Locations in Houston: Best Of

1/4 Price Books

3820 S. Shepherd Dr. Lower Shepherd-Kirby

713-520-5009

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

2 articles

Adolf Hoepfl & Son

4610 N. Shepherd Dr. Outer Loop - NE

713-695-5071

Services, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

AIDS Foundation Houston

3202 Weslayan Annex Greenway Plaza

713-623-6796

Services, Best Of, Sponsor

3 articles

Alley Theatre

615 Texas Ave. Downtown/ Midtown

713-220-5700

Theaters, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

The Alley Theatre is the grand dame of Houston theaters. Easily the most visible theater in the city, the downtown institution offers new plays and classics alike in two facilities: the 824-seat Hubbard Stage and the 310-seat Neuhaus Stage. It's one of the country's few theaters to support an entire company -actors, designers and craftspeople - full-time, throughout the year. Even those who don't go for theater have likely seen a production at the Alley - and they've likely enjoyed it, as well.

115 articles

American Apparel

1665 Westheimer Montrose

713-521-7171

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Any Occasion Party Rental

5714 Bissonnet St. Outer Loop - SW

713-662-9724

Services, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Arena Theatre

7326 Southwest Freeway Outer Loop - SW

713-772-5900

Music Venues, Performing Arts Venues, Theaters, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

With a capacity of about 2,750, Sharpstown's Arena Theatre is the redheaded stepchild of Houston music venues. Even with all the competition it has these days, the Arena manages to keep the lights on most nights out of the month. Its calendar is constantly crowded with music across a wide variety of styles, including R&B, blues, country, rap, Latin and rock, plus comedy, boxing and MMA fighting. The seats are comfortable, the concessions are reasonable (even the cocktails), the sound is clean, the rotating stage never ceases to be a novelty and the gallery of posters for past shows in the walkway leading from the parking garage is second to none.

16 events 65 articles

Asia Society Texas Center

1370 Southmore Blvd., Ste. 205 Greenway Plaza

713-496-9901

Community Venues, Services, Best Of, Sponsor

13 events 28 articles

Bedrock City Comic Company - Westheimer

6516 Westheimer Rd. Galleria

713-780-0675

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

16 articles

Blue Line Bike Lab

3302 White Oak Dr. Heights

713-802-1707

Health and Fitness, Best Of, Sponsor, Readers' Choice

6 articles

Blue Willow Bookstore

14532 Memorial Dr. Memorial

281-497-8675

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

12 articles

Brazos Bookstore

2421 Bissonnet Kirby-West U

713-523-0701

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

26 articles

Buffalo Wild Wings

3939 Washington Ave. Heights

832-356-2980

American, Bar Food, Grill, Best Of, Sponsor

Buffalo Wild Wings was founded in 1982 when a guy from Buffalo, New York traveled to Ohio to judge an amateur figure skating competition and failed to find any wings that measured up to the ones at home. Now B-Dubs, as it likes to call itself, has spread to nearly every state in the U.S. with more than 600 locations, including Houston, where it's easy to find on Voice Places. The yellow-and-black logo features a buffalo that has sprouted majestic wings, but make no mistake--it's strictly chicken here, available in regular or boneless varieties in 21 flavors from Garlic Parmesan and Caribbean Jerk to Asian Zing and the simply named but much feared Blazin'. Every location features a plethora of televisions for your sports-watching needs and a plentiful selection of beer on tap.

1 article

The Catastrophic Theatre

1119 E. Freeway Downtown/ Midtown

713-522-2723

Theaters, Best Of, Sponsor

Catastrophic Theatre, which emerged out of the ashes of Infernal Bridegroom in 2007, is focused on exposing Houston to new, often collaboratively produced works (and the occasional nudity). Their seasons are often on the short end, but their productions - shown at their facility in a former industrial building just north of downtown - are top-notch. Their commitment is to Houston, but Catastrophic's plays often draw national and international attention, as with their 2010 production of Bluefinger. Additionally, artistic director Jason Nodler has been the recipient of a Houston Press MasterMind award.

7 articles

Central Market

3815 Westheimer Greenway Plaza

713-386-1700

Retail, Services, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

179 articles

CityCentre

800 Town and Country Blvd. Outer Loop - NW

713-629-5200

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

12 articles

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

5216 Montrose Blvd. Montrose

713-284-8250

Museums, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston's motto is "Always fresh, always free." Located in the museum district, the CAMH is a bit like the edgier, cheaper little sibling of its neighbor the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. There's no permanent collection housed in the strange metallic parallelogram of a building, but there is a fantastic rotating roster of some of the best contemporary works in a variety of media, from the international to the regional.

110 articles

Discovery Green

1500 McKinney St. Downtown/ Midtown

713-400-7336

Community Venues, Music Venues, Sports and Recreation, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

A vast prairie of little-used parking lots downtown was replaced by Discovery Green, a dozen or so acres of green space, bocce courts, lakes, water parks, performance spaces and restaurants. Sure, the name of the place is meh and they got a little sponsor-happy, but when you take in a concert or visit a farmers market at Discovery Green, you really feel like Houston is giving Chicago a run for its money as America's third city.

