Latest / The Frommer's Travel Show / A Spotlight on Sugar Land, Texas

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A Spotlight on Sugar Land, Texas · The Frommer's Travel Show

• 0:13
  And welcome to the Fromer Travel Show.
• 0:15
  I'm your host, Pauline Fromer.
• 0:17
  I recently had my annual physical, and as always happens, my doctor and I started chatting about travel, specifically his travels, and he went to a very obscure corner of Scandinavia in the dead of winter, and he visited it
• 0:37
  in the dead of winter to escape the crowds.
• 0:41
  Because even though this is a place that nobody went to a decade ago, it now has a problem with traffic jams.
• 0:51
  So it's more important than ever to.
• 0:54
  To talk about what we sometimes call the secondary cities, the places that are right next to the top attractions that people may not think of going to, but really should because they're not yet over touristed, they're still affordable,
• 1:14
  and they often offer really exciting, interesting attractions, restaurants and facilities for visitors that you would get in the main attractions, but often with less competition.
• 1:31
  So we're doing that today.
• 1:34
  We have Alison Brooks here on the line.
• 1:38
  She is the assistant director for tourism with Visit Sugarland.
• 1:44
  Hey, Alison, thank you so much for appearing on the Fromer Travel Show.
• 1:48
  Hi, Pauline.
• 1:49
  Thank you for having me.
• 1:51
  So one of the reasons we're having you is with the World cup on the horizon, Sugar Land is going to get a little bit of the spotlight.
• 2:02
  So tell us where Sugarland is and what is the tie with the World Cup.
• 2:08
  Absolutely.
• 2:09
  Well, that is our goal for us to get some spotlight during the World cup, because we are a suburb located right outside of Houston, and we are hoping to really leverage that.
• 2:21
  You know, we are a city that has a lot to offer without necessarily the complexity of going into the city center or downtown area.
• 2:31
  We have a really a lot of great things to do in the city that you would typically find in some of the bigger cities.
• 2:38
  So we're really excited for our visitors to come experience Sugar Land during the World cup and experience some of those fun things to do, and also for our community and our residents to experience the city in a special
• 2:52
  way at a special time as well.
• 2:54
  Right now, there won't be any World cup matches in Sugar Land itself.
• 2:58
  Right.
• 2:59
  So what is the tie in?
• 3:02
  How will that work?
• 3:04
  That's correct.
• 3:04
  So there are seven matches happening in Houston.
• 3:07
  So Houston has some really big games.
• 3:09
  We have Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, some of the countries that are playing in Houston.
• 3:15
  So those are going to be some really great games.
• 3:18
  And we are actually implementing some watch parties in Sugarland Town Square, which is really the anchor to kind of what we're planning.
• 3:27
  We have some other really cool things happening around the city, which I can get into.
• 3:31
  But one of the really, really cool things that we have an opportunity to do is our own watch parties in Sugarland town square.
• 3:38
  So that means that will be playing matches over.
• 3:42
  Over a couple of the weekends we have a series of seven days where we'll play our own matches in Sugarland, and those will be different from the matches that they'll be playing in Houston.
• 3:53
  So those are really meant to complement those Houston matches and kind of give visitors things to do during the matches that are in Houston, you know, travel and explore outside of Houston.
• 4:04
  So we want to give them a reason to come to Sugarland.
• 4:07
  And it's going to be really great experience.
• 4:10
  We're going to have large screens installed in our Sugarland town square plaza, which is really the heartbeat, kind of the downtown of Sugarland area.
• 4:19
  And it's really where all of our visitors kind of naturally flock to anyways, is it's really our, like I said, our heartbeat.
• 4:25
  So, yeah, I've seen photos of it.
• 4:28
  It's very attractive with that lovely sculptures and a big, wide open space.
• 4:32
  I mean, it's a.
• 4:34
  It's a classic town square.
• 4:36
  And when you said that, they're going to be videos showing or I guess live streams of other matches.
• 4:43
  So what you're hoping for is people will go into Houston for the matches that are happening there and then come to this town square to see the matches happening in other parts of the country.
