| set 13 miles from downtown houston, this high-end hotel in a bustling commercial area along highway 290 is 8 miles from the houston arboretum & nature center. check-in time: 3:00 pmcheck-out time: 12:00 pm. refined rooms offer flat-screen tvs, wi-fi and minifridges. suites add media rooms with projector screens and recliners. upgraded 2-bedroom suites have wet bars, and designer linens and furnishings. some have sofabeds and/or keurig coffeemakers. there's also a 24/7 gym, and 30,000 sq ft of event space. amenities include 2 chic restaurants, 1 themed after classic film star audrey hepburn, and a coffee shop, plus a lazy river, an outdoor pool with a fountain, and poolside cabanas
William
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens (12 min)
American decorative arts & paintings displayed in a historic home set in a serene 14-acre garden. Hermann Park (17 min)
Expansive park featuring a golf course, Japanese garden, a natural science museum & a kiddie train. Houston Arboretum & Nature Center (12 min)
155-acre urban green space offering nature trails, exhibits, workshops & events in various habitats. Downtown Aquarium (15 min)
Sprawling spot for sea life, including touch pools, shark tank & displays of aquatic ecosystems. Memorial Park (8 min)
Expansive city park with lush natural features, popular running trail, golf course & lots of shade. Buffalo Bayou Park (14 min)
Winding, 160-acre green space featuring views of the Houston skyline plus a fountain & a skate park. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (17 min)
Distinct campus & sculpture garden with notable art from antiquity to today, plus films & programs. Houston Zoo (21 min)
Visitors can see 6,000+ animals in natural habitat-style exhibits & watch daily care & feedings. Discovery Green (18 min)
Park with live music, public art, restaurants, playground, pond for kayaking & exercise classes. Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park (12 min)
Park whose centerpiece is a 64-ft.-tall fountain circulating 11,000 gallons of water every minute. Art Car Museum (13 min)
Museum of elaborately decorated cars & contemporary art with a scrap-metal & chrome exterior. Beer Can House (12 min)
Guided tours are given at this folk art house built from 1968–1988 using 50,000+ recycled beer cans. Houston Museum of Natural Science (19 min)
Museum with dinosaur hall & other permanent exhibits, planetarium, IMAX theater & butterfly house. The Menil Collection (19 min)
Over 16,000 pieces of art & artifacts from the Paleolithic era to the present in a historic space. Children's Museum of Houston (19 min)
Bustling family museum with a wealth of hands-on activities such as a Bubble Lab & a Tot Spot. | 
