the hookah as well. There was no better way to wrap up our travel day than with an amazing dinner.
We woke up early Saturday moring and made our way to a popular Houston restaurant not far from where we were staying called The Breakfast Klub.
You have to find parking if you drive and there is ALWAYS a line. We got there around 7:15AM and there was already a line down the sidewalk. The restaurant opened at 8AM. Although there is a wait, they have a good system going. There were water stations and workers keeping the morale up outside. You can tell they’ve been doing this for a while because the inside runs like a well oiled machine. The line moved pretty fast once the doors opened.
You need to look at the menu before going inside because they take your order at the counter. They already had a seat ready for us and the food came out like 5 minutes later.
I ordered biscuits and gravy and my friend ordered the chicken and waffles.
The chicken was really good. The biscuits and gravy were not my favorite, but on my last visit I had the shrimp and grits and they were really good.
This was one of those restaurants visited because of the hype, so if you’re into that type of thing this is your place.
For lunch we visited a local chain called The Chicken Shack. You walk in and order all of your food before finding a seat. They had a huge menu and it was overwhelming to decide at that moment, so I went with a chicken salad. I got fried chicken with spicy habanero sauce and honey mustard dressing.
I was pleasantly surprised when I got my bowl. It really looked as good as it tasted. My only regret was getting the chicken a bit too spicy (I believe I ordered hot). I love spicy food, but that was a little bit above what I would like.
Overall everyone I was with enjoyed their dishes and we left full and in desperate need of a nap.
Saturday night was reserved for bar food. We visited a cool place called Loft18. I’ll talk about the bar later, but for now we will focus on the food. It’s a great place to have your pre-game snack. I ordered the Loaded Nachos and some on their Beignet Fries. It was a wonderful combination of sweet and savory.
After a long night of drinking we ended up at Cantina La Calle on Main Street. It’s right in the midst of all of the bars and you could tell it was a hot spot. They had seating, but it was packed so you may or may not get lucky.
They had the classic street tacos as well as a few other Mexican favorites. I stuck with the tacos, and I was satisfied. They also have really good margaritas if you’re keeping the party going.
We got up early again on Sunday morning. (Because who needs sleep on vacation?) There was a small cafe behind the place we were staying called Urban Coffee.
It’s a super cute little spot that serves coffee, teas, lattes and smoothies. They also have fresh baked pastries everyday. I got myself a matcha latte and a green smoothie.
They have small tables perfect for 2 or 3 people to sit. It definitely gave me journaling vibes, and a few people were using it as a wifi spot. If you stay at the same spot that we did, you should stop by.
For our last meal in Houston we had lunch at Gen Korean BBQ. No reservations are required, but we got there at opening and it filled up fast. This place had a great vibe and atmosphere.
On Sunday it’s all you can eat for a dinner price, and trust me it’s worth it. They brought out five plates at a time and you can order as much as you want. The menu was huge if you eat meat. They have A LOT of it. From pork intestines to beef belly, you have the opportunity to try all kinds of things you may never try otherwise.
We spent a whole 2 hours in this place and they don’t rush you out. The whole experience is about taking the time to enjoy your food. I give this place a 10/10 and definitely recommend it.
The food scene in Houston is too big for you not to get out and try something you’ve never had before, even if it’s just once. Get out and Yelp your way to a great spot.
Stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to an unforgettable adventure, and spending 72 hours in Houston, Texas was no exception. From trying out a new type of accommodation to sampling different cuisines, Houston is a city that has a lot to offer, and we highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and unique getaway.