• 4:54
  Is that how it works?
• 4:56
  That's right.
• 4:56
  So we're really trying to compliment what's happening in Houston, not necessarily compete with it.
• 5:01
  So, you know, if we have the Houston matches happening, you can go to Houston if you have tickets to the match or kind of be part of that fan fest experience, experience in the downtown area.
• 5:10
  But on days where Houston doesn't have matches, we'll be showing some of those other popular matches in Sugarland.
• 5:16
  So it really allows people to still experience some of the excitement at our watch party without actually having to travel to the match.
• 5:24
  Or if they don't, or if they're in town for not having match tickets, that's also an option for them as well.
• 5:29
  And I would think, and tell me if I'm wrong, that some of the people who are in the Houston area are there, but maybe won't be staying at the hotels in Houston, they probably could be staying in Sugar
• 5:44
  Land.
• 5:45
  Right?
• 5:45
  Are you seeing a spillover in terms of visitation for people going to those matches?
• 5:51
  Yes, absolutely.
• 5:52
  That's definitely what we expect to happen.
• 5:55
  And we know that, you know, one of the points that we like to reference is that in the last World cup, there was a match where four 40,000 Peruvians actually traveled to Russia.
• 6:09
  And out of those four 40,000, only, I believe it was 14,000, only had match tickets.
• 6:15
  So that's not even half.
• 6:17
  So that just kind of goes to show that, like, it's really this cultural event for people, and a lot of people are going to come to the city who aren't even going to have matches, and they're really just
• 6:29
  looking to be part of the excitement and part of the experience, and they're looking to explore the destinations where the matches are going to be at.
• 6:36
  And, you know, they're going to stay not just for a match.
• 6:39
  They're going to stay for a couple of days or maybe their favorite team is playing, and then they have, you know, three days later, another team is playing, because that's kind of the way the matches are spaced out
• 6:48
  a couple days apart.
• 6:49
  So why not come to Sugar Land and experience some of the things to do in our city?
• 6:54
  Right?
• 6:55
  And it seems very appropriate to have the world come to Sugar Land because you have probably the most diverse population in Texas.
• 7:05
  I was reading about this.
• 7:07
  Sugar Land grew, I think it was 40% between the 2010 census and the 2021.
• 7:14
  So it's a booming city.
• 7:16
  And a lot of those people, I was reading, I think it's 38% were born in other countries or are of, you know, are mostly from different parts of Asia.
• 7:27
  I think it was 10% Indian, 10% Chinese, a lot of people from Vietnam, a lot of people from Pakistan.
• 7:35
  And so you don't expect to be going to the heart of Texas and really getting this type of fully global community.
• 7:44
  Yeah, and I think that.
• 7:45
  I think that's really one thing about Texas is it's really unexpected.
• 7:50
  Like, modern Texas is very international.
• 7:53
  I know, especially in the Houston, Sugarland region.
• 7:55
  It really is a melting pot.
• 7:57
  And I know, you know, we have really good schools, really good things to do in the city.
• 8:02
  So I think that's a big part of why, you know, people want to live in the area.
• 8:07
  And, you know, when people migrate to a certain area, they want to see the city and the food and the dining and all of that, like, reflective of their culture.
• 8:16
  So that's really something that is popular in Sugar Land, is our diverse cultural food scene, because we're, like you mentioned, we're in Fort Bend county, and Fort Bend county is really one of the most, if not the most
• 8:29
  diverse county in the nation.
• 8:31
  So we really try to celebrate that, too.
• 8:33
  Very cool.
• 8:34
  So it's A diverse county, I'm hoping.
• 8:37
  I'm assuming that leads to a diverse culinary scene.
• 8:41
  So let's talk a little bit about that.
• 8:44
  If somebody goes out to eat, what kind of food will they find?
• 8:47
  And will it be sometimes when you go to middle America, not that Texas really is that, but you go to a restaurant of a certain ethnic specialty, and it tastes more like an Americanized version.
