Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Continental Airlines, which operates 3 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Durham/Raleigh (RDU) to Houston (IAH), departing between 6:00am and 2:35pm, and 4 additional non-stop flights, departing between 8:30am and 6:00pm on select days of the week. The average travel time from Durham/Raleigh, NC to Houston, TX is 3 hours.

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Regularly Scheduled Flights to Houston (IAH) from Durham/Raleigh (RDU)
				Daily Non-Stops		Select Non-Stop		Earliest Flight		Last Flight
	Continental Airlines			3		4		6:00am		6:00pm
	COPA			3		4		6:00am		6:00pm
	Northwest Airlines			1		-		6:00am		6:00am

During your Houston vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH)
This is by far the best and biggest public art museum in Texas. It's a wonderful testament to what a lot of oil money can do, and the manner in which it evolved tells something about the development of the city's sense of aesthetics. The original museum, built in the 1920s, was pure neoclassical -- the attitude was that if Houston was to have a museum, it was to look like a museum. In the '50s, the MFAH directors hired Mies van der Rohe, the grand architect of the International Style to build an addition. In the '70s that addition received an addition, also designed by Mies. Both of these were bold statements of modern architecture -- lots of glass and steel forming a light and airy space -- but, unfortunately, not the kind of space that lends itself well for much of the museum's collection.In the '90s, the museum's directors hired Spanish architect Rafael Moneo to design a building that would be a return to traditional galleries. It, the Audrey Jones Beck Building, is across South Main Street from the main building. (A tunnel connects the two; make a point of visiting it.) The new building aims at reconciling the boldness of modernism with the staid character of traditional design. Constructed with rich materials and designed on grand proportions, the building feels monumental. All the galleries on the second floor take advantage of interesting "roof lanterns," which allow Houston's plentiful natural light to enter in regulated amounts. The Beck building doubles MFAH's gallery space and allows the directors to attract first-rate traveling exhibitions. The museum's collection of more than 40,000 pieces is varied, but it is perhaps strongest in the area of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works, baroque and Renaissance art, and 19th- and 20th-century American art. There is also a fine collection of African tribal art, as well as ancient artwork from several civilizations.Aside from the two gallery buildings, there is a large sculpture garden designed by Isamu Noguchi located across Bissonnet from the main building, and the Glassell School of Art, which can be seen just to the north of the sculpture garden. Look for a building made of a strangely reflective glass brick (another architectural pun). The museum also owns two collections of the decorative arts that are displayed in two mansions in the River Oaks area; see Bayou Bend and Rienzi.

Hermann Park
This park has 545 acres of land and lies just beyond the Museum District, on the west side of South Main Street. The parkland is well wooded and has an 18-hole public golf course, picnic areas, and playscapes. Near the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which borders the park, is a Garden Center with beautiful rose gardens and a garden of aromatic herbs. Also in that vicinity is a Japanese garden and Miller Outdoor Theater, which often holds free plays and musical performances.

Museum of Health & Medical Science
We have all heard about what an amazing thing the human body is, but just how much do most of us know about its workings? This family museum will surprise most visitors with its extensive use of audio, video, holograms, and medical technology to provide a graphic view of human physiology.Because of the Texas Medical Center, Houston has a large medical community, which has been the driving force behind the creation of this museum. With additional contributions from corporations and individual doctors, it has constructed an eye-catching interactive exhibition called the Amazing Body Pavilion. The exhibit is itself a metaphor for the body. Visitors enter through the mouth and proceed down the digestive tract learning about all the organs that process our food. (Children seem to think this is pretty cool.) The exhibit covers all the major organs in ways that provide lots of interaction for children, and explanatory text and monologues by little holographic figures are well written and manage to provide info that most adults will find interesting. Of course, with so many doctors involved, you can be sure that there will be some preaching about the need for a good diet and to avoid smoking, and don't expect the museum's snack bar to offer any junk food. But do check out the gift shop; it has an assortment of curious and intriguing items that you won't easily find elsewhere.Seeing the exhibit takes a little more than an hour. One other note: You might want to ask at the front desk about the next scheduled organ dissection. When I was there, the organ of the month was the sheep brain; I opted to forego the performance.

Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the Houston area, including:

Sheraton Suites Houston near the Galleria
The rooms at this all-suite hotel are attractive, with more character than most hotel rooms in the Galleria area. The headboards and accents are postmodern, and the granite countertops are snazzy. These suites aren't as big as those at the Doubletree Guest Suites, but they are in many ways more comfortable and attractive. An easy-to-use retractable door makes the living room and bedroom usable as one large space or as two separate rooms with the ample bathroom accessible from either. The best rooms face westward away from Loop 610. There are 18 business suites that include features such as fax machines and copiers. The service here is attentive. This hotel is 2 blocks from the Galleria.

La Colombe d'Or
If you enjoy the smallness of scale of a B&B and the fact that the rooms don't look like hotel rooms, but you want more space, in-room dining, and more privacy, this is the hotel for you. The five suites are extremely large, with hardwood floors, area rugs, antiques, king-size beds, and large bathrooms. Some suites come with separate dining rooms, and the in-room service, from either the bar or the restaurant, is one of the things this hotel is known for. The penthouse is more than twice as large as any of the suites and offers a lot of open space, a bar, a study, and a parlor. The mansion that the hotel occupies was built in the 1920s for oilman Walter Fondren. The interior has some beautiful architectural features, and its location puts you close to museums, restaurants, and the downtown area.

The Magnolia Hotel
Opened in 2003 in what was the Houston Post Dispatch Building (1920s), the Magnolia goes for an anachronistic blend of new and old. The guest rooms mix gold scalloped trim and traditional patterned fabrics with the clean lines of modern furniture. The overall effect is charming and comfortable and can hardly go out of date. Rooms are large and comfortable. The bathrooms are loaded with amenities and quality fixtures. Suites are very large and come with a full kitchen and dining area. The studio suites are especially attractive and come with a kitchenette. The mezzanine club offers a free continental breakfast in the morning and cocktails and snacks in the afternoon and evening (the hotel doesn't have a restaurant but does have a kitchen for room service). This club is designed to be a comfortable place where guests can relax outside the four walls of their hotel room, socialize, perhaps play a little billiards in the game room, read the paper in the library, or surf the Web over a drink (the club is set up for high-speed wireless access). The lower rates listed are for weekends.