The Woodlands has been named by Travel+Leisure as "One of the Coolest Suburbs Worth a Visit." In a list of 25 destinations from throughout the United States, The Woodlands came in at number seven. Read an excerpt from the article below.
Americans have a love-hate relationship with the ever-sprawling communities outside the country’s big cities. The quest for more space than cities can afford often means giving up the unique stores and restaurants that spring up in urban centers. Of course, Hollywood hasn’t helped the suburban profile, typically portraying these communities as boring, conformist places, spiced up by a few desperate housewives here and there. Yet a number of suburbs around the country blow up the stereotype and are worth a visit on your next trip.
Some of these are old inner-ring suburbs, while others are small cities that have been folded into a greater urban area due to population expansion and improved transportation—but have managed to maintain an independent identity.
#7 | The Woodlands, TX
This suburb is a master-planned community built within 28,000 acres of forest, 25 miles from downtown Houston. After opening in 1974, the town has wooed many young Texans; the average age is 36. One main attraction is its thriving town center, filled with great restaurants, bars, and major retail outlets, all accessible by foot or trolley. Fox Sports Network and Anadarko Petroleum are headquartered here, and an elaborate park and lake system is navigable by water taxi.
See: Check out a concert with 17,000 of your friends at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
Taste: How can a town that is less than 40 have a pub that’s 107 years old? Simple: it was shipped from Ireland. At the well-traveled Goose’s Acre Bistro and Irish, dine on sirloin shepherd’s pie or a Monte Cristo O’Brian sandwich.
