Summer in Houston

Here are the most popular places to go in Houston this summer

TopGolf comes up twice in the list of top 10 most popular summer bars.

Topgolf/Facebook

Houstonians are all about patios, burgers, and outdoor adventures during the summer months. That's according to new data from Google Maps, which shows the top trending summer destinations in the city.

Google defines Houston's top trending places as the locations that experienced the highest increase in directions requests during the summertime, from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The tech giant provides a breakdown for the most popular bars, restaurants, tourist attractions, and parks in the Bayou City.

Some are listed more than once, some are now closed, some don't fit the category, and some aren't even in Houston. What can we say, other than it's our IP address and we'll Google what we want. Read on for the results.

Top trending restaurants:

Chick-fil-A
Kata Robata
Sweet Tomatoes - The Woodlands
TGI Fridays
Pondicheri
Del Frisco's Grille
Jolllibee
Twin Peaks - Kirby
PDQ
Taco Bell

Top trending bars:

TopGolf
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Karbach Brewing Co.
Dave & Buster's
Main Event Entertainment
Drink Houston
Conservatory Underground Beer Garden & Food Hall
TopGolf
5th Amendment Bar
Champps

Top trending tourist attractions:

Space Center Houston
JPMorgan Chase
Waugh Drive Bat Colony
Boardwalk Inn
San Jacinto Museum of History
Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza
Battleship Texas State Historic Site
Cockrell Butterfly Center
Six Flags
Mickey Leland Federal Building

Top trending parks:

Hermann Park
CityCentre
Oyster Creek Park
Eleanor Tinsley Park
Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
Sylvan Beach Park
Meyer Park - dog park
Water Hall Park
Clear Lake Park
Sesquicentennial Park

rankings vacation

HIDDEN GEMS

Texas unearths new ranking as 2nd best state for urban treasure hunting

Photo by Evgeniy Kozlov on Unsplash

Texas has the highest number of metal detecting sites in the nation.

Word is out: Texans love to treasure hunt.

Texas has ranked No. 2 in LawnStarter's 2023 "Best States for Urban Treasure Hunting" report. The Lone Star State has the most metal detecting sites, pawn shops, flea markets, and geocaching locations (a total of 226!) in the nation, the report says. Additionally, the state has the second-higuhest number of treasure hunting groups and geo-tours, and the third-highest number of storage unit auctions.

Those who are new to the hobby and want to find some new gear, worry not: Texas also has the second-highest number of mining, metal detecting, and hardware supply stores out of all 50 states. (Just be aware that you can't metal detect in state parks without a permit.)

For anyone who thinks metal detectorists find only junk, remember this story from a few months back, when a Dallas resident unearthed a class ring dating back to the early '90s and was able to reunite it with its long-lost owner?

The only state to outrank Texas is California, which the report called "a fitting outcome" for the Golden State, considering its history of gold mining in the mid-19th century and popularity in local communities. Washington, also known as "the birthplace of geocaching," ranked No. 4.

The top 10 states for urban treasure hunting include:

No. 1 – California
No. 2 – Texas
No. 3 – Florida
No. 4 – Washington
No. 5 – New York
No. 6 – Pennsylvania
No. 7 – Virginia
No. 8 – Ohio
No. 9 – Missouri
No. 10 – Arizona

At the bottom five of LawnStarter's list are Rhode Island (No. 46), Delaware (No. 47), Montana (No. 48), Wyoming (No. 49), and North Dakota (No. 50).

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