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Best Coach

Todd Whitting, UH baseball

Houston sports fans have grown so used to frustration, we'll take any bit of good news that comes along, even if it's from a relatively unusual source. College baseball may be second-string in a city with four professional franchises, but in his fourth season at the helm this year, UH men's baseball coach Todd Whitting fielded a winner. The fightin' Coogs barreled to a record of 48-18 — tying the school record for most wins in a season — to reach a national ranking as high as No. 12, and won the inaugural All-American Athletic Conference tournament championship. Then the Coogs upset No. 9 LSU in the NCAA's Baton Rouge regional before being denied a trip to the College World Series by perennial powerhouse Texas in the Austin super-regional. A UH alumnus himself (class of '95), Whitting also had five of his players selected in this year's MLB draft, and looks set to have his squad bringing home plenty more pennants in seasons to come.

Best Dog Park

Discovery Green Kinder Large Dog Run and Harriet and Joe Foster Small Dog Run

Photo by Katya Horner

It's so well planned and so enjoyable for human and canine visitors that we forgive the Discovery Green Kinder Large Dog Run and Harriet and Joe Foster Small Dog Run its extremely cumbersome name(s). Discovery Green has separate fenced areas for large and small dogs, with both crushed gravel and grass as ground cover. Drinking fountains, benches and nearby shade trees make the runs comfortable even on Houston's hot summer days. One of the main reasons fans are drawn to the Discovery Green runs is the multi-use park that surrounds them. Live music and dance performances, film screenings, festivals, food vendors and lots more are scheduled year-round. There's something for everyone, with two legs or four.

Best Cheap Seats

Houston Astros

The Astros are admittedly terrible, but there's a plus side in the form of those amazingly cheap seats. Right now a trip to Minute Maid Park to take in America's national pastime will set you back as little as $10. The view is decent even from the nosebleed sections, and thanks to all those losses, the odds are good you'll be able to mosey your way through the empties into an even better seat. Some nights there are even fireworks. Combine that with a beer, a hot dog (or eat before the game to really keep things affordable) and a rousing rendition of the national anthem, and there's a good time to be had by all.

Best Place to Ride Go-Karts

Speedy's Fast Track

Yes, there are places that have faster go-karts. Yes, there are places where you can ride indoors. The reality is that while many places in Houston offer many different kinds of go-karting experiences, none delivers a better ratio of fun-to-money than Speedy's. The track lives up to its name, especially if you're the type who pretends brake pedals only exist after a race is over. You may not hit warp speed, but if you love the feel of the wind in your face while tackling tight turns and screaming at your buddies, there's really no better place to race in Houston than Speedy's.

Best City Park

Hermann Park

Hermann Park turns 100 next year, and it's in great shape for its centennial. Landscape architect George Kessler designed the park in 1915 and included plenty of attractions but left lots of open space for future development. But wars, a waning economy and fickle public support delayed many of the proposed improvements over the years. For a while there it seemed that Hermann Park was little more than some green space between neighboring mega-museums. Then, in 2006, the Hermann Park Conservancy started pushing for a renewal. Old facilities were refurbished and new public art programs were put in place. Lighting, parking and transportation services were all kicked up a notch. Now the park attracts as many visitors as its well-heeled neighbors. Shows at Miller Outdoor Theatre are scheduled almost year-round and include performances by the city's world-class companies, as well as headlining visitors.

Best Rocket

James Harden

Dwight Howard brought the initial headlines, but James Harden got the final recognition. After finishing fifth in the NBA in scoring last season at 25.4 points per game while also dishing out more than six assists per game, The Beard became just the third Rocket to be named First Team All-NBA and the first since Hakeem Olajuwon earned the honor in 1997. The Rockets' early playoff exit might have proven the team is still a third star away from championship contention, but having one of the five best players in the league on your team is never a bad thing.

Best Weekend Getaway

Galveston Island

Galveston Island has lots of year-round attractions, including Moody Gardens, the Pleasure Pier and the Strand Historic District. There's also the Pier 21 Theater (with exhibits and screenings about the great 1900 storm that completely submerged the island), the Texas Seaport Museum (with the 1877 tall ship Elissa), and several historic homes, such as Moody Mansion and the Bishop's Palace. Don't limit your visit to the summer months, especially because Galveston Island is extremely popular during Halloween season. Why? Ghost tours. All those ornate cemeteries and hundreds of years of pirates, shipwrecks and devastating hurricanes, not to mention good old-fashioned only-in-Texas murders, make for plenty of ghosts. And then there was that reputedly cannibalistic Karankawa tribe. Think of it — pirates versus cannibals versus early settlers versus murderous storms. Surely, some of those spirits still haunt the island.

Best Golf Course

Memorial Park

Despite golf's best efforts to become more inclusive, the fact is if you want to just jump out and play 18 holes, at many courses, even public courses, a major cash outlay is involved. Thankfully, back in the late '90s, the city of Houston decided to invest in restoring the Memorial Park golf course and since then, it's been one of the best values in golf in the entire state of Texas. At Memorial, golfers can get out and play 18 holes on a weekend with a cart for under $50, a splendid way to spend an afternoon. Additionally, the scenic course has great views and is considered one of the best courses in the city to walk and also one of the best to play as a "single" (solo golfer). Wide-open fairways and manageable roughs make even the hackiest of hackers feel like Tiger Woods.

Best Driving Range

Memorial Park Golf Course

There's maybe a two-second window during the summer when it's not too hot and humid to get in 18 holes, or even nine. But getting your fix at the driving range is a lot less dependent on the weather, and you can sharpen your swing or just work out your aggression on this picturesque, well-maintained range in Memorial Park. Baskets of balls run from $4 to $8, and the course doesn't close till 7:30 every night, so even during the week there's time enough for a few long drives.

Best Place to Walk Your Dog

Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

We can't get to the dog park every day, and sometimes we want a change in the ol' around-the-block routine, so our go-to is the Houston Arboretum. Instead of sniffing the same fire hydrants and garbage cans, your pooch can enjoy the olfactory bliss of the Palmetto Multi-sensory Trail, the Carol Tatkon Sensory Garden, the R.A. Vines Trail, the Biomimicry Trail and other beautiful paths. You've got to keep your little fur-friend on a leash, since there are snakes and poison ivy, but the little guy or gal will be able to experience the sights, sounds and smells of an urban forest, shallow wetland, and more wild plants and flowers than you can shake a tail at. It's not only an explosion of awesome scents for your dog, but a nice change of scenery from the same old sidewalks and mailboxes you've passed a million times.

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