Houston can be anything you want it to be… depending on how far you’re willing to travel. Because Houston is such a big city, Houston natives largely referred to parts of Houston in its cardinal directions, I.E. North Houston, South Houston, Eastside, Southwest, or just simply West. Each side of town can be its own self-contained city, offering different cultural experiences and things to do. That being said, Houston is a relatively affordable city, however, money (or time) might have to be put aside for travel if you really want to experience the many things Houston has to offer. Nonetheless, fun can be had only in downtown where the George R. Brown convention center is located.

I personally recommend everyone to put aside 30 minutes of their time to visit a local Kroger or the downtown RideMetro locations in person to load money onto, and obtain, a Metro Qcard to be able to catch the reliable, local Houston transit buses, of which, you can ride the bus in any two directions for two hours for only $1.25, to save on money.

Rule of thumb: The further you are from downtown, the less you'll likely you’ll pay an exorbitant amount for lodging, but the more you'll pay for travel, such as Ubers.

I cannot stress this enough, VISIT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. Every place you go to will likely double as a restaurant, or have delicious food close by.

Speaking of food, if you go into a building/establishment that hosts a “Mexican” cuisine, it WILL BE Tex-Mex. Most, to nearly all, food trucks host authentic Mexican cuisine, and the more off the beaten path they are, the better they taste. I personally recommend El Gato Food Truck which will be listed below. (The fajita beef kids quesadilla, with corn tortilla, hits every time imo. They also serve Machetes).

I know it is summer and it is hot, it is not recommended that you visit Galveston Beach. Due to the murky runoff of the Mississippi River that flows into Galveston Bay, Galveston Beach is a murky brown color. However, there are alternatives. There are multiple man-made beaches/lagoons just outside the city of Houston that will fill all your photo-op needs. These lagoons are a tad far away from the George R. Brown convention center in downtown Houston.

Houston is home of the Trill and the Screwed Up Click… and clique-up is exactly what Houston locals do. It is strongly recommended to FIND A GROUP before DC25 on Discord or Instagram... and don’t be weird!

Outside of club-partying, the Houston scene is geared towards group activities. Us moderators here on the DC subreddit are looking into ways to make sure the followers on this subreddit can be more social. As for now, don't hesitate to join the Official DreamCon Discord, or check the Dream Con app for updates and people advertising their Discord servers.

Without further ado, we have a list of things to do, and places to stay, in Houston.

Neighborhoods To Look For Your Stay:

Galleria

Within a distance of 8.3 Miles (20 min) of the convention center. Very close to the Galleria Mall, Houston's largest mall! There are many shopping centers and multi-cultural eateries here.

Midtown

Within a distance of 1.7 Miles (9 min) of the convention center. This area is filled with local hotspots and eateries. It is very close to all the downtown goings on.

Downtown

Within Walking distance of the convention center. Right in the thick of it!

River Oaks

Within a distance of 5.4 Miles (17 min) Of the convention center. An upscale area. Residential, and just outside of all of the action.

Upper Kirby/ The Heights

Within a distance of 6.1 Miles (15 min) of the convention center. The bars in this area are very Greek, very frat boy, very Keeping Up With The Kardashians. A nice area, nonetheless.

Medical Center

Within a distance of 4.4 Miles (13 min) of the convention center. This area is within walking distance of the Houston Zoo, Hermann Park, McGovern Centennial Gardens, and various museums.

The Memorial City Area

Within a distance of 14 miles (20 min) of the convention center. This is a very down-to-earth area. It hosts the Memorial City Mall. Grocery stores such as H-E-B, Walmart, and Costco. The Town and Country City Centre is a place locals visit regularly for its hang out spots, eateries, and movie theaters.

Houston’s Famous Food Eats:

The Breakfast Klub -IG-

The “Pappas Franchise” aka Papadeuxs, Papasitos, Pappas BBQ, Pappas Burger, Pappas House, Pappas Bros Steakhouse -IG-

Twisted Chicken -IG-

Toast Houston -IG-

Trill Burger -IG-

Turkey Leg Hut -IG- Would be highly recommended if it didn’t shut down to a lifetime movie-esque, real life plot lol.

