Your base for
NRG and Downtown.
You’re staying in OST–South Union, minutes by car from NRG Stadium and downtown Houston. This is your starting point for exploring the city by car or Uber, with a few Third Ward gems around the corner if you have time.
This guide is meant for anyone coming to an event at NRG Stadium (games, rodeo, concerts) or wanting to explore downtown Houston — not for walking block to block in the immediate area, which is mostly residential. Use a car or rideshare to get around; the Third Ward, just around the corner, has some of the most authentic stops in the city if you have extra time.
Everything, on the map.
All 24 spots from this guide, on the map. Tap a point to jump to it.
Eat with history.
Before or after the game — near NRG
Pappas Bar-B-Q
Texan classic since 1967 — brisket, ribs, and homemade sides, steps from the stadium. Straight from the car before the game.
Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
New Orleans-style seafood from the Pappas family, with its own location right across from the stadium — a Houston pre- and post-game classic.
Coffee, nearby.
OST–South Union doesn’t have its own coffee scene. For good coffee, Montrose (see Nightlife) and the Museum District are 15 minutes away by car.
Drink with history.
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Texas’ oldest craft brewery (since 1994) — daily tours with no reservation needed, beer garden with views of the Downtown skyline.
Shopping, by car.
The Galleria
The largest mall in Texas — over 400 stores, luxury brands (Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton), and an ice-skating rink under a glass roof.
Rice Village
A walkable 16-block shopping district next to Rice University — independent boutiques mixed with brands like Anthropologie and Warby Parker, plus a good restaurant scene.
You already have somewhere to stay.
Concierge Maia Home
Need anything during your stay — extra recommendations, reservations, or support? The Maia Home team is available on WhatsApp.
The basics, nearby.
CVS / Walgreens
For the basics — over-the-counter medicine, snacks, a charger. Both chains have branches scattered around Old Spanish Trail and nearby areas.
H-E-B
The lifelong Texan supermarket — just a few blocks from the property, good for stocking the kitchen if you're staying several days.
Museums and attractions.
NRG Stadium
Retractable roof, home of the Houston Texans, host of the Houston Rodeo, and one of the 2026 World Cup venues — the starting point of this guide.
Texas Medical Center
The largest medical complex in the world — over 47 institutions, including MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Children's Hospital, right next to NRG Park.
Project Row Houses
39 shotgun houses from the 1930s converted into art studios — since 1993, one of the most recognized community art projects in the US.
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Dinosaurs, gems, and a planetarium, in the heart of Hermann Park — one of the most-visited science museums in the US.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
One of the largest art museums in the US — nearly 80,000 works, from antiquity to contemporary art, with an Isamu Noguchi sculpture garden.
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
Contemporary art museum with no permanent collection — only temporary exhibitions, in an iconic steel building across from the MFAH. Always free admission.
Houston Zoo
Inside Hermann Park — the second most-visited zoo in the US, with over 6,000 animals across 55 acres.
Downtown Aquarium
Aquarium, restaurant, and rides all under one roof — a train that runs through a 200,000-gallon shark tank, white tigers, and a Ferris wheel facing Downtown.
Space Center Houston
NASA's official Johnson Space Center visitor center — the world's largest collection of lunar rocks and the historic Mission Control.
Astrodome
The
The Menil Collection
A free, world-class art museum in Montrose — Surrealism, documentary photography, and contemporary art, with the Rothko Chapel right next door.
Daikin Park y Toyota Center
The stadiums of the Astros (baseball, formerly
Distrito de Teatros
The second-largest theater district in the US by seat count — Wortham Theater Center (ballet, opera), Jones Hall (symphony), and Alley Theatre, all a few blocks apart.
Green space with history.
MacGregor Park
Historic park on Brays Bayou, with a Martin Luther King Jr. statue, tennis and basketball courts, and a tree-lined trail.
Discovery Green
The 12-acre urban park right in Downtown, next to the George R. Brown Convention Center — a lake, winter ice skating, food trucks, and year-round events.
Hermann Park
A 445-acre park right next to the Museum District — surrounded by the Houston Zoo, the Museum of Natural Science, and the Museum of Fine Arts, minutes from the Third Ward.
Buffalo Bayou Park + Cistern
A park along the bayou with skyline views, and the
Memorial Park
One of the largest urban parks in the US — running and biking trails, an arboretum, and golf, west of Downtown.
Neighborhood nightlife.
Montrose
Houston's most eclectic neighborhood — street murals, galleries, the city's historic
If you have a day to spare.
For when you don’t have an event at NRG that day and want to see something beyond the stadium and Downtown.
Coffee in Montrose
Start the day slow before crossing the city.
Project Row Houses
A walking tour through the shotgun houses turned into art.
Lunch at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen
New Orleans-style seafood, near NRG.
MacGregor Park
A loop along the bayou to close out the day.