Long a must-see for people on the south side of Houston, Cole's is like a slice of Mexico in the middle of suburbia. Sprawling 145,000 square feet of air-conditioned space just inside Pearland city limits, this place has been in business for decades. On Sundays there is a traffic jam just to park. Families flock to Cole's on the weekends for great deals on antiques, home goods and groceries, and to partake of the food court, which puts any mall fare to shame. Where else can you buy a machete or a used turntable and eat your weight in tacos?