Houston

Whether you’re a loyal iPhone user or you love your Android device, smartphone apps have changed the way we travel. You no longer need to carry around a map, guidebook, bus schedule, and directions to the restaurant you want to try for lunch. You can find all of that, and more, on your phone.

Veronica Nielsen likes to point out that she’s a Texan by choice, not by circumstance. “I wasn’t born here, but I came as soon as I could,” the Pennsylvania native explains. She’s turned her love for the city of Houston into a career as the information source behind the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureaus popular “Ask Veronica” website feature.

Got a kid in college? No doubt you’ve already received your invitation to the gala event of the season: Parents’ Visiting Weekend. When your student goes to school in a major urban area, this trip is extra-thrilling. Not only do you get to reunite with your child (while reminiscing endlessly and annoyingly about your own days on campus), you get to do it in a big city! How fun is that?

Sure, you love your car – but maybe it deserves some R & R, just like you do. Leave it in the parking garage at the hotel, and take advantage of the futuristic, whimsical and earth-friendly touring options found in CityPASS locales.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and barbeque is no exception. The unique and delicious style of Texas barbeque is exemplified throughout the Lone Star State, from Houston to Lexington. And with the unique style comes the best of the best – barbeque pits, joints and meat shops that will make your mouth water and your heart stop, leaving you begging for more. Just don’t be surprised when the restaurant doesn’t have frivolities like plates or cutlery – for barbeque is the sole king of these hallowed spots.

Houston CityPASS is counting down the days to a major milestone — the sale of the 100,000th Houston CityPASS. To celebrate this landmark event, CityPASS, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Houston attractions have put together a celebratory sweepstakes package that includes not one, but two very cool prizes: a Houston VIP vacation experience and two CityPASS ticket booklets to the winner’s CityPASS destination of choice, plus $500 in spending money.

The Space Center should be on your Houston “must do” list, but you’ll need things to do once you’ve all come back down to Earth! So here are 6 Houston attractions where you & your kids are most likely to have fun & relax.

One of the best places to discover the pulse of a city is within its museums. And several of the country's top museums have pulse-pounding exhibits scheduled for 2011. Here are a few you may want to add to your vacation wish list.