Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Northwest Airlines, which operates a daily non-stop flight from Durham/Raleigh (RDU) to Houston (IAH) regularly scheduled to depart at 6:00am and arrive at 8:09am. Usually a Boeing 737-500 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Durham/Raleigh, NC to Houston, TX is 3 hours and 9 minutes.*

* Some flights must connect with additional service on this airline.

Quick Flight Searches
Weekend Trips - Search
Upcoming weekend flight specials and airline deals on flights to Houston (IAH) from Durham/Raleigh (RDU) Weekend travel in February from RDU to IAH Weekend travel in March from RDU to IAH Weekend travel in April from RDU to IAH Vice versa? Search for last minute deals on airline tickets from Houston (IAH) to Durham/Raleigh (RDU) Weekend travel in February from IAH to RDU Weekend travel in March from IAH to RDU Weekend travel in April from IAH to RDU
Great Travel Deals Anytime - Search
Save money when you book a Houston Vacation Package here Need a discount hotel room in Houston? Click here Find airport hotel rooms near Houston -- click here Reserve your rental car in Houston -- click here Let DealDetector watch for deals from Durham/Raleigh to Houston

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

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

The Orange Show
This may not be the "greatest show on earth" but it must be the quirkiest. In truth it's not a show at all, at least not as we commonly understand the word. Rather, it's the life work of one man, former postman Jeff McKissack, who spent his last 25 years assembling a collection of found objects and building materials into an architectural collage that students of folk art call a "folk art environment." It stands in a quiet working-class neighborhood just off the Gulf Freeway, where it dares to be different. With the many flagpoles, spindles, wagon wheels, and wrought-iron birds rising up from behind its walls, it seems like an outpost for spontaneity in a wilderness of cookie-cutter ranch-style houses.Inside, the viewer is presented with all kinds of curiosities: two small arenas, observation decks, a small museum, and lots of cheerful wrought-iron decoration and tile work. Inscriptions adorn the walls; many of these honor that best of all fruits, "The orange: a great gift to mankind." Seeing the whole thing takes less than an hour. Upon the death of Mr. McKissack, The Orange Show fell into decay until it was rescued by the Orange Show Foundation, located in the house across the street and a center for Houston's folk art world. It is the organizer of the Art Car Parade and the Art Car Ball. It is also the organizer of Eyeopener Tours. If you like folk art, consider purchasing their driving tour audiocassette of Houston's other folk art treasures. (The tape comes with a map.)

Houston Ship Channel
For those fortunate enough not to live among the industrial areas of the Texas Gulf Coast, the landscape of refineries and their intricate tangle of pipes, their forests of cooling towers and stacks, and their fields of tanks are as exotic as the Zanzibar coast. If you find this sort of thing intriguing you can take a free boat ride on the Sam Houston Inspection Ship, which tours the upper 7 miles of the deep water channel. The boat dates from the 1950s and has a lovely cabin trimmed in mahogany as well as fore and aft observation decks. I hail from Houston but rarely have the opportunity to see the ship channel up close, and I enjoyed this trip. You should probably make reservations well in advance during the summer months when it is quite popular, but I'm told that the ship channel is best seen in cooler weather, when there is no risk of bad smells. The trip takes a total of 90 minutes, during which you will most likely see large container ships, tall grain elevators, tugs, and barges. If after the trip, you want to see more of the channel, you can drive to the San Jacinto Battlefield, where the Battleship Texas is on display.

Space Center Houston
Space Center Houston is the visitor center for NASA's Johnson Space Center. It's the product of the joint efforts of NASA and Disney Imagineering. Easily the most popular attraction in the Houston area, there's nothing like it anywhere else in the world. You'll find plenty of exhibits and activities to interest both adults and children, and they do a great job of introducing the visitor to different aspects of space exploration. The center banks heavily on interactive displays and simulations on the one hand and actual access to the real thing on the other. For instance, the Feel of Space gallery simulates working in the frictionless environment of space by using an air-bearing floor (something like a giant air hockey table). Another simulator shows what it's like to land the lunar orbiter. For a direct experience of NASA you can take the 1 1/2-hour tram tour that takes you to, among other places, the International Space Station Assembly Building and NASA control center. You get to see things as they happen, especially interesting if there's a shuttle mission in progress. You might also see astronauts in training. And, on top of all this, Space Center Houston has the largest IMAX in Texas. Plan on staying here 3 to 4 hours.

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

Renaissance Houston Hotel
The only hotel in the Greenway Plaza (though there are a few nearby), this 20-story hotel enjoys access to Greenway's office buildings through its concourse level of shops, food court, a post office, and a movie theater. It's also connected to the Houston City Club by another walkway, and hotel guests can enjoy the use of its facilities including indoor tennis courts, racquetball, and jogging track. The hotel's location off the Southwest Freeway means quick access to either downtown or Uptown.All standard rooms are spacious and decorated in an eclectic style that makes them a bit more interesting than your standard hotel room. Bathrooms are roomy as well and a cut above most of what you see in this price range.

Patrician Bed & Breakfast Inn
This is a smart choice for those who want a location near the Museum District that's a straight shot into downtown on the light rail line. The decor has a marked feminine feel, with wood floors, lots of area rugs, a few period pieces, and old-fashioned wallpaper. Rooms are medium size and come with queen-size beds, cable TV, and terry-cloth robes. Two smaller rooms on the third floor have the use of a kitchen off the hallway. With its proximity to downtown and convenient parking, this B&B gets a number of businesspeople on the weekdays. For the weekenders there are rooms sporting two-person whirlpool tubs. Prices vary according to room size and location. Guests have use of a video and CD library, a microwave, and a fridge stocked with complimentary bottled water and soft drinks.

Hotel Derek
The creators of this hotel have gone to great lengths to separate it from the pack. They've even given it a persona -- its namesake, Derek, a fictitious aging rock star/hotel owner. Given the premise, it would have been easy to lapse into cliché, but not so. Yes, there are some nods to the 1960s, but these are cleverly mixed with unexpected touches and the playful use of materials new and old to express a light-hearted vision of the counterculture. With the guest rooms, the designers have succeeded in creating a space that is functional for the business traveler while having the feel of a "pad" with all the accompanying informality. The decor is modern: The desk, side tables, and bathroom counter are thick glass with metal supports; the mattresses are mostly king-size. The sitting area is a wonderful mohair velvet built-in stretching the width of the room. Details throughout show thoughtfulness: Instead of drawers, there are baskets (which make a lot more sense in a hotel room) and safes that are big enough to accommodate a briefcase. Service is excellent, and the hotel is opening a new bistro that looks to be a great place to grab a bite.