Tag Archives: Brewery Tours

Keith’s Blog – November 17 – 23, 2019

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Picture of Keith Rosen,

Hi.

This time of year (October and November) has traditionally been a celebration of Wurtfest also known as Oktoberfest.  It is a German celebration of meat, but for many it is another excuse for drinking beer.  Come party within moderation.  LOL.

Weather in Houston

The monthly average high temperature is 73 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Centigrade.  The monthly average low temperature is 53 degrees Fahrenheit/12 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 63 degrees Fahrenheit/17 degrees Centigrade.  Click here for the weekly report.

Monthly Special for a 2.5-Hour Walking Tour – Discounted by 17 to 29% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for November is a Heights Walking Tour.  Click here to read a description.

Weekly Special for Driving Tours – November 17th through November 23rd. Discounted 20%.

Select one of our Brewery Tours or Pub Crawls. Click the links to read a description.

Weekly Special for National Food Days – November 17th through November 23rd.  

These are 3-hour customized tours that can be blended.  The price is the same as a regularly priced 3-hour City Tour.  You pay for anything that you consume.   These include:

  • November 17th – National Baklava Day.
  • November 17th – National Homemade Bread Day.
  • November 18th – National Vichyssoise Day.
  • November 18th – National Apple Cider Day.
  • November 19th – National Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day.
  • November 20th – National Peanut Butter Fudge Day
  • November 23rd – National Cashew Day.
  • November 23rd – National Espresso Day.

 

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

Keith’s Blog – June 2019

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi.  Welcome to the land of heat and humidity.  Houston is the most air-conditioned city in the world.  Bring sunscreen and wear appropriate clothing.

Weather in Houston

June is the first month of the hurricane season that lasts through November 30th, for six months.  However, have no fear.  With the exception of a freak storm that began in the Pacific Ocean and crossed Mexico, Hurricane Patricia on October 25, 2015, 100% of all major hurricanes that have hit Houston do so in a six-week window during the last two weeks of August and the first four weeks of September.  The monthly average high temperature is 91 degrees Fahrenheit/33 degrees Centigrade.  The monthly average low temperature is 74 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 82 degrees Fahrenheit/28 degrees Centigrade.  It is the third hottest month of the year and the first of three consecutive months when the high temperature is normally in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit/30 degrees Centigrade.  The average rainfall is 6.8 inches/17.4 centimeters.  It is by far the wettest month of the year.  It is the only month with 6 or more inches of rainfall or 145 or more centimeters of rain.

Tours

Mention that you read about the tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount.

African-American Music Appreciation Month

June is African-American Music Appreciation Month.  Would you like to schedule an evening tour to listen to some jazz,  rhythm and blues, or soul music?

Gay and Lesbian Themed Tours

June is LGBT Pride Month.  We go to a variety of bars, restaurants, clubs, unisex shops, and boutiques, and neighborhoods.  This is usually a late afternoon and or evening tour.

Brewery Tours

Nowadays, Houston has over 2 dozen breweries.  All but one, the St. Arnold Brewery (the grand-daddy), has started since 2011.  We offer brewery tours from 2 to 10 hours, from 1 to 4 breweries, from 1 to dozens of people.  We can play Irish, German, and country and western beer drinking songs along the way or play DVDs of movies and television shows that focused on beer drinking and where everyone knows your name.  Most breweries have either restaurants or food trucks on the premises to eat meals.

Galveston Tours

Galveston tours range from 5 to 14 hours depending on what you want to see.  Galveston has about 6 museums including the Ocean Star Oil Rig museum, The Bryan Museum whose specialty is anthropology, the Texas Seaport Museum, and the 4th largest Railroad Museum.  Perhaps, you would like to tour one or both of the 1890s mansion homes:  the Bishop’s Palace and or Moody Mansion.  You might want to go shopping on The Strand; this area looks a lot like a mini-, cleaned up version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  You could see one to three movies about the history and main events in the history of Galveston, including the greatest natural disaster in United States history.  The Galveston Hurricane, also known as the Great Storm killed between 6,000 and 8,000 people in just one city.  That figure was greater than the total number of people killed by all of the hurricanes that have hit the US since that time COMBINED with the exception of Hurricane Maria that hit Puerto Rico in September 2017.  We will also take you around to see the different neighborhoods, and Victorian homes and public structures and to tour downtown, and drive along The Seawall.