• 9:05
  Is that what's happening in Sugarland, or are people really doing the full punch of spices and sourness and the different things that you expect if you were to go to India itself or China or Vietnam?
• 9:22
  Yeah, I would say that's definitely not the case in Sugarland, thankfully, because I'm such a foodie, and that's really, honestly, one of my favorite things about the city is the culinary scene.
• 9:32
  And Houston overall has a really highly regarded culinary scene, and they have such great options.
• 9:41
  And that really spills over into Sugarland, too.
• 9:43
  And we have really just.
• 9:46
  We have really authentic options.
• 9:48
  So we have a lot of local community members who have kind of embraced that and are really involved in some of our restaurants.
• 9:59
  We have.
• 10:00
  We actually have Texas's first halal deli, which is actually.
• 10:06
  It has a really great family story, and it started by a gentleman and his father.
• 10:11
  So it's kind of that entrepreneurial spirit.
• 10:14
  It's also a reflection of our community.
• 10:17
  And just as an example, you know, we have Seafood City, which is a huge Filipino market, and it's, you know, they have fresh fish, they have Baker sun in there, which is a bakery, and they have specialized pastries.
• 10:34
  And you just walk in there, and it's honestly like you're transported to another country.
• 10:39
  It's like, you know, the.
• 10:41
  The.
• 10:41
  The smells of the grilled meats, and then you have all of the.
• 10:44
  The families together kind of.
• 10:46
  It's a food hall experience.
• 10:48
  So there's really a lot of little kind of restaurants in there.
• 10:52
  And I think that that's something that people really don't expect.
• 10:57
  Right.
• 10:57
  When you're thinking of Texas, you're thinking steak and barbecue and things like that.
• 11:02
  And, you know, one of the really memorable things I think of Sugar Land is our food scene, because we have such a great options, like the one I mentioned.
• 11:10
  Like, those are only a couple examples, but we have really, really great, authentic food.
• 11:15
  And Sugar Land that really reflects the diversity that we have.
• 11:19
  Right.
• 11:19
  Do you have barbecue, though?
• 11:21
  I have to ask.
• 11:23
  Okay.
• 11:25
  It's kind of, you know, it's.
• 11:27
  Of course, we have the traditional, like Tex Mex and barbecue and things that, you know, Texas and Houston is kind of known for, but I think, like, people don't expect to have such a great experience trying things that
• 11:40
  like, they've never tried before in Sugar Land.
• 11:42
  So you can come to, like I mentioned Seafood City and get, you know, this Filipino dish that you've never even heard of and you know you will come to love it.
• 11:52
  It might be like that's happened for me personally.
• 11:54
  Like, I love Thai food now because I've never had Thai food before I started working in the city.
• 11:59
  And now it's like, I definitely have Thai food once or twice a week, which is not great for the scale, but it's really good.
• 12:08
  And I would have never experienced that if I've never were open to it.
• 12:12
  Sure, sure, sure.
• 12:13
  So you have this diverse population, which is terrific.
• 12:16
  I think probably a lot of them were brought in by the energy industry because that's what the Houston area is known for.
• 12:23
  But a diverse number of professions there too.
• 12:29
  And you have a lot of families, so it's a great place to take kids.
• 12:35
  What are some of the attractions that are best for families in Sugarland?
• 12:41
  Honestly, Sugar Land is a really family friendly destination.
• 12:45
  Overall.
• 12:45
  I like to say that there's really something for everyone to do in Sugarland.
• 12:50
  Whether you know, you are traveling with kids or a solo trip, or if you're kind of on a date night situation, there's something to do for everybody.
• 13:00
  However, we lean really heavily into the family friendly activities.
• 13:04
  So almost everything that we have is very family friendly.
• 13:09
  You know, one of the great things is that we have two satellite locations here for some of the Houston museums.
• 13:16
  So we have the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land, and they have really cool hands on experiences, especially for the kids.
• 13:24
  Um, you know, if you have a dinosaur lover, they have a dig pit, which is basically a giant sandbox where you can dig for fossils and dinosaur bones and other kind of experiences like that that can really have
• 13:39
  the kids.
