Where to drink right now

Raise a glass to this month-long drink fest that benefits the Astrodome

There are fewer things in Houston as beloved as the Astrodome. And while Houstonians may disagree on what should become of the 8th Wonder of the World, there's no doubt about the iconic structure's place in history.

That's why the Astrodome Conservancy has made it its mission to save the Dome and ensure its bright future as one of Houston’s indelible landmarks.

Dome enthusiasts can help the cause. October launched the conservancy's month-long fundraiser, Drink Out the Dome. Houstonians can purchase an Astrodome-themed libation from one of 12 bars across the city, with $1 going to the Astrodome Conservancy and its efforts.

Here's a list of participating bars and their drinks:

8th Wonder Brewery
Cosmic Dome, made with with vodka, Blue Curaçao, coconut syrup, and lemonade.
Space Spritz mocktail, a blend of Ocho Verde THC, cranberry, and sparking water.

Ale & Ivy
The Biggio Buck, made with Tito’s Vodka, blood orange, orange juice, ginger beer, and blueberries.

Drift
Luv Ya Blue! made with Deep Eddy lemon vodka, coconut, and Red Bull.

Home Run Dugout
Yordan Mojito, a combination of Cruzan Rum, scratch-made blackberry syrup, lime, mint.

Kanpai Club
The Astrodomo, made wih Shōchū, Falernum, miso orgeat, passion fruit, and lemon.

Patterson Park
Wonder Dome, a blend of Empress cucumber gin, lemon juice, rosemary infused simple syrup, cucumber, and Angostura bitters.

The Railyard
#34 Old Fashioned crafted with Skrewball peanut butter whiskey, The Railyard Bar single barrel Buffalo Trace, caramel simple syrup, and chocolate bitters, and garnished with a toy.

Senate Avenue Brewing Company 16
Golden Dome, an English-style golden ale.

The Pit Room
Faux’m Party with blanco tequila, triple sec, lemon juice, lime juice, light agave, Dome Faux’m cream ale and TPR smoked salt.

Walking Stick Brewing Co.
Golden Dome, an English-style golden ale.

Wicklow Heights
AstroTurf cocktail made with Blue Chair Bay Rum, lime juice, Ancho Reyes Chile Poblano Liqueur, mint leaves, and melon liqueur.

Woodland Social
Clutch City Marg crafted from Milagro Silver Tequila, mango, lime, and hibiscus.

The Cosmic Dome cocktail 8th Wonder's Cosmic Dome cocktail is made from vodka, Blue Curaçao, coconut syrup, and lemonade. Alex Montoya

Alex Montoya

The AstroTurf cocktail is made with Blue Chair Bay Rum, lime juice, Ancho Reyes Chile Poblano Liqueur, mint leaves, and melon liquor, and is available at Wicklow Heights

To kick off the fundraiser, 8th Wonder Brewery hosted a community event on September 21. Festivities included a market organized by KDA Markets featuring vendors with Astros and other Houston-themed apparel and merchandise, as well as additional vendors with confectionery and food items, home goods, and other fun finds. Additionally, attendees had the first opportunity to purchase 8th Wonder’s Drink Out for the Dome beverages, the Cosmic Dome cocktail and the Space Spritz mocktail.

Astrodome Conservancy Executive Director Beth Jackson and several Conservancy board members were in attendance, as was event sponsor Propel Air Fans founder Joseph Kho, who brought out the company’s new Model 2 standing fan to keep attendees cool outside.

Come back to Tailgate
Fans of local sports, food, and cocktails can plan to return to 8th Wonder on Monday, November 11 for The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit.

The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm, and tickets are already on sale.

Attendees can look forward to sports-inspired bites from some of their favorite Houston restaurants, premium cocktails, memorabilia from Texas legends, and plenty more game-day fun.

Popular Houston restaurants and chefs will create tailgate-inspired dishes for attendees to sample and vote for their favorite. The event will also shine a spotlight on local sports organizations, including the Astros, who will show off their Shooting Stars dancers as well as the 2017 and 2022 World Series Trophies.