National Food Day Tours

Did you know that:

  • The first Friday of June is National Donut Day?
  • June 2nd is National Rocky Road Day?
  •  June 3rd is National Egg Day?
  • June 4th is National Cognac Day?
  • June 5th is National Gingerbread Day?
  • June 6th is National Applesauce Cake Day?
  • June 7th is Chocolate Ice Cream Day?
  • June 10th is National Iced Tea Day?
  • June 11th is National German Chocolate Cake Day?
  • June 12th is National Peanut Butter Cookie Day?
  • June 15th is National Lobster Day?
  • June 16th is National Fudge Day?
  • June 17th is National Eat Your Vegetables?
  • June 20th is National Vanilla Milkshake Day?
  • June 21st is National Peaches “N” Cream Day?
  • June 25th is National Catfish Day?
  • June 26th is National Chocolate Pudding Day?
  •  June 28th in National Tapioca Day?

 

We will create a customized 3-hour themed tour for your enjoyment anytime in this month for the above gastronomical sensations.  We can combine two or more of the above holidays.  Who does not like comfort food and drink?

Monthly Special  – Discounted by 17 to 29% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for June is the 2.5-hour Tunnel Tour B.  THE TUNNELS ARE AIR CONDITIONED!  CELEBRATE!  Of the three tunnels tours that we offer, this is one of the two most popular tunnel tours.  It has the most visual stimuli, variety of activities, and a moderate amount of walking.  We will see hundreds of different stores and shops, go through the largest food court in the tunnel system, walk through at least 3 skybridges/skywalks from building to building and with smaller groups of 10 or less, go to 59th and 58th floor observation decks.  We walk through the busiest sections of the tunnels.  The walking is 2.0 miles/3.2 kilometers.  Shoppers and people with attention deficit disorder (ADD) tend to love this tour.

The downtown walking tours in May, June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002.  You can enter from either the east or west side of the building.

It goes into the:

  • Wells Fargo Plaza
  • 1 Houston Center/LyondellBasell Tower/1200 McKinney Street,
  • 2 Houston Center/909 Fannin Street,
  • 3 Houston Center/Fulbright Tower/1301 McKinney Street,
  • 4 Houston Center/Shops at Houston Center/1221 Lamar Street, and
  • 5 Houston Center/1401 McKinney Street.

 

It goes under:

  • The Kinder-Morgan Building,
  • 919 Milam,
  • 1000 Main,
  • One City Centre,
  • 1001 Fannin,
  • 1001 McKinney/ International Bank of Commerce (IBC),
  • The Commerce Towers, and
  • 811 Louisiana.

 

You will walk through skywalks/skybridges over:

  • Caroline Street twice,
  • McKinney Street, and
  • San Jacinto Street.

 

A walking tour only moves as fast as the slowest person.

Warnings:

  1. Use a bathroom before the tour begins. Only about two public bathrooms are accessible during this tour.  Most of the businesses in or operating over the tunnels do not allow the general public to use their bathrooms.
  2. Not all of the tunnels are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 accessible. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you use a walker, a wheelchair, or any other device that you need to enable you to move.
  3. If you use a cane, we will be moving at such a slow pace that we will not be able to complete the whole tunnel tour. Thus, we will have to omit some buildings.
  4. We go on elevators and escalators. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you have a phobia about either of these mechanical devices.

 

You cannot take photos inside the banks.  Taking photos elsewhere is fine.

  1. 1927 32-story tall Niels Esperson Building. This was Houston’s tallest building from 1927 to 1929.
  2. 1929 37-story tall J. P. Morgan Chase Building. This was Houston’s tallest building from 1929 to 1963.
  3. 1939 17-story tall City Hall. The architect was Joseph Finger.
  4. 1942 19-story tall Mellie Esperson Building. The architect was John Eberson.
  5. 1971 50-story tall One Shell Plaza. This was Houston’s tallest building from 1971 to 1980.
  6. 1975 36-story tall Pennzoil Place. This is Houston’s most award-winning skyscraper. Philip Johnson designed it.
  7. 1982 75-story tall J. P. Morgan Chase Tower. This is the tallest building in Texas. I. M. Pei designed it.
  8. 1983 71-story tall Wells Fargo Plaza. This is the second tallest building in Texas. Richard Keating designed it.

