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Houston is a city of
contrasts: it’s at once down-home and high-tech, the lush, tropical Gulf
Coast contrasted with the gleaming high rise towers that dominate the
skyline. Dubbed “Space City” for its central role in NASA space flight
programs, one of the city’s most popular attractions is Space Center
Houston, the official visitors center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
This is the only place in the world where you can touch an actual moon
rock, watch astronauts train for space missions and take an inside look
at NASA’s space flight programs, past, present and future. Back on
Earth, Houston-area attractions abound. Moody Gardens in nearby
Galveston gives visitors a peek into the depths of the sea. Just 20
miles from downtown Houston, the San Jacinto Battleground offers a
glimpse of the past, as it commemorates the site of Texan independence
from Mexico. As a hotbed of sports and recreation, Houston is home to
professional sports teams including the MLB Astros, NBA Rockets and NFL
Texans.
George R. Brown Convention Center
and Reliant Park
Houston offers
top-notch convention facilities, most prominently the George R. Brown
Convention Center and Reliant Park. George R. Brown is located in the
center of downtown Houston, and it offers 930,000 sq. ft of exhibit
space and 185,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. Having recently completed a
renovation and expansion project, the Convention Center now has seven
exhibit halls and 117 meeting rooms. The George R. Brown is connected to
the new Hilton Americas Hotel by a pedestrian elevated bridge, making it
even more convenient for visitors attending trade shows and conventions.
Reliant Park is a
tradeshow, convention sports and entertainment complex made up of four
components: Reliant Stadium, Reliant Center, Reliant Astrodome and
Reliant Arena. Reliant Park features more than 2 million sq. ft of
exhibit space, the bulk of which are located in Reliant Center. The
Center’s exhibit hall can be divided into up to 11 separate areas
ranging from 40,000 to 168,000 sq. ft. each. The Astrodome offers 60,000
seats, and the Arena’s Pavilion has 2,000 seats.
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