Keith’s Blog – October 2017
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