 

We will discuss the architects, histories, different building usages, styles architectural features and changes to the buildings over the years. This tour can include going to an art gallery and seeing sculptures.

The downtown walking tours in May, June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. You can enter from either the east or west side of the building. Metered parking is usually available in the 500 block of both Walker Street and McKinney Street for up to 3-hours. Underground garage parking beneath Tranquility Park is accessible in the 500 block of Rusk Street.

A walking tour only moves as fast as the slowest person.

Warnings:

  1. Use a bathroom before the tour begins. Only one public bathroom is accessible during this tour after we leave the area close to City Hall.
  2. Not all of the tunnels are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 accessible. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you use a walker, a wheelchair, or any other device that you need to enable you to move.
  3. If you use a cane, we will be moving at such a slow pace that we will not be able to complete the whole tunnel tour. Thus, we will have to omit some buildings.
  4. We go on elevators and escalators. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you have a phobia about either of these mechanical devices.

You cannot take photos inside the banks.  Taking photos elsewhere is fine.

Monthly Special Prices

  • 1 person – $40.00.  This is a 43% discount off of the regular price of $70.00

$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

  • 2 people – $30.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $40.00 per person.

$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

  • 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each.  This is a 17% discount off the regular price of $30.00 per person.

$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

  • 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each.  This is a 20% discount off the regular price of $25.00 per person.

$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person.  $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

  • 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off the regular price of $20.00 per person.
    $15.00 + $1.24 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $2.25 per person (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $18.49 per person x the number of people.

 

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com.  Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up.  Thanks.

If you have any suggestions for special tour discounts in July, send us an email.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

Keith’s Blog – October 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi. October is one of our busiest months. The reasons for this are two-fold:

October has arguably the best weather of any month in the year. It is moderate. The temperatures are generally in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit/20s Centigrade. The humidity starts to fall in autumn. The most active hurricane period ends in September. We now have safe and pleasant weather. It is a relief after 5 months, May through September, of oppressive heat and humidity.

We have Halloween on October 31st. Houston Historical Tours offers nine different haunted tours. This includes 6 driving tours of 3.5- hours and 3 downtown walking tours of 2, 3, and 4 hours. We conduct on average of about 2 haunted tours per month from November to September. However, in October, associated with Halloween’s folklore of spooks, ghosts, orbs, and apparitions, we conduct 10 to 15 such tours. Most such tours start at 7:00 PM, but we are flexible and can star the tours at almost any time as long as we finish before midnight. You can read more about these haunted tours further in this blog.

Weather in Houston

October is Houston’s sixth warmest month. You probably do not need a jacket unless it is for water resistance. The monthly average high temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit/28 degrees Centigrade. The monthly average low temperature is 62 degrees Fahrenheit/17 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 72 degrees Fahrenheit/22 degrees Centigrade. The average rainfall is 5.26 inches/13.4 centimeters. It is the third wettest month of the year.

Now, for some reminiscing:

Hurricane Harvey – August 25 – 29, 2017

Fourteen months ago, Houston endured the hurricane that resulted in the most property damage, $125 billion, in our history. Many, if not most Houstonians, including me, had some damage. However, we have been pulling through and getting on with our lives. According to the Houston Forward Times, Harvey dumped 15 trillion gallons/56,250,000,000,000 liters of water on Houston. We received 51 inches/130 centimeters, almost Houston’s annual amount of rain in less than one week. Yet, Hurricane Harvey resulted in a total of only 107 people dying directly and indirectly, of which 93 were in Texas of which only 14 were in the Houston area. It is notable and a relief to distinguish the disparity between property and human destruction. We have much to celebrate. We all have much to learn and to implement if we want to reduce future destructions from catastrophic storms.

Until August 2017, I thought Harvey was a six foot, three and one-half inch tall invisible rabbit that was Jimmy Stewart’s best friend and meant no harm to anyone in the 1950 comedy.