• 13:40
  It's great for like an afternoon off, let's say, like you're trying to beat the heat, especially in summer if you're here for World Cup.
• 13:46
  But they have rotating exhibits year round.
• 13:50
  And then our other museum is really great too, which they're leaning into a lot of international programming for cup, and that is the Fort Bend Children's Discovery Center.
• 14:00
  So they're going to have some soccer themed exhibits where you can kind of test your agility and do different things along those lines.
• 14:09
  And they're going to have international learning opportunities for the kids.
• 14:15
  So it's another way for Them to do things, you know, with their families while they're here.
• 14:21
  So those are just two options for the kids, but, you know, for the whole family.
• 14:26
  Space Cowboys.
• 14:27
  Have you ever heard of Space Cowboys?
• 14:28
  We have a no.
• 14:29
  Tell me about the Space Cowboys.
• 14:31
  Is it a rock band?
• 14:34
  It kind of sounds like a rock band, but the Space Cowboys are our minor league baseball team.
• 14:40
  So they play at Constellation Field and that is also just a really great family friendly experience.
• 14:47
  And over the World cup they're actually going to be playing a homestand, which is really exciting because it coincides with the kickoff of World Cup.
• 14:56
  What does homestand mean?
• 14:57
  They're going to be playing at home?
• 14:59
  Yes.
• 14:59
  Yes.
• 15:00
  Oh, okay.
• 15:01
  Yes.
• 15:02
  So they'll be.
• 15:02
  They'll be at home for that first week, so.
• 15:05
  But they'll be playing home games while coincidentally, you know, soccer's kicking off also.
• 15:10
  So we are using that opportunity to integrate some different cultural theme nights in there and different exciting programming with special appearances.
• 15:21
  We'll do some giveaways and things like that.
• 15:23
  So really like blending that soccer and baseball energy and that's really just such a family friendly.
• 15:31
  Fascinating.
• 15:31
  I wonder how many of the people who have come to the Houston area for soccer have experienced a baseball game before.
• 15:38
  I think that could be very, very popular.
• 15:41
  Yeah, I think it's a great option for people to do while they're here.
• 15:44
  And you know, Constellation Field I think is also a great opportunity because not only is that where our Space Cowboys play, but the final game in Houston is actually going to be on 4th of July this year, which
• 15:58
  is unique and interesting because it's already such a huge celebration, you know, in Texas and across America.
• 16:06
  It's also special this year because it's America's 250th birthday, which people will be celebrating.
• 16:12
  You know, I think there will be even bigger energy around it.
• 16:15
  And we have a 4th of July celebration at Constellation Field called Red, White and Boom.
• 16:21
  So that's also something that people can do because there's a Houston match at noon that day and then we'll be kicking off Red, White and Boom at Constellation Field that evening.
• 16:31
  And people come enjoy fireworks and do different things at the stadium.
• 16:37
  Yeah, yeah, that'll be delightful.
• 16:39
  So we've talked about your museums, we've talked about your baseball team, who I thought were rock stars.
• 16:48
  Do you have a music scene?
• 16:51
  I mean, what if people want to go see live performances?
• 16:55
  Yeah, so we have Smart Financial Center.
• 16:58
  So Smart Financial is essentially our entertainment venue in Sugarland.
• 17:02
  And I think that's Actually another area where people are unexpectedly surprised because they really have a variety of programming.
• 17:11
  They have everything from Latino concerts, K pop, country music.
• 17:18
  They've had some really, really big names there like Mariah Carey, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart.
• 17:26
  And they are really just kind of leaning into that same variety of shows during World Cup.
• 17:34
  So there will kind of be that mix of different types of shows during the World Cup.
• 17:39
  So if you wanted to stop in for a concert or you know, after the match, pre match.
• 17:44
  And also it's just a really great venue.
• 17:49
  They have state of the art sound quality and it's really great intimate experience.
• 17:54
  There's not a bad seat in the house.
• 17:56
  It's really, it feels like you're close even though, you know, it's a large stadium and.
