Welcome Fans, Friends, and Visitors,

Hi. November has historically been a slower month than those months that surround it. However, in 2018, that is changing. The 5-day Quilt Festival Houston has moved to the first full week in November. It begins on a Wednesday and continues through Sunday. In past years, the Quilt Festival began in October and continued into the first weekend in November. Now, it is exclusively in November. This is the biggest annual event in Houston, with over 60,000 people attending and filling the George R. Brown Convention Center. We offer 8 different quilt tours that go to over one dozen towns in Texas. Enjoy a day out in the country and in towns that you have been meaning to visit someday. Today is that day. Check them out and sign up for one, . . . or two, . . . or. . . .

The latter portion of the month is generally slower than the beginning of the month. With the Thanksgiving holiday and people departing to be with friends and family in other cities and states as well as those individuals and families who are hosting friends and family and watching lots of football, less people go on tours. Throw in Black Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving and many people have already been planning their alternative activities.

Weather in Houston

The weather is pleasant, if a little cool. You might want to wear a light jacket. This is a wonderful month to go on any of the tours that involve being outside. Keep in mind if you went on a Wine Tour or San Jacinto State Park Tour between April and September, you would likely be drenched in sweat. Go now while the weather is comfortable.

November is Houston’s fourth coldest month. However, do not be intimidated by the previous sentence. Cold in Houston is still warm in most of the world. Be prepared to wear a sweater or jacket. 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. The average rainfall is 4.54 inches/11.5 centimeters. It is tied for the fifth wettest month of the year.

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 November. What a deal!

National Food Day Tours
Did you know that:

• November 5^th is National Doughnut Day II? The first Friday of June is National Doughnut Day I.
• November 6^th is National Nachos Day?
• November 10^th is National Vanilla Cupcake Day?
• November 11^th is National Sundae Day?
• November 29^th is National Lemon Cream Pie and National Chocolates Day?

We will create a customized 3-hour themed tour for your enjoyment anytime in this month for the above gastronomical sensations. Who does not like comfort food?

Wine Tours
November is a great month to go on a wine tour. See the countryside, sit outside sipping one sample of wine after another at a variety of wineries, possibly listening to a musical performer, and all without sweating – what a wonderful way to spend a day! We offer 5 different winery tours that venture into different directions to a total of 14 wineries + 2 wine tasting rooms = 16 sites. Eleven of the wineries have their vineyards attached to the winery. It cannot get much fresher than when you see where your product has been grown. Sometimes, you can walk or stagger through the vineyards.

You can go to 1 to 4 wineries on these tours. The tours can last from 3 hours one close winery to 12 hours for 4 more remote wineries. Most wineries offer 4 different samples from dry, semi-dry, sweet, and dessert wines. All of these wineries or tasting rooms are in or close to rural towns with names like Brenham, Chappell Hill, Burton, Bryan, College Station, Old Town Spring, Montgomery, Plantersville, Anahuac, Sour Lake, Winnie, Anahuac, and Baytown. If you wish to purchase any bottles of wine, the prices of such bottles are generally much cheaper than going to a store. Many of these wines are only available on site or in local stores. Stock up for the holidays. You must be at least 21 years of age to go on these tours.

San Jacinto State Park Tours
Another popular tour in November is going to the San Jacinto State Park. This is normally a six-hour tour. Go inside the San Jacinto Monument, Observation Deck, the San Jacinto Museum of History, watch the Charlton Heston narrated movie “Texas Forever! The Battle of of San Jacinto” and see the diorama. The Monument is the tallest monument in the United States at 567 feet/173 meters. It is taller than the Washington Monument because a Star of Texas caps it. This is the most important battle of Texas’s War of Independence where on April 21, 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and on the next day the Texans captured Santa Anna. This tour also includes going onto and inside the Battleship Texas, the only surviving US battleship from both World War I and II and the only one that survives that served in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during WW II. It was the first ship adapted to serve as an aircraft carrier. For groups of 14 or fewer people in a van or sedan, we will also go on a ferry boat. The ferry cannot have buses on it. Lunch is at a great restaurant that specializes in seafood and with huge windows with the best view of the Houston Ship Channel. You will watch barges and oil tankers passing us. If we skip going onto the Battleship Texas, the tour can be shortened to five hours.

City Tours
Of course, if you are visiting Houston for the first time, or new to Houston and still learning your way around, go on one of our city tours. You have 8 options ranging from 2 to 9 hours, depending on how much you want to do and see. Four hour tours and longer generally have one stop per hour and on Monday through Friday include a brief walk through the underground downtown tunnels. Five hour tours and longer have a stop for lunch. Houston has over 7.5 miles/12.1 kilometers of pedestrian tunnels. These tunnels form a city underneath downtown Houston with over 500 businesses and 10 food courts. They are air conditioned or heated and dry. They are a secret gem in Houston. These driving tours can cover from about 20 to 60 miles/32 to 97 kilometers when from 2 to 9 hours.

If you are visiting Houston for the first time and will be here for a number of days, you might want to schedule a 6 or more hour tour on your first day. This will enable you to drive-by and see more sites that you might want to visit at greater length during your stay in Houston.

Monthly Special – Discounted by 17 to 43% Based on the Number of People
The monthly special for November is a Houston Heights Walking Tour. This 2.5-hour tour focuses on going through the old downtown area of the Houston Heights, the area where serial killer Dean Corll lived, by beautiful old Victorian homes, Marmion Park, Opera in the Heights, Hits Theater, where a reservoir exists, one of the best spice shops in Houston, Penzeys, can be found and more. The weather is crisp, the leaves are different colors, and the big oak trees are imposing. You will find yourself returning to the Houston Heights to go shopping and eating now that you know what it has to offer.

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.

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