NBA travel insights with Suzanna Keith

Please welcome Suzanna Keith, blogger at RevolutionaryMarketingideas.com and Brand Director, EVP of OnlineMomMedia.com.

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NBA All-star week from a family perspective

One of the highlights since we moved to Houston has been our family trip to the NBA All-Star Week. Since ticket prices to the All-Star Game almost rivaled the Super Bowl, our family decided to enjoy the attractions surrounding the main event. Houston did an outstanding job as host city featuring a healthy variety of events, making the NBA accessible to everyone.

The NBA kicked off the events on Thursday with the opening of the All-Star jam session and culminated with the All-Star East vs. West battle on Sunday night at the Toyota Center.

NBA All-Star events

NBA All-Star Jam Session was a fun family event at the George R. Brown convention center filled with sporting events, exhibits and action packed games. WNBA Super stars throughout the exhibition and the high school girls teams playing near center court empowered our daughters. 

Get the most out of your ticket:

• Arrive at the event right after it starts so you can avoid the opening line outside and long lines at the sporting events inside.
• Stand in line for tickets to the practice session. It's well worth the wait for the kids to get autographs and close up sighting.

NBA All-Star Fit Run and the NBA Walk & Dribble kicked off Saturday morning with a charity fun run benefitting the USO followed by a free dribble contest. We applaud the NBA for making the events affordable for all.

NBA Family Parties at local sporting stores.  Academy Sports on the Katy freeway held a family fest complete with Super Stars and dunking contests

NBA Jam session at Discovery Green Park: featuring live music, basketball courts, food stands and countless vendors.

NBA All-Star parking & lodging

activities for the family during NBA All-Star weekFor general lodging, use the concierge service of any of your credit cards (especially AMEX) to book your stay months in advance. Try to find a hotel in walking distance of the attractions so you don't need to pay for parking.

The Hilton Americas and the Courtyard Marriott Convention Center are clean, reasonable and very central to all the downtown events and sports venues. VBRO or Dwellable are great options for rentals and B&Bs.

Try to reserve your parking in advance because parking is a bear in big cities or you pay $40 parking across from the convention center. For navigating the traffic: Waze is a fantastic GPS App that tells you which roads may be blocked off or super busy with traffic since it was developed with driver feedback

No-nonsense family friendly & affordable restaurants

• Ninfa's on Navigation is a great Tex-Mex near downtown.
• The Grove is higher-end Americana dining with a great view of Discovery Green. However, the children should be dressed nicely and on their best behavior
• Lake House is casual, counter service with cafe style cuisine also at Discovery Green

For more recommendations check out CitySearch.

Unique attractions

• Amazing museums abound in Houston: The Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston are exquisite.

• The Houston Zoo is one of the finest we have seen and the children just love the piranha aquarium where you can climb through a tube so it looks like you are swimming with them.

• The Aquarium is a colorful and fantastic display is a "must see". Bigger kids will get a kick out of the Shark train exhibit.

• The Rodeo, a world acclaimed event runs the end of February to early March.

We can't wait to attend the NBA All-Stars next year in New Orleans!

Have you ever been to the NBA All-Stars Week? Tell us about your experiences.  Chat with us on Facebook or connect with us on Twitter. We'd love to hear your stories!

About Suzanna Keith

Suzanna Keith @skconceptsSuzanna Keith is an experienced marketing professional who believes in revolutionary insights and ideas to grow brands. Her expertise includes researching consumer insights and building on these insights to drive long-term strategic direction in all aspects of brand management. Prior to starting her own consulting company, Suzanna served as Brand Manager for Mitchum AP at Revlon in NY, NY. She has also worked in brand management at Sterling Withthrop and Cadbury Schweppes. Suzanna graduated from Bryn Mawr College and received her MBA in marketing from New York University.

Catch up with Suzanna online:

• OnlineMomMedia
• Revolutionarymarketingideas
• Facebook: RevolutionaryMarketingIdeas
• Twitter:@skconcepts