• 18:01
  Right.
• 18:02
  Very cool.
• 18:03
  Yes.
• 18:04
  So if people want to get out into nature, what do they do?
• 18:08
  Is that an option or just.
• 18:09
  Does it just get too damn hot in summer?
• 18:12
  You know, it is hot, but we have so many great outdoor opportunities for all of our outdoor enthusiasts.
• 18:21
  We have over 27 parks in the city.
• 18:24
  Some of them are bigger parks than others, but we have some really great things to do like kayaking.
• 18:30
  You know, we have self serve kiosks for kayaking now.
• 18:34
  Wow.
• 18:35
  How does that work?
• 18:36
  You use your credit card and rent a kiosk or rent a kayak?
• 18:40
  Yes, basically.
• 18:41
  So you can do that at Sugar Land Memorial Park.
• 18:44
  So like I said, it's self serve.
• 18:45
  So you can just rent, get schedule your rental and then you can just go out onto the water and kind of put it back where you got it from and, and move along and that's one of the options.
• 18:56
  So we have at the, the same park over there, there's a large playground, there's a butterfly garden.
• 19:05
  Nice.
• 19:05
  Yeah.
• 19:06
  A lot of our parks also are really great for bird watching, which people don't expect, and, and fishing in the.
• 19:12
  Middle of a city.
• 19:13
  Wow.
• 19:14
  Yeah.
• 19:14
  Yeah.
• 19:15
  Cullinan Fishing.
• 19:16
  Fishing.
• 19:17
  Yeah.
• 19:17
  Fishing and bird watching are really popular at Cullinan park for us.
• 19:22
  Wow.
• 19:23
  And one of the other things to do is a really cool experience.
• 19:28
  It's called Go Ape.
• 19:29
  So Go Ape is in one of our parks actually.
• 19:33
  So it's kind of hidden in the treetops, but, but it's basically a treetop adventure course where you can actually go ziplining over the Brazos river, which is a really, really cool experience.
• 19:46
  And it's.
• 19:47
  They have options for beginners though, so don't let that scare you, you know, so, you know, my, my seven year old went with my Husband.
• 19:56
  And, you know, she was on the smaller scale of, like, the more of the beginner activities, but they have really advanced courses, too, so it's really good for everybody.
• 20:06
  Wow.
• 20:06
  So is it all kayaking, or is there some clambering?
• 20:09
  Is there?
• 20:09
  I mean, what does the park consist of?
• 20:12
  Yeah, so.
• 20:13
  Well, at Go Ape is really like, a treetop adventure course.
• 20:16
  So kind of like.
• 20:17
  Did I say kayaking?
• 20:18
  I meant ziplining.
• 20:19
  Sorry.
• 20:21
  Kind of like a ninja course with, like, connected in the trees and, like, by boards and ropes, and you have to kind of, like, get across, and then you get to the other side, and then you can, like,
• 20:31
  zipline in different areas.
• 20:34
  So it's not all over the river, but over the river is a really cool experience.
• 20:38
  Oh, yeah.
• 20:39
  That sounds really fun.
• 20:40
  Now, I think probably a lot of our listeners are thinking, why is this city named Sugarland?
• 20:50
  It sounds like a children's board game.
• 20:52
  It keeps making me think of Candyland.
• 20:55
  Why are you.
• 20:56
  Sugarland.
• 20:58
  Yeah.
• 20:58
  So our city's namesake comes from Imperial Sugar.
• 21:04
  So we have the.
• 21:05
  The Char House is what we refer to it, in our Imperial district.
• 21:10
  So the building is actually vacant, but it's still there.
• 21:13
  So that's actually a really huge redevelopment project right now for the city.
• 21:18
  So they're trying to restore that area, and we're working with a developer to come in and kind of reimagine it.
• 21:26
  But that's our namesake.
• 21:27
  You know, we.
• 21:29
  Sugar Land came from the sugar factory, and it was really.
• 21:33
  The town was really built around this sugar factory.
