**Official** Your One Stop LSU Guide To Houston (Free Uber & Lyft Codes)

There is only one week left until college football and what better way to kick off the new season than a big game in Houston! I know I am looking forward to the Tiger fans taking over this weekend and will love seeing the city full of purple and gold.

For those of you who are not too familiar with Houston, this is the thread for you. If others have suggestions to throw in, please feel free to do so and I will update the original post. THIS POST IS LONG, SO IF YOU DON’T LIKE READING A LOT, STOP NOW. I have laid out this post as shown below:

1- Hotels and Lodging
2- Metro Line
3- Bars and Late Night Food
4- Restaurants
5- Weekend Activities



Houston is a bastion of Louisiana transplants and LSU alumni and you will be hard pressed to not run into Tiger fans next weekend. I find that every time I read a thread about a game that requires travelling, I can’t get solid information because 1) it is scattered and 2) the people posting it don’t tell you if they are 15 or 50. I hope this post resolves that issue…

Quick Tip: Download Lyft and Uber before you arrive!
Uber Free $30 Ride Code - FIRSTRIDE30
Lyft Free $25 Ride Code - 3FKLKT

1 - Hotels and Lodging

Guys Trip: Downtown
Girls Trip: Galleria
Family Trip: Museum District or Medical District
Mixed Trip: Downtown

If you don’t have a hotel booked already, do not worry. There are plenty of places to stay within the city and you won’t get sky high rates for the game. DO NOT STAY BY THE STADIUM.

Downtown:

Downtown will be the easiest location for the weekend and I am sure it will be filled to the brim with LSU fans. Most downtown hotels are just a hop, skip, and jump from the Metro Line which is all you will need to get around town for bar hopping and transport to NRG stadium. There are numerous bars downtown as well which you can find a list of in Section 3 - Bars. There are also a few restaurants, but you will probably want to explore outside of downtown if you want to broaden your options.

Recommended Hotels: Hilton Americas, Hyatt Regency, Doubletree, Marriott, Magnolia, (Secret: La Maison Bed and Breakfast in Midtown. Only 8 rooms, but only steps away from all the bars you will need). On a budget? Check the Residence in or Doubletree downtown for best rates

Galleria:

If you are in the galleria, you will no doubt have plenty to do, however will probably not be as caught up in some of the LSU vs. Wisconsin weekend festivities (although the Wisconsin team hotel is the JW Marriott Galleria). For the ladies, there is plenty of shopping, dining, and watering holes, so take it in and enjoy but don’t get mad if your other half is matching your spending in booze. You will definitely have to get in a car or cab to get to the bar scene where most LSU fans will probably post up, and will also not have the metro line available. Don’t let that discourage you if you are already booked!

Recommended Hotels: JW Marriott (if you are a badger fan), Westin, Aloft, Indigo. On a budget? Sheraton is available for only $95 a night!

Museum District or Medical District:

If you are traveling with kids, this is a great place to stay. Not only is it on the metro line, but it is out of the hustle and bustle of downtown and midtown (meaning you can get to either place easily if you need to get a way). You are also close to Hermann Park (Free Shakespeare at the Miller Outdoor Theater every weekend in august. BYOB and wine for a picnic.), Rice University, and the Zoo. You can also take the metro into downtown to visit the aquarium, or to any of your museums of choice (including the children’s museum).

Recommended Hotels: Hotel Zaza (if you have the money), Hilton Houston Plaza, Houston Marriot Medical

2 - Metro Line

Metro Website

We all know what public transportation means in Baton Rouge but you can throw that out the window for this weekend. The Houston Metro Line is a god-send for football fans or drinking fans (same thing right?) who are staying downtown or in the medical/museum district. Fare is only $1.25 per ride, and while you probably won’t have anyone actually ask you for a ticket to board the train, if you get caught without one you may get fined (although unlikely). Tickets can be purchased at the train stop. You also don’t need to worry about making any transitions to other trains as the only line you really need to be on is the Red Line.



Here are the exits you need to know:
1) Reliant Park – Get off here to go to the game
2) McGowen – Get off here to go out to the Midtown Bars and Restaurants
3) Main St – Central location to get off in Downtown

After the game, there may be a line to get back on the train but it will move quickly. You would have sat in traffic anyway so don’t get in a rush to jump in a cab.

3 - Bars and Late Night Food

How do we get started on this one? I am sure everyone in this thread (especially local Houstonians) will have a million different comments about this list, and there are probably some good lists out there already, but let’s get started.

Midtown - Best place to be if you are 21-30 or looking to party

Midtown gets a little crazy but is easy to navigate and you can walk to all the bars listed below.

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Be aware of where you park because this is prime real estate for tow trucks.

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1) Little Woodrows – Huge outdoor patio, turtle races on Thursday nights, lots of TV’s
2) Dogwood – Semi-casual, lots of good sights and a few TV’s
3) 3rd Floor – Good array of local beers, not as many TV’s
4) Celtic Gardens – Nice outdoor patio
5) Christians Tailgate – Lots of TV’s, good burgers, karaoke
6) Bar Munich – Weird vibe, but they have beer from the Hofbrau house
7) Howl at the Moon – Great Piano Bar
8) Mongoose vs. Cobra – Should have been higher on the list… great drinks and bartenders
9) Proof – Rooftop, more of a club feel
10) Pub Fiction – Lots of TV’s and an outside patio. Right under 3rd floor
11) Front Porch Pub - I'd argue this is the best bar in midtown with plenty of outdoor seating and televisions; their frozen Blue Moon is great.

Late night food run? Look for food trucks near Little Woodrows, or head over to Mais Viatnamese which is open until 4am (3403 Milam StHouston, TX 77002). There is also a great cajun restaurant called BB’s on Montrose which is open until 3AM but you will want to Uber, Lyft, or Cab it.

Downtown Bars

Some of these may be central to your hotel, and you will no doubt have a great time
1) Okra charity bar – All proceeds go to charity, very cool place
2) Flying Saucer – Huge beer selection with some bar grub
3) Hearsay Gastro Lounge – Go here if you want a great fancy drink
4) The Pastry War – Great Tequila bar with some incredible drinks, weird name but you’ll enjoy
5) Springbok – South African sports bar, they show American sports
6) Warren's & La Carafe - Houston's oldest bars and pour the strongest drinks
7) Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar - speakeasy style)
8) Goro & Gun
9) Notsuoh
10)Dean's

Late night food run? Franks Pizza open until 3am (417 Travis St Houston, TX 77002)

Heights Bars

A short drive, uber, lyft, or cab from downtown.
Heights:

1) Cottonwood Bar
2) Onion Creek - Great burgers
3) BRC Restaurant - Also great burgers and beer selection
4) Liberty Kitchen (also in Galleria area)

Disclaimer: I am sure everyone reading this thread will have their own opinions on bars. Please feel free to make suggestions

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