This post is in collaboration with Hotel Derek.
Sometimes I don't spend long in a city when I visit, but I try my best to make it as fun as if I spent a week there. I want to share with you how you can have a blast in a new city, even if you don't spend more than two days there! I only had 36 hours in Houston for the weekend, but I jam-packed it full of fun, don't you worry!
This past weekend, my friends and I decided to have a girls' weekend in Houston, Texas. Being from Dallas, I don't make my way down to HTX as often as I'd like, truly only about a handful of times. So once we decided we'd be visiting this city, I was so thrilled!
I knew there were so many good places to eat, shop, site-see and spend time. But where to start? What could I do in the short amount of time that I'd be there?
I wanted to put together a post for you of all the places I went to in my short weekend trip, especially the ones I would visit again and recommend! So here we go, here's the place you should stay, the shops you should visit, the museums you should go to, the sites you should see, the food you should eat, and more!
Find a Great Place to Stay
We first checked into the Hotel Derek, which is located in the perfect area to get around. We were 15 minutes or less from just about everything we went to, and the valet was so quick to bring our cars around when we needed it.
The whole place had the chicest decorations and vibes. I loved it. The lobby was a place I would legit want to just sit down and chill in, read my latest book, or catch up with a good friend.
Hotel Derek even has a great list of local places to make sure you visit while you're in the area (I definitely checked out their recommendations
Shop Locally
While you're in Houston, find cute little shops that are Houston (or Texan) we decided to shop around Rice Village, which is such a charming little area. All huge fans of Kendra Scott, we decided to make a day of it and grab some presents for the people on our shopping list!
A few of my favorite Houston Shops are:
Eat Well
OH boy. Here we go. My favorite topic. The reason I travel most of the time.
Food is definitely what I plan most of my trips around. No, I'm serious. I love food so much and when you go to new cities, it can really tell you so much about the culture there and what the city has to offer.
A few of my favorite Houston Restaurants are:
Take Photos
I hate to sound like your mother, but you're going to take a trip and wish you took more photos: of the places you went to, of the people you spent your time with. Just remember to use that camera on your phone and snap a pick with your bestie at lunch, or your mom as you go site-seeing. You miss 100% off the photos you don't take (pretty sure Wayne Gretzky said that one.)
In this case, we hired a local photographer Lauren, friend of Emily's (who was amazing to work with) so that we could get some content while we were all together, and it was so much fun! It's still such a fun treat to see my Instagram friends I met online turn into such awesome friends in real life, and do what we love to do: dress up and laugh with each other (sometimes in front of the camera). It's so easy to get in contact with local photographers and they know what they're doing, so you'll for sure get a finished product that you'll be happy with for years and years.
Treat Yo Self
Saturday night after dinner, we ordered in room service for desserts (because treat yo self, that's why) and they were so good, and it's so fun to still have those fun sleepover moments with your gal pals as an adult, right? So room service dessert and wine was the best way to wind down the day! That paired with a few hallmark holiday movies, after a bath bomb in the tub for a good soak?! Count me in!
Wake Up, Refresh, and You're Ready for the Day!
And then you're on your way! In just 36 hours, you'll be able to explore Houston in such a fun way and feel like you got a weekend well-spent with friends!
I really hope you enjoyed the crash-course guide to Houston, comment below with any additional recommendations you have for this a non-Houstonian! I'd love to hear the places I should visit and sites I should see during my next visit to H-Town! And as always, go back in my Instagram highlights to relive the fun we had that weekend!
xo,
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