La Carafe

Housed in the oldest commercial building in town, La Carafe exudes history. The jukebox plays no small part in this process, stocked as it is with Benny Goodman and Lady Day, and so do the candles behind the bar resting atop mountains of their own melted wax. The brick walls are covered with photos and paintings of the city in bygone days and even one of the city's namesake. The museum-worthy collection is dominated by a huge portrait of Sam Houston himself. A weekend afternoon here taking in the downtown scenes will really make you fall in love with Houston all over again.