• 21:35
  It was a company town, and a lot of the houses and the businesses were built by the workers, and then they lived in them, and then the city kind of just evolved throughout the years, and that's how we
• 21:47
  have our namesake, Sugar Land.
• 21:49
  Is there any sugar farming or sugar refining still going on in the city, or is that really just in the past?
• 21:55
  Not now.
• 21:57
  There currently is not.
• 21:59
  So, however, we're, you know, trying to preserve a lot of.
• 22:03
  A lot of that history with the.
• 22:05
  The project that's going on right now because it is important and it is our namesake, so.
• 22:10
  Right, right.
• 22:11
  Is there anything I haven't asked you that I should have.
• 22:13
  We are talking about a lot of international visitors during World cup, but I think this is a really.
• 22:19
  It's a great opportunity for us to get any type of new visitor who's never come to Sugar Land.
• 22:25
  And, you know, World cup is really just.
• 22:27
  It's just an opportunity.
• 22:29
  You know, we're trying to leverage that opportunity to get new visitors here.
• 22:33
  So a Lot of people, I think, you know, come to Sugar Land for maybe a Space Cowboys game or they come for a show at Smart Financial center, you know, and then they leave and they don't get to
• 22:43
  experience the rest of the city.
• 22:45
  And we really want to use this as an opportunity to get people into the city and show them what else we have to offer because there really is just so much you can spend a day, you can spend
• 22:57
  a weekend, you know, you can even probably spend a whole week in the city and get to experience new things.
• 23:05
  So I think that's what we're really trying to lean into is really get people in the city and help showcase what Sugarland has to offer and create repeat visitors in the future.
• 23:16
  Great.
• 23:16
  Well, thank you so much.
• 23:18
  This has been delightful.
• 23:20
  Learning about what may soon be a bigger attraction as more and more people get to know it.
• 23:27
  And you know, the way things are working in the travel industry right now, we can't keep going to the marquee sites.
• 23:34
  They're just getting too crowded.
• 23:35
  So it's a delight to be able to shine a spotlight on an up and coming destination.
• 23:43
  So thank you so much, Alison.
• 23:45
  It's been really lovely speaking with you.
• 23:48
  Absolutely.
• 23:48
  Thank you, Pauline.
• 23:50
  And that is it for this week's show.
• 23:52
  I thank you so much for listening.
• 23:54
  And to those who are traveling, may I wish you a hearty bon voyage.
• 24:01
  Sour candy on the table Lazy afternoons in your sweatpants watching cable well it feels so far away way all the channels seem the same Trying to remember all the songs we like to play Cuz those lazy afternoons don't
• 24:30
  come so frequently these days oh it's been so long and I cannot help but wonder Are you ever coming home?
• 24:43
  I like you with your sour candy in the booth house on the lake oh but I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate the way it tastes.
• 25:06
  I can can't get you off of my mind Looking out the window where we spent so much of our time Cuz I miss the way it.
• 25:21
  But.
• 25:21
  I guess you can't control those damn cards with dam babe I know the both of us are everyone we're free we why would it be so hard to find your freedom here with me?
• 25:39
  Oh it's been so long and I cannot help but wonder Are you ever coming home?
• 25:48
  I like you with your sour candy in the boat house on the lake But I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate the way it tastes.
• 26:10
  And I.
• 26:13
  I.
• 26:16
  Hate the way it tastes But I love it all the same and I, I hate the way it tastes?
• 26:29
  But I love it all the same?
• 27:57
  Oh, I know it's been, it's been, it's been, it's been so long?
• 28:03
  And I cannot help but wonder?
• 28:06
  I can't?
• 28:06
  You ever coming home?
• 28:08
  I like you with your sour candy?
• 28:11
  In the boat house on the lake?
• 28:14
  But I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate the way it tastes?
• 28:21
  It's been, it's been so long?
• 28:24
  And I cannot help but wonder?
• 28:27
  Are you ever coming home?
• 28:29
  When I see you with this hour candy?
• 28:32
  Don't want it any other way?
• 28:35
  Oh, I just hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate, I hate the way it tastes?