 

Tours Below

Mention that you read about any of the tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount in the month of October. What a deal! This cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounted tours.

National Food Day Tours
Did you know that October 14 is National Dessert Day, October 18th is National Cupcake Day, and October 28th is National Chocolate Day? We will create a customized 3-hour Dessert Tour and a customized 3-hour Cupcake Tour to offer in addition to our 3-hour Chocolate Tour for any day in October. Who does not like comfort food?

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) Tours
Since 1985 October has been NBCAM. Select one or more of our three Women’s History Tours. Perhaps, you will be enlightened. If you select two or three such tours, you will receive a 20% discount off of the second tour and 30% off of the third tour.

Haunted Tours
Our driving tours include going to abandoned cemeteries, bars where people have been murdered or committed suicide, former hotels and hospitals where people were killed and died, drive by the mansion homes of River Oaks where people were murdered, and so much more. Two driving tours go to other cities about 30 miles/48 kilometers from Houston in Katy and Spring. Two tours specialize in only going to abandoned and lost cemeteries that may be hidden in jungle-like areas. Three tours are children friendly with no stops at haunted bars. The three downtown Walking Tours are of 2, 3, and 4 hours with the 4 hour tour having everything that the 2 and 3 hour tours have. This tour goes into the oldest operation building in downtown Houston. It was built in 1860, over 150 years ago and just 24 years after Houston was found. The walking tours focus on the oldest parts of Houston where you will see Allen’s Landing, the site where the Allen family landed in 1836 to become the first settlers of Houston.

Wine Tours
The state of Texas has designated October as Texas Wine Month. Check our website for dozens of wine tour opportunities. We take people to a total of 16 wineries and tasting rooms in 13 different cities. We offer 5 different geographic located wine tours with from 1 to 4 wineries and or tasting rooms on them. The average winery tour includes 4 tastings at each winery. The tours can last from 3 to 12 hours depending on how many wineries you want to visit and how far you want to travel. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on this tour. Salud/La’ chaim/Cin cin.

Brewery Tours
October is the month for Oktoberfest. It was called Wurstfest in earlier years. Although this is supposed to be a celebration of sausage, it makes for a good excuse for drinking beer. In the greater Houston area, we now have over 25 craft or micro-breweries. Check our website for dozens of brewery tour opportunities. These can range from 2 to 10 hours with one to six breweries in one day. A couple of breweries have their own restaurants on the properties. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on this tour. Prost/Cheers/Ariba/Sante, Skal/Slainte.

October Monthly Special – Downtown Walking Tour F
Discounted by 17% to 29% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for October is Downtown Walking Tour F. This is a great month to be outside walking. The focus of this tour is Buffalo Bayou, 6 performance halls, statues, parks, and historic sites and buildings. This tour starts in the rotunda located on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. This includes:

  • The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts,
  • The Wortham Theatre Center,
  • Houston Ballet Center for Dance,
  • Bayou Place with the Bayou Music Center, numerous restaurants, and a memorial to former US Congressman Albert Thomas,
  • The Alley Theatre,
  • Jones Hall,
  • Hogg Palace,
  • Buffalo Bayou Beast (our own pretend creation of a Loch Ness monster),
  • Buffalo Bayou Park,
  • Tranquility Park,
  • Sesquicentennial Park,
  • Market Square Park,
  • Fish Plaza,
  • Jones Plaza,
  • Statue of “In Minds” by Tony Cragg,
  • Statue of George Herbert Walker Bush,
  • Statue of James Baker, III, and
  • Statue of Virtuoso.

The downtown walking tours in May, June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. You can enter from either the east or west side of the building.

Warnings:

  • Use a bathroom before the tour begins. Only one public bathroom MAY be accessible during this tour.
  • We will be walking on uneven pavement, over curbs, and up and down stairs. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you use a walker, a wheelchair, or any other device that you need to enable you to move.
  • If you use a cane, we will be moving at such a slow pace that we will not be able to complete the whole walking tour. Thus, we will have to omit some sites.

