Houston is a large metropolis in Texas, extending to Galveston Bay. It’s closely linked with the Space Center Houston, the coastal visitor center at NASA’s astronaut training and flight control complex. The city’s relatively compact Downtown includes the Theater District home to the renowned Houston Grand Opera; the Historic District with 19th-century architecture and upscale restaurants; and the Museum District containing 19 world-class museums. Here is our guide to Houston, Texas.

STAY

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL A sleek and modern property with a leather-and-glass lobby featuring a chic bourbon bar and indoor golf simulator. The spa and gym now have a couple’s suite, nail bar, and top-of-the-line facial treatments.

THE ST. REGIS A stone's throw from the Galleria and the traffic-congested streets of Houston, yet this sprawling property is a quiet oasis. On weekends, the hotel's Remington Bar draws a crowd with live music and dancing.

THE HOUSTONIAN Set on 18 acres of woodland, this refined hotel, part of which was once the residence of President George H.W. Bush, includes an upscale restaurant, a cafe, a lively poolside bar and grill, as well as a fitness club, 3 pools, a rock-climbing wall, a boxing ring, and 8 tennis courts. 111 N Post Oak Ln; houstonian.com

LA COLOMBE D’OR Set in a 1920s mansion, this posh boutique hotel has 5 suites, all lavishly decorated with art and antique furniture. Amenities include an upscale European restaurant and an art gallery with works by masters such as Picasso, plus a cocktail bar and library for coffee/afternoon tea. 3410 Montrose Blvd; lacolombedor.com

HOTEL ALESSANDRA A new addition to Downtown Houston, Hotel Alessandra is a modern building with a rooftop bar.

HOTEL ZAZA Hotel ZaZa is situated in Houston's Museum District with eclectically designed rooms, an outdoor pool, and spa.

POST OAK HOTEL Businessman Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Houston Rockets, aspires to provide the global traveler with the ultimate respite with his new hotel, the Post Oak. Complete with a 20,000-bottle wine cellar, a Rolls-Royce showroom, and a library designed in partnership with book publisher Assouline. The hotel has four restaurants, including the state's only Mastro's Steakhouse, a patisserie, and an opulent cocktail bar.

HOTEL ICON Housed in a neoclassical bank building from 1911 and maintains much of its original period touches.

ARTS | CULTURE

ROTHKO CHAPEL This small nondenominational church and gallery in the compound of the Menil Collection display fourteen all-black tableaux by Mark Rothko. There are weekly events like sound meditations and yoga on the plaza, but a moment alone is the best way to experience it all.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS Split across seven buildings, Houston's Museum of Fine Arts is one of the largest museums in the US, with a catalog that chronicles over 6,000 years of history. The Caroline Wiess Law Building is the main attraction— itt is the permanent residence of artworks ranging from pre-Columbian and Oceanic artifacts to modern and contemporary works by artists such as Jackson Pollock and James Turrell. Outside, stretch your legs in the beautifully landscaped Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen sculpture garden, dotted with pieces by Henri Matisse and Louis Bourgeois.

CULLEN SCULPTURE GARDEN A tranquil oasis of art and nature, the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden showcases masterworks of 20th- and 21st-century sculpture by artists including Louise Bourgeois, Pietro Consagra, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Auguste Rodin, and David Smith. This garden was created by sculptor Isamu Noguchi. “I had a revelation of the earth outdoors as a new way of conceiving sculpture,” Noguchi once wrote, and he described his gardens as “sculpture for sculpture.” His plan for the Cullen Sculpture Garden was a modern approach to the traditional idea of a garden—framed by concrete walls ranging in height, the works of sculpture are complemented by native trees, bamboo, and flowering crepe myrtle.

JAMES TURRELL SKYSPACE James Turrell's installation on the campus of Rice University is a sleek steel-and-stone structure that projects an LED light sequence from an open ceiling, so you can gaze up and see the muted pastel lights interplay with the changing colors of the sky above. Plan ahead to reserve the most coveted time slots, at sunrise or sunset. During these hours, the inflamed sky melds with Turrell's installation for a hallowed hour of gorgeous light.

THE MENIL COLLECTION The Menil Campus is comprised of several buildings: the Rothko Chapel, the Cy Twombly Gallery, the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall, and the main building (of permanent collections) designed by Renzo Piano. Stop by Bistro Menil for lunch after a morning touring the museum.

CY TWOMBLY GALLERY Just across the street from the Menil’s main building, the Cy Twombly Gallery pays tribute to the late modern artist best known for his enormous, graffiti-esque abstract paintings. Opened in 1995, the museum is another Renzo Piano commission and sticks faithfully to the Menil’s minimalist aesthetic of natural light, wooden ceilings, and white oak floors. Inside, you’ll find a retrospective of Twombly’s impressive career dating, from 1953 to 2004, with a collection of paintings and sculptures handpicked by the artist himself.

HOUSTON BALLET The Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is the fourth-largest professional ballet company in the United States, located inside the Wortham Theater Center.

SPACE CENTER HOUSTON The Space Center Houston is a science museum that serves as the official visitor center of NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. It earned a place as a Smithsonian Affiliate museum in 2014.

BUFFALO BAYOU Houston’s version of New York City's Central Park, complete with hidden art installations. Look for the lunar lights that change from blue to white in accordance with the phases of the moon, or the breathtaking Tolerance sculptures—hollow human figures constructed of letters by artist Jaume Plensa. The park's best kept secret is the underground cistern, which once served as Houston's first underground drinking-water reservoir.