A limited number of Early Bird tickets are on sale now at discounted rates of $35 for general admission (regularly $50) and $60 for VIP (regularly $75).

For more information about the event, check out this story.

astrodome conservancy astros cocktails fundraisers

schools with high achievers

These 15 Houston K-8 schools rank among Texas' best for 2025

T.H. Rogers PTO/Facebook

Congratulations are in order for the Rams.

Several Houston elementary and middle schools are at the top of the class when it comes to educating and preparing the next generation for a successful life and career, according to U.S. News & World Report's just-released list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.

One such school – T.H. Rogers School in Houston ISD – is the No. 8 best middle school in Texas for 2025.

U.S. News ranked over 79,000 public schools on the state and district level using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments, and tie-breakers were decided based on student-teacher ratios.

Texas' best middle schools for 2025
Three Houston middle schools achieved spots among the top 10 best Texas middle schools for 2025, according to U.S. News.

T.H. Rogers School has a total enrollment of 1,063 students, with 87 percent of the student population scoring "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 90 percent proficiency in reading. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 17:1, with 62 full-time teachers.

T.H. Rogers School also topped the district-wide list as the No. 1 best middle school in HISD.

Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus also ranked among the statewide top 10, coming in at No. 9 with a total enrollment of 914 students. U.S. News says 82 percent of HGA students are proficient in math, and 80 percent are proficient in reading.

"Houston Gateway Academy - Coral Campus did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "In Texas, 51 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Right behind HGA to round out the top 10 best Texas middle schools is Houston ISD's Briarmeadow Charter School. This middle school has 600 students, 69 percent of which are proficient in math and 74 percent are proficient reading.

Briarmeadow's student-teacher ratio is 16:1, which is better than the district-wide student-teacher ratio, and it employs 38 full-time teachers.

U.S. News also ranked Briarmeadow as the second best middle school in Houston ISD.

Six additional Houston-area schools ranked among the top 25 best middle schools in Texas, including:

No. 18 – Cornerstone Academy, Spring Branch ISD
No. 19 – Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Houston ISD
No. 21 – Smith Middle School, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
No. 22 – Seven Lakes Junior High, Katy ISD
No. 23 – Houston Gateway Academy
No. 25 – Beckendorff Junior High, Katy ISD

The best elementary schools in Texas
Jesus A. Kawas Elementary school in Laredo was crowned the No. 1 elementary school in Texas for 2025, while two Houston-area schools made it into the top 10.

Tomball ISD's Creekside Forest Elementary in The Woodlands is the No. 7 best elementary school statewide, boasting 656 students, 42 full-time teachers, and one full-time counselor. Students at this school, which U.S. News designates is situated in a "fringe rural setting," scored 90 percent efficiency in math and 94 percent efficiency in reading.

Following one spot behind Creekside Forest in the statewide ranking is Sugar Land's Commonwealth Elementary School in Fort Bend ISD, coming in at No. 8. Commonwealth has a student population of 954 with 55 full-time teachers, and two full-time counselors. The school's student-teacher ratio is 17:1, and 90 percent of students are proficient in math, and 94 percent in reading.

U.S. News says student success at Commonwealth is significantly higher than the rest of Fort Bend ISD.

"In Fort Bend Independent School District, 59 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 47 percent tested at or above that level for math," U.S. News said in Commonwealth's profile. "Commonwealth Elementary [also] did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state."

Other Houston-area schools that were ranked among the 25 best in Texas are:

No. 13 – Bess Campbell Elementary, Sugar Land, Lamar CISD
No. 20 – West University Elementary, Houston ISD
No. 23 – T.H. Rogers School, Houston ISD
No. 25 – Griffin Elementary, Katy ISD

"The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., the managing editor for Education at U.S. News. "The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education. Research continues to indicate that how students perform academically at these early grade levels is a big factor in their success in high school and beyond."

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