 

Monthly Special Prices
(along with the totals including sales tax and gratuity for 6 or more people):

  • 1 person – $40.00.  This is a 43% discount off of the regular price of $70.00

$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

  • 2 people – $30.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $40.00 per person.

$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

  • 3 or 4 people – $25.00 each.  This is a 17% discount off the regular price of $30.00 per person.

$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.
$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.
$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

  • 5 to 9 people – $20.00 each.  This is a 20% discount off the regular price of $25.00 per person.

$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person.  $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x 6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

  • 10 to 19 people – $15.00 each.  This is a 25% discount off the regular price of $20.00 per person.
    $15.00 + $1.24 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $2.25 per person (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $18.49 per person x the number of people.

 

Invite Your Friends

If you know anyone who would be interested in receiving our blogs, please let us know at houstonhistory@aol.com. Provide a clear name and email address for the person or group and we will sign them up. Thanks.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

 

Keith’s Blog – June 2018

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors

Hi.

  1. Do you like sunshine?
  2. Do you like heat and humidity?
  3. Do you want curly hair?
  4. Do you like to sweat?
  5. Do you feel more comfortable when your eyes are stinging from perspiration dripping in them?
  6. Do you like your hair matted on your neck within 1 minute of going outside?
  7. Do you like drinking the air?

 

Welcome to Houston where you can have all of this. Dress as lightly as possible and bring fluids to hydrate yourself.

June is Gay and Lesbian Month.
Houston was the first major city to have an openly gay mayor: Annise Parker from 2009 to 2015. Some estimates show that Houston has the sixth largest gay population in the United States. An area of Houston known as Montrose has a thriving gay population. Houston is among the leaders in the nation for performing and theater arts. The gay population is active as sponsors and participants. However, you can find the gay population throughout the city in all walks of life

Weather in Houston
June is the first month of the hurricane season that lasts through November 30th, for six months. However, have no fear. With the exception of a freak storm that began in the Pacific Ocean and crossed Mexico, Hurricane Patricia on October 25, 2015, 100% of all major hurricanes that have hit Houston do so in a six-week window during the last two weeks of August and the first four weeks of September. Some people who come from cooler climates who are not used to air-conditioning complain that our buildings and cars are too cold. However, within two minutes of us turning the AC off, these same people will complain that the temperature is too hot and insist on us turning on the AC again. Many ethnic minority women shield themselves from the sun and heat by using umbrellas on bright clear days. You might want to wear a cap or hat with a bill to keep your forehead and face a little cooler. The monthly average high temperature is 91 degrees Fahrenheit/33 degrees Centigrade. The monthly average low temperature is 74 degrees Fahrenheit/23 degrees Centigrade, and the mean is 82 degrees Fahrenheit/28 degrees Centigrade. It is the third hottest month of the year and the first of three consecutive months when the high temperature is normally in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit/30 degrees Centigrade. The average rainfall is 6.8 inches/17.4 centimeters. It is by far the wettest month of the year. It is the only month with 6 or more inches of rainfall or 145 or more centimeters of rain.

Tours

Mention that you read about the driving tours below from the blog and you will receive a 10% discount.

Gay and Lesbian Themed Tours
We go to a variety of bars, restaurants, clubs, unisex shops, and boutiques, and neighborhoods. This is usually a late afternoon and or evening tour.

Brewery Tours
Nowadays, Houston has over 2 dozen breweries. All but one, the St. Arnold Brewery (the grand-daddy, has started up since 2011. We offer brewery tours from 2 to 10 hours, from 1 to 4 breweries, from 1 to dozens of people. We can play Irish, German, and country and western beer drinking songs along the way or play DVDs of movies and television shows that focused on beer drinking and where everyone knows your name. Most breweries have either restaurants or food trucks on the premises to eat meals.

