Sport
The Houston Astros (tel: (877) 927 8767 (for single game tickets); website: http://houstonastros.mlb.com), the local Major League Baseball team, took on opponents at the Astrodome, before moving to the state-of-the-art open-air stadium, Minute Maid Park, 501 Crawford Street (tel: (713) 259 8000), in March 2000. They have been particularly successful, being the National Division Central Division Champions for 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. Houston also has two successful basketball teams – the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (tel: (713) 627 3700; website: www.nba.com/rockets) and the Houston Comets of the Women’s National Basketball Assocation (tel: (713) 627 9622; website: www.wnba.com/comets). The Rockets won the NBA title in 1994 and 1995 and the Comets are the holders of the first four WNBA titles in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Both currently have the Compaq Centre, 10 Greenway Plaza East, as their home stadium but a new multi-purpose arena, the Houston Arena, is under construction in Downtown and is scheduled to open in September 2003. Tickets for the Rockets and the Comets can be purchased direct from the teams.
The long-awaited National Football League team, the Houston Texans (tel: (713) 289 2002 or (877) 635 2002; website: www.houstontexans.com), burst onto the field in September 2002 in a brand new 69,500-seater football stadium, the Reliant Stadium, Kirby Drive, with a retractable roof.
Golf is a popular game in Houston, and the mild climate allows for it to be played all year-round. The city is also home to the Houston Open Golf Tournament, a major venue for the PGA Tour’s players.
Tickets for most sporting events can be obtained from Ticketmaster (tel: (713) 629 3700; website: www.ticketmaster.com).
Fitness centres: Generally fitness centres are for members only but many hotels have facilities for their guests.
Golf: There are more than 100 golf courses in the greater Houston area, many of which are open to the public. Hermann Park Golf Course, 2155 North MacGregor Street (tel: (713) 526 0077), and Memorial Park Golf Course, 6001 Memorial Loop Drive (tel: (713) 862 4033), are both easy to reach. Green fees at Hermann Park are US$20.25 weekdays and US$41.37 from Friday to Sunday. The Memorial Park is closed Tuesdays and open until 1330 for the general public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Green fees are US$22.50 weekdays and US$32 Friday to Sunday.
Swimming: Waterpark lovers will enjoy SplashTown Waterpark (tel: (281) 355 3300; website: www.sixflags.com), with a number of pools and water rides. It is located at the Louetta Road exit, off I-45 in Spring. Next to the Astrodome is Six Flags Astro World and Water World (tel: (713) 799 8404; website: www.sixflags.com), which is a theme park with water slides and a giant wave pool. The Water World section of the park closes between September and March.
Tennis: Tennis courts are available for public use in Memorial Park, 6501 Memorial Drive (tel: (713) 845 1000).
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Sport