1 event 275 articles

The Ensemble Theatre

3535 Main St. Downtown/ Midtown

713-520-0055

Performing Arts Venues, Theaters, Best Of, Sponsor

Founded more than 30 years ago "to preserve African-American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community," Midtown's Ensemble Theatre gets better each season. The stage fare is distinctly varied and indefectibly produced with the company's usual high polish and downtown sass. With musicals, comedies, dramas and every combination thereof, the talent on display is prodigious, the works are given definitive productions and all that's needed is your presence. You can reach Ensemble by our beloved Metro light rail — the stop's right across the street. How convenient is that for great, enlightened theater?

20 articles

The Health Museum

1515 Hermann Downtown/ Midtown

713-521-1515

Health, Organic, Specialties, Museums, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

6 events 12 articles

Hotel Zaza

5701 Main St. Kirby-West U

713-526-1991

Hotels and Resorts, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow

The thing about a romantic stay at ZaZa is that you really get to choose how you define "romantic." Its "concept suites" range from Geisha House to An Affair to Remember to SoHo Loft. As if that weren't indulgent enough, you and your significant other could choose from the hotel's "magnificent seven" theme rooms. Like a little hedonism in your romantic getaway? Check out the 2,160-square-foot Rock Star Suite with mirrored walls. Or maybe go old-school with the Fatal Charms room's crystal chandeliers, bronze velvet drapes and "the magnificent bed with the black velvet-tufted headboard," as described on the Web site. There's truly something for everyone.

9 articles

Houston Museum of Natural Science

5555 Hermann Park Dr. Kirby-West U

713-639-4629

Museums, Best Of, Sponsor, Slideshow, Readers' Choice

Houston was once home to AstroWorld, amusement park extraordinaire. Sadly, AstroWorld is gone, but we still have a world-class family entertainment facility – the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Wait, wait, yes, it's a museum, but it's not the kind where you have to whisper and the exhibits are safely tucked behind velvet ropes. Here, kids are encouraged to talk and touch, even to squeal with delight, if they are so moved. Blending education with entertainment, the museum presents a variety of permanent shows and a year-round schedule of touring exhibitions, including world-famous (and not particularly cheap) exhibits like Titanic and Body Worlds. The in-house Wortham IMAX theater is worth it for the trip alone -- ditto the Burke Baker Planetarium and the Cockrell Butterfly Center.

108 articles

Houston Zoo

6200 Hermann Park Dr. Kirby-West U

713-533-6500

Attractions and Amusement Parks, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu, Slideshow

The Houston Zoo is one of the cheapest and most democratic of local attractions (despite being a top-notch facility, as far as zoos go), and one of the few places in the heart of town where one can see lots of tourists, both foreign and domestic. The animals are pretty great, too, with everything from the popular sea lions to the creepy-crawly stuff in the humid confines of the reptile house. If you've got young kids, throw them in the dolphin strollers and make a day of it. If you're just planning a trip with grown-ups, forget your pride for a minute and take a ride on the miniature train that takes off from just outside the entrance gates and circles Hermann Park.

2 events 45 articles

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa

111 N. Post Oak Lane Outer Loop - NW

713-680-2626

Hotels and Resorts, Salons and Spas, Best Of, Sponsor

19 articles

Inprint!

1520 W. Main Montrose

713-521-2026

Art Galleries, Best Of, Sponsor

Got one of those must-be-told stories buried deep inside your soul? There's no place better for burgeoning writers to be these days than an Inprint class. There, some of Houston's finest authors (past instructors include award-winning novelists such as Farnoosh Moshiri, Gail Storey and Olive Hershey) will teach you everything you need to know about the craft of writing, from the basics of what makes a good story to the fine art of line editing. If poetry or essaying is your bag, Inprint's got that covered, too.

1 event 5 articles

Italiano's Restaurant

217 FM 1960 Bypass Road E. Humble/Kingwood

281-446-6111

Italian, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

Italiano's offers affordable Italian fare in the Kingwood/Humble area. Their specialties include veal marsala and lobster ravioli.

1 article

J. Silver

2412 Rice Blvd. Kirby-West U

713-807-1644

Retail, Best Of, Sponsor, Menu

1 article

Jester Plaza Veterinary Clinic

1957 W. T.C. Jester Blvd. Heights

713-869-0202

Services, Best Of, Sponsor

1 article

Joystix Classic Games-Pinball

1820 Franklin St. Downtown/ Midtown

713-224-2225

Attractions and Amusement Parks, Performing Arts Venues, Best Of, Sponsor

Located across from Minute Maid Park in downtown, this classic games shop has been open since 1987. The 10,000-square-foot store houses close to 350 machines, from new and classic video games and pinball machines to jukeboxes, air hockey tables and more. Come to shop or join them for Pac Man Fever, where they open up game play from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m for only $15 at the door (open the first and last Friday of the month). They also offer a full service repair center.

7 articles