Galveston Tours
Galveston tours range from 5 to 14 hours depending on what you want to see. Galveston has about 6 museums including the Ocean Star Oil Rig museum, The Bryan Museum whose specialty is anthropology, the Texas Seaport Museum, and the 4th largest Railroad Museum. Perhaps, you would like to tour one or both of the 1890s mansion homes: the Bishop’s Palace and or Moody Mansion. You might want to go shopping on The Strand; this area looks a lot like a mini-, cleaned up version of Bourbon Street in New Orleans. You could see one to three movies about the history and main events in the history of Galveston, including the greatest natural disaster in United States history. The Galveston Hurricane, also known as the Great Storm killed between 6,000 and 8,000 people in just one city. That figure is greater than the total number of people killed by all of the hurricanes that have hit the US since that time COMBINED. We will also take you around to see the different neighborhoods, and Victorian homes and public structures and to tour downtown, and drive along The Seawall.

San Antonio Tours
We offer single-day tours of between 13 and 14 hours as well as multi-day tours. The single-day tours generally leave from downtown at 6:30 AM to arrive in San Antonio by 9:30 AM. We will go to the Alamo, Alamo Plaza, St. Joseph’s Church, the Riverwalk, the Arneson River Theater, La Villita with homes from the 1700s (It is now an artist colony, and Market Square (the Mercado). If time permits, we will go to the Mission San Jose y San Miguel from 1720. We will drive through the King William District of old mansions of a German settlement from the mid to late 1800s. We will drive through downtown where we will see the Bexar County Courthouse, City Hall, Spanish Governor’s Palace from the early 1700s, San Fernando Cathedral from 1731, 1840s home of Jose Navarro, the 1929 Majestic Theater (an old movie theater palace) and the home of the great short story writer O’Henry. Multi-day tours can include a day at Seaworld and or Fiesta Texas, as well as going to Austin, New Braunfels, and or San Marcos, museums, the San Antonio Zoo, and Japanese Gardens.

Monthly Special
Discounted by 17 to 29% Based on the Number of People

The monthly special for June is the 2.5-hour Tunnel Tour B. THE TUNNELS ARE AIR CONDITIONED! CELEBRATE!

Of the three tunnels tours that we offer, this is one of the two most popular tunnel tours. It has the most visual stimuli, variety of activities, and a moderate amount of walking. We will see hundreds of different stores and shops, go through the largest food court in the tunnel system, walk through at least 3 skybridges/skywalks from building to building and with smaller groups of 10 or less, go to 59th and 58th floor observation decks. We walk through the busiest sections of the tunnels. The walking is 2.0 miles/3.2 kilometers. Shoppers and people with attention deficit disorder (ADD) tend to love this tour.

The downtown walking tours in May, June, September, and October all begin in the rotunda on the first floor of the City Hall building at 901 Bagby Street, Houston, Texas 77002. You can enter from either the east or west side of the building.

It goes into the:

  • Wells Fargo Plaza
  • 1 Houston Center/LyondellBasell Tower/1200 McKinney Street,
  • 2 Houston Center/909 Fannin Street,
  • 3 Houston Center/Fulbright Tower/1301 McKinney Street,
  • 4 Houston Center/Shops at Houston Center/1221 Lamar Street, and
  • 5 Houston Center/1401 McKinney Street.

 

It goes under:

  • The Kinder-Morgan Building,
  • 919 Milam,
  • 1000 Main,
  • One City Centre,
  • 1001 Fannin,
  • 1001 McKinney/ International Bank of Commerce (IBC),
  • The Commerce Towers, and
  • 811 Louisiana.

 

You will walk through skywalks/skybridges over:

  • Caroline Street twice,
  • McKinney Street, and
  • San Jacinto Street.

 

Warnings:

  1. A walking tour only moves as fast as the slowest person.
  2. Use a bathroom before the tour begins. Only about two public bathrooms are accessible during this tour. Most of the businesses in or operating over the tunnels do not allow the general public to use their bathrooms.
  3. Not all of the tunnels are Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 accessible. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you use a walker, a wheelchair, or any other device that you need to enable you to move.
  4. If you use a cane, we will be moving at such a slow pace that we will not be able to complete the whole tunnel tour. Thus, we will have to omit some buildings.
  5. We go on elevators and escalators. Thus, you should NOT select this special tour if you have a phobia about either of these mechanical devices.
  6. You cannot take photos inside the banks. Taking photos elsewhere is fine.

 

Monthly Special Prices

1 person – $40.00. This is a 43% discount off of the regular price of $70.00.
$40.00 + $3.30 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $43.30 Total.

