The Final Four traveler’s guide to Houston

Hello all, I’m Kirsten Clancy and I will be the BlueCoast Live Houston correspondent during the Final Four weekend, bringing you tweets and pictures from the student section at Saturday’s, and possibly Monday’s, game. I have put together a little travel guide for other students making the trek to Houston this weekend.

Hotels:
These four hotels are listed as within .3 miles from Reliant Stadium, according to hotels-rates:
Holiday Inn Houston South Loop: Rates range from $295 for one king bed in a smoking area to $328 for a one bed suite.
Comfort Suites Houston: A two queen bed room is available for $375.
Springhill Suites Houston: A one king bed plus sofabed room is available for $370.
Holiday Inn Express and Suites Houston Medical Center: Rates range from $249.99 for a room with one king bed to $274.99 for a one king bed suite.
If you are driving, you can stay farther away from the stadium. For example, La Quinta Inn and Suites, which is 17 miles from the stadium, offers a standard room with two full beds for $56.25 a night. Days Inn Houston, which is 16.3 miles from the stadium, offers a rate of $60.20 a night average for a standard room with two double beds, according to reservations.hotelguides.com. However, be prepared to spend 25 to 40 minutes in traffic, or more, if you choose this route.
If you find yourself bored between games, check out some of these popular Houston attractions:
Bayou Place
Johnson Space Center
Houston Zoo
Kemah Boardwalk
Old Town Spring
Weather:
According to the National Weather Service, here is the projected weather forecast during the National Championship weekend:
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. South wind between 5 and 15 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 64.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 68.
Monday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny and breezy, with a high near 82.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy and windy, with a low around 55.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 70.
Other travel tips:
If you have a student ticket, remember to pick up your wristband between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the stadium on Saturday.
Stay with your group.
Don’t drive if you are too tired.
Make sure somebody back in Kentucky has your cell phone number as well as the cell phone number of one other person traveling with you. Also make sure somebody here in Kentucky knows where you are staying.
Carry pepper spray.
Don’t bring expensive equipment, like laptops or expensive cameras. Stick with a simple point-and-shoot camera.
Carry money, but not too much money. Don’t walk around Houston with over a thousand dollars in your pocket.
Do not dress like an expensive tourist.
For more information on safe travel, visit the CDC’s guide to safe travel.