The area is the world's leading centre for building oilfield equipment. The Port of Houston is a world centre of waterborne commerce. The Port of Houston is the world's sixth largest port.



Houston has a seven-mile system of skywalks and tunnels linking buildings in downtown which contain shops, restaurants, and convenience stores. This system aids people from having to walk in the intense summer heat to travel from one building to another.

The city is a shoppers paradise The Galleria is the number one shopping centre. Set beneath spectacular glass atriums, The Galleria features more than 375 fine stores and restaurants, two Westin hotels and an impressive ice rink. It is the fourth largest mall in America, with over 2.4 million square feet of retail space. It is a city within a city.

Downtown is where some of the citys best restaurants are packed within a short radius here, and with about 300 places to choose from.

Rice Village, is a historical section of the city. Rice Village is one of the citys oldest and most best-loved shopping enclaves in Houston.

The city has the third largest gay community in the United States. It also has a large gay community concentrated primarily in the Montrose area.

Houston Grand Opera is the only opera company in the world to win two Grammy, a Tony, and two Emmy Awards. Houston Grand Opera performs in the Wortham Theatre Centre.

Space Centre Houston, is Houston's top attraction and is the official visitor's centre for NASA. It is where simulations allow you to experience what it is like to walk in space or land on the moon. Visitors can also tour the NASA control centre.

National Museum of Funeral History is owned by a funeral company, it houses the largest collection of funereal artefacts in the U.S., traces the history of funeral services, displays historic hearses and provides memorabilia from funerals of the famous, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley.

Houston is located 30 minutes from Clear Lake. Clear Lake has one of the greatest concentrations of yachts sailboats and pleasure craft in the U.S.