2 people – $30.00 each. This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $40.00 per person.
$30.00 + $2.48 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $32.48 per person x 2 people = $64.96 Total.

3 or 4 people – $25.00 each. This is a 17% discount off of the regular price of $30.00 per person.
$25.00 + $2.07 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $27.07 per person.$27.07 per person x 3 people = $81.21 Total.$27.07 per person x 4 people = $108.28 Total.

5 to 9 people – $20.00 each. This is a 20% discount off of the regular price of $25.00 per person.
$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) = $21.65 per person. $21.65 x 5 people = $108.25.$20.00 + $1.65 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $3.00 (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $24.65 per person x  6, 7, 8, or 9 people.

10 to 19 people – $15.00 each. This is a 25% discount off of the regular price of $20.00 per person.
$15.00 + $1.24 (Sales tax of 8.25%) + $2.25 per person (15% gratuity for parties of 6 or more people) = $18.49 per person x the number of people.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com

 

Keith’s Blog – October 2017

Keith's Blog

Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi.  October is generally our busiest month. The reasons for this are three-fold:

1.  October has arguably the best weather of any month in the year. It is moderate. The temperatures are generally in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit/20s Centigrade. The humidity starts to fall in autumn. The most active hurricane period ends in September.  We now have safe and pleasant weather. It is a relief after 5 months, May through September, of oppressive heat and humidity.

2.  We have Halloween on October 31st. Houston Historical Tours offers nine different haunted tours. This includes 6 driving tours of 3.5-hours and 3 downtown walking tours of 2, 3, and 4 hours. We conduct on average of about 2 haunted tours per month from November to September. However, in October, associated with Halloween’s folklore of spooks, ghosts, orbs, and apparitions, we conduct 10 to 15 such tours. Most such tours start at 7:00 PM, but we are flexible and can start the tours at almost any time as long as we finish before midnight. You can read more about these haunted tours further in the blog.

3.   Houston has the world’s largest quilt festival. The International Quilt Festival Houston has over 60,000 people coming from all over the world to look at, buy, sell, and display quilts as well as to buy fabrics, machines, patterns, take lessons, and more. We conduct an average of about 2 quilt tours from December through September. However, quilters start arriving a week before the Quilt Festival begins and some stay after it ends. We conduct about 10 quilt tours during the latter half of October and the beginning of November. We offer eight different 8-hour quilting tours across Houston and small towns within 110 miles/177 kilometers and week long quilting tours across Texas and Louisiana. You can read more about these quilt tours further in the blog.

Hurricane Harvey – August 2017
Over the past 1.5 months, I have had several people for whom I gave tours in past years write to me to inquire about me. Thank you for your concern. I am alive and well, well reasonably well – diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. None of these issues started with Hurricane Harvey. LOL. Hurricane Harvey drenched us for five days from Friday, August 25 to Tuesday, August 29. My house did not suffer any flooding even though a gully is my boundary in the backyard on the west side and a major bayou is three houses from my house on the north side. I never lost electricity or air conditioning. My house suffered from some roof leakage at the points where the flashing met the shingles and the water went under the flashing. I had three buckets of water collecting rainfall in my den on August 29th. The next day on August 30th, I found the only hardware store open for miles/kilometers, bought what I needed, got one of my ladders, and climbed onto the roof. I was probably the fattest, old, white guy, who spoke primarily English within 1,000 miles/1,600 kilometers making roof repairs. So far, so good. No more water has leaked into my house and we have received rain a few more times.

Many people from around the world have seen the destruction of portions of Houston. Indeed, many individuals and families have lost a lifetime of achievements. However, many parts of Houston suffered little or no damage. My lawn is now greener, my pool had more water added to it, and my utility bills for water and electricity went down. I do not wish for another hurricane, but there were some positive effects. Perhaps, the destruction will have the most positive effects if it motivates our penny-pinching politicians to spend money on infrastructure for flood control that has been ignored for over three generations. The only two reservoirs, the Barker and Addicks, to hold water to protect Houston from flooding were built in the 1940s.