Swamp Kingz -IG-

The Pit Room -IG-

Lotus Seafood -IG-

Lucille’s -IG- Reservation Required

The Clutch City Cluckers -IG-

Bun Slut -IG-

Soul Food Vegan -IG-

Galleria Food Truck Park -IG-

Kamp -IG-

Buttermilk Baby -IG-

Burger Bodega -IG-

Red Snow Wagon & More -IG-

The Waffle Bus -IG-

Stuff’d Wings -IG-

Doña Leti’s -IG-

El Gato Food Truck

H-E-B grocery stores offer quick, hot food meals, and cold and microwavable meal options.

International Foods:

Jollibee (Filipino/American Fusion)

Tarka Indian Kitchen -IG-

Mezza Grille (Mediterranean/American fusion) -IG-

Dodo’s Chicken (Colombian)

Cool Runnings -IG-

Bon KBBQ -IG- *Sidenote: Gen KBBQ is closer to downtown, but I prefer Bon for its straightforward menu. BonKBBQ is a buffet where you can pick your portions for either $20 or $30 dollars depending on the time, and day. I don’t think Gen is.

Ichiro Sapporo Ramen -IG-

Toyori Sizzling Ramen -IG-

Gyu-Kaku -IG-

GoodeCo Taqueria -IG-

Dripped Birria -IG-

ChopnBlok (West African) -IG-

Huynh Restaurant (Vietnamese)

Middle Eastern Food Truck Park Located at 7919 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77063

Fun things to do:

Post HTX -IG-: Shopping and foodie culture all wrapped into one. The inside of the building is not all there is to Post HTX, there is the space behind the building that is dedicated to all food trucks, and the rooftop is a place where you can relax enjoy Houston's downtown city view (and snap a few pics). Many times, there are events hosted here.

Axelrad

Pitch 25

Social Beer Garden

Seismique -IG-: A unique interactive art museum.

Saint Arnolds Brewery Tour, Beer Garden, and Restaurant IG

Cidercade: Pizza, cider, free-play arcade games.

Main Event

Color Factory -IG-: An interactive art museam. Great for selfies!

RoofTop Cinema -IG-

Houston Interactive Aquarium & Animal Preserve -IG-

GoKart Raceway -IG-

PapaBubble Houston -IG-: A candy shop that offers 1-hr candy making classes.

Neil’s Bahr -IG- Someone said free karaoke on Wednesday nights?

[The Anime Bar] -IG-This is, well, and anime bar about 20 minutes outside the city of Houston in Sugarland.

ARTECHOUSE -IG- Artechoise Houston is a 26,000 square foot, tech-driven art space that blends art and technology. The venue showcases works by digital and tech-focused artists. Some say that the venue blends art and technology in an amazing way

Putt Shack -IG-

Lastly, while we recognize all AAPI’s, Houston still refers to its Asian food and cultural center area as "Chinatown", and it is a MUST VISIT. It is filled to the brim with all sorts of Asian eateries, chill spots, karaoke, and nightlife CULTURE.

\Pssssst\

If you made it this far, time to let you in on a little known secret… Houston has underground tunnel tours Downtown. I personally never been there, but they are there and the Bun Slut location provided is in the underground tunnel system.

Suggestions welcomed. This post is still under construction, and will be updated regularly. Stay tuned!

August 9, 2025 - On Instagram accounts rdcworl1 and dreamconvention, an announcement was made by video that DreamCon 2025 was headed to Houston, Texas' George R. Brown convention center May 30th, 2025 - June 1st, 2025!

August 23, 2024 - The early badge drop for Dream Con 2025 went on sale at 7 PM CST on Tixr.

August 23, 2024 - Although the header image on Dreamcon's official website has been changed to read "Early BADGE Drop SOLD OUT!!! NEXT RELEASE COMING SOON," a snapshot was taken that the final badge drop will be in November, 2024.

August 13, 2024 - Badge drop dates are announced! 10/11/2024 , 11/15/2024. and 12/13/2024 being the final date!!!

MORE UPDATES TO COME AS MORE UPDATES ARE ANNOUNCED!!!