DINE | DRINK

TINY BOXWOODS  A cafe serving classic breakfast & lunch fare amidst lush greenery & an outdoor patio.

UCHI James Beard Award-winning chef Tyson Cole serves small and inventive Japanese dishes using a mix of local ingredients and nonlocal seafood. Order the Hot Rock (they bring Wagyu beef and a hot rock to your table and cook the meat in front of you), and the madai from the sushi menu.

THE DUNLAVY A grand restaurant in Buffalo Bayou lit with hanging chandeliers. Only for special events.

THE ORIGINAL NINFA’S ON NAVIGATION A 1970s Tex-Mex staple. 2704 Navigation Blvd; ninfas.com

CARACOL Coastal Mexican food with an emphasis on seafood by Chef Hugo Ortega. The word "caracol" means "snail" in Spanish, an ode to chef Hugo Ortega's memories of ceviche de caracol served fresh in his brother's kitchen in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The seafood dishes on the menu follow a familiar route—fresh, sentimental seafood, served with obvious care and love. A custom wood-burning oven allows the house specials to shine: whole roasted fish and wood-grilled oysters topped with chipotle butter. For dessert, the El Coco, a series of chocolates, handmade by chef Ortega's brother Ruben Ortega and served in the shell of a cocoa pod to be cracked open with a little wooden hammer. w.

XOCHI Oaxacan classics are served including homemade queso fresco, nixtamal, and earthy moles.

CUCHARA A taqueria with festive decor and live mariachi bands.

LOCAL FOODS As the name implies, a sandwich shop using fresh, local ingredients.

STATE OF GRACE State of Grace is located inside a refurbished shopping mall with a menu reminiscent of an elevated version of the Houston food court. Crawfish and lobster hushpuppies share the menu with K-town fried chicken, cheese enchiladas, and squid ink pasta.

BRASSERIE DU PARC Spacious industrial-chic cafe serving upscale French cuisine & crêpes, plus wine & craft cocktails with a copper bar and views of Discovery Green.

KILLEN’S A famed Texas barbecue joint.

ANVIL BAR & REFUGE A classic cocktail bar.

JULEP For a touch of Southern sophistication, this cocktail bar offers its namesake mint juleps with oysters.

EIGHT ROW FLINT Set in an old gas station, the industrial joint is beloved for its bourbon and elevated tacos.

BRASSERIE 19 Sophisticated French brasserie with New American influences, iPad wine lists & hopping social scene. 1962 W Gray St; brasserie19.com

TONY PAPPAS STEAKHOUSE An award-winning steakhouse serving dry-aged prime beef, seafood & exceptional wines. 5839 Westheimer Rd; pappasbros.com/home

THE ANNIE A bustling bar & eatery for classic drinks & American-Southwestern eats in an ornate dining room. 1800 Post Oak Blvd Suite 6170; theanniehouston.com

SHOP

GALLERIA A 2.4 million square feet mall with 400 boutiques, including the usual European suspects- Gucci, Céline, and Dolce & Gabbana as well as full-scale department stores like Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom, and twelve restaurants, including the only Fig & Olive in Texas, plus a movie theater and an ice rink.

THE WEBSTER The Webster’s third location is located in a 5,000 square foot building called the “Jewel box” and offers a refined and unique selection of various brands men’s, women’s and accessories including Alexander Wang, Aurelie Bidermann, Chloe, Givenchy, Pierre Hardy, Maison Rabih Kayrouz, Olympia Le Tan, Rosie Assoulin, Sonia Rykiel, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Valentino – as well as many more, including exclusive limited pieces from various designers and capsule collections. 5045 Westheimer Rd # X09; thewebster.us

RIVER OAKS DISTRICT River Oaks District is an outdoor shopping complex of global luxury brands in Houston, Texas, comprising 252,000 square feet of retail space with boutique styled shops, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and an iPic movie theater among an expanding list of tenants. 4444 Westheimer Rd; riveroaksdistrict.com

CHEEKY VINTAGE Charming shop for women's attire, jewelry & bags from the '40s to '90s (including designer labels). 2134 Richmond Ave; cheeky-vintage.myshopify.com

KICK PLEAT Originally from Austin, this boutique stocks curated labels like Creatures of Comfort, Apiece Apart, and Rachel Comey.

TOOTSIES When Mickey Rosmarin opened an independent T-shirt shop in the early 1970s, he had no idea he would eventually come to set the bar for Houston's entire shopping landscape, introducing the city to designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Andrew Gn, and Kenzo. Now a resident of the West Avenue River Oaks shopping center, Tootsies is a three-story boutique that draws in the best of American and European couture, ready-to-wear, jewelry, and accessories. Come here for Attico robes, Saint Laurent shoes, and an encyclopedic collection of Chloé handbags.

ANN MASHBURN A boutique wiht offerings from the designer’s namesake label alongside pieces from Jil Sander, J Brand, and Italian toiletries by Ortigia Sicilia.

KUHL-LINSCOMB Houston’s answer to ABC Carpet: a string of bungalows stocked with mod furnishings (Knoll, Eames), decorative pieces, and ample, bespoke grooming lines.

ABEJAS HOUSTON  A unique women's boutique selling everything from Home & Loft Istanbul robes, Péro jackets (hand-beaded in India) and classic Ray Bans.

FOUND FOR THE HOME Curated shopping destination spread across 5 storefronts offering apparel, housewares, gifts & art.

Text: Veronica H. Speck, Amber Elliott (Editor, Houston Chronicle) Photo: Twilight Epiphany, Rice University © James Turrell / Photography by Florian Holzherr