Unfortunately, the voices of gloom and doom and negativity resulted in several tours being canceled, not scheduled, and rescheduled. Houston is bouncing back and I have been leading tours as if nothing has happened. I can give you a tour and you would not know that a hurricane ever existed and visited Houston. On the other hand, many people want to see examples of the destruction and I can show that as well.

Until August 2017, I thought Harvey was a six foot, three and one-half inch tall invisible rabbit that was Jimmy Stewart’s best friend and meant no harm to anyone in the 1950 comedy.

Haunted Tours
Our driving tours include going to abandoned cemeteries, bars where people have been murdered or committed suicide, former hotels and hospitals where people were killed and died, drive by the mansion homes of River Oaks where people were murdered, and so much more. Two driving tours go to other cities about 30 miles/48 kilometers from Houston in Katy and Spring. Two tours specialize in only going to abandoned and lost cemeteries that may be hidden in jungle-like areas. Three tours are children friendly with no stops at haunted bars. The three downtown Walking Tours are of 2, 3, and 4 hours with the 4 hour tour having everything that the 2 and 3 hour tours have. This tour goes into the oldest operation building in downtown Houston. It was built in 1860, over 150 years ago and just 24 years after Houston was found. The walking tours focus on the oldest parts of Houston where you will see Allen’s Landing, the site where the Allen family landed in 1836 to become the first settlers of Houston.

Click here for more information about our Haunted Tours.

Quilt Festival Houston – 1st Weekend in November Annually
Quilters begin arriving about 1 week before the Quilt Festival begins.  It is a five day event beginning on a Wednesday night with classes starting at 5:00 PM and the Preview Night from 7:00 to 10:00 PM.  After that, the Festival begins at 10:00 AM each day through Sunday.  It is held in the George R. Brown (GRB) Convention Center.  This is a one-quarter of a mile/0.4 kilometers long building.  It has five halls, A through E, and all five halls are used.  Be prepared to walk miles/kilometers to see the thousands of quilts.  The daily price is extremely reasonable:  only $12.00 for adults and $9.00 for seniors, children, and military.  Full show passes are available for a discounted price, also.  Nothing like this is comparable in the world!

We offer 9 different quilt tours, A through  with one primarily in Houston and the other 8 tours like a spokes wheel going out in different directions.  On Tour D, we visit the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange, Texas.  These are great tours to explore the Texas countryside, visit some towns, and buy fabrics and supplies and great prices.  Enjoy!

Click here for more information about our quilt tours.

Wine Tours
The state of Texas has designated October as Texas Wine Month. Check our website for dozens of wine tour opportunities. We take people to a total of 16 wineries and tasting rooms in 13 different cities. We offer 5 different geographic located wine tours with from 1 to 4 wineries and or tasting rooms on them. The average winery tour includes 4 tastings at each winery. The tours can last from 3 to 12 hours depending on how many wineries you want to visit and how far you want to travel. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on this tour. Salud/La’ chaim/Cin cin.

Click here for more information about our wine tours.

Brewery Tours
October is the month for Oktoberfest. It was called Wurstfest in earlier years. Although this is supposed to be a celebration of sausage, it makes for a good excuse for drinking beer. In the greater Houston area, we now have over 25 craft or micro-breweries. Check our website for dozens of brewery tour opportunities. These can range from 2 to 10 hours with one to six breweries in one day. A couple of breweries have their own restaurants on the properties. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on this tour. Prost/Cheers/Ariba/Sante, Skal/Slainte.

Click here for more information about our brewery tours.

Monthly Special – Discounted by 23 to 46% Based on the Number of People
The monthly special for October is Downtown Walking Tour D. This 2.5-hour tour focuses on going through the Buffalo Bayou area, Sesquicentennial Park, Market Square Park, and Tranquility Park, as well as by the many performance halls for opera, ballet, the symphony, plays, and concerts, and seeing many statues including those of George Bush I and James Baker. This is a great month to be outside walking.

Click here for more information about our Downtown Walking Tour D.

See you on a tour.

Sincerely,

Keith Rosen
Houston Historical Tours
P. O. Box 262404
Houston, Texas 77207-2404
(713) 392-0867
(713) 643-4086 Fax
houstonhistory@aol.com
www.houstonhistoricaltours.com