Yay! Your bestie is getting hitched! They are probably way to stressed out to plan any part of their bachelorette or bachelor party — and tbh you might be too! Have no fear for It’s Not Hou is here!

I’ve been the point person on a few bachelorettes in town. I thought I’d finally sit down and crank out my recommendations!

Local and fun

Whether it’s one night out on the town or a full weekend of activities, planning something exciting in your own town can be overwhelming. You want to have something active and fun — but not something everyone does all the time, ya feel? Here are some things around town that are exciting and group friendly without being too on the beaten path.

Axe throwing

OK, so I’ve recommended this for a date night but it actually might be way more fun with a big group of people. Looking at you, bachelor party. Houston Axe Throwing has a bar and is VERY group friendly. The downside is it’s a little out of the way if you live inside the loop, so I don’t have any pregame/postgame recs!

Prohibition

This is an OBVIOUS choice — and we’ve blogged about it before! It’s definitely a pricier thing to do but very bride (or groom!) friendly. The Bitches Who Brunch is especially fun for the gals (every Sunday, audience interactive!). Plus, plenty of postgame options right there on Main Street. Dance your booty off at Boots ‘n Shoots or play board games at Dean’s Downtown.

A piano bar

Gotta love Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar (Downtown) or Howl at the Moon (Midtown) for a fun night out. Plus, there’s ample opportunity at both to get your bride/groom on stage to embarrass herself/himself.

Pedal Party

I adore pedal parties for any sort of celebration. This is a bit more of a chill road to take — just you and a group of 15ish friends, no public humiliation. Bring a bag of wine to slap and all the beers to shotgun! 😉

Top Golf

Top Golf is a good daytime bachelor/bachelorette option. Maybe you have a bunch of buds coming in for the wedding day of the rehearsal and beers and golf is the way to go! Again, not much around this idea since it’s in the ‘burbs, but it’s a destination in itself.

DIY brewery tour

There are so many breweries in town that if your bride/groom loves beer, you can totally make your own tour of sorts using Uber/Lyft and our Houston Brewery Guide.

You didn’t ask, but here’s what I would do:

Heights:

• Karbach
• Great Heights Brewery
• Eureka Heights
• Food and more beer at King’s Biergarten

Downtown:

• Under the Radar
• 8th Wonder
• Saint Arnold’s (stay for food and the view of downtown!)

Washington Ave/Rice Military

• Holler Brewery
• Platypus Brewing
• Buffalo Bayou
• Tacos from Velvet Taco and out on Washington!

Ghost tour

Did you know Houston’s haunted? Well, at least a few places in Downtown are. We love recommending Nightly Spirits, a ghost bar crawl! We’ve down this in a few places around Texas and it’s always SO fun. Plus now I retell the stories to innocent bar patrons I meet at Dean’s. (“Did you know the second floor used to be where Houston’s mafia met? The guy who guarded the elevator still haunts the bathrooms.”)

Hit up dinner in downtown and plan to stay out after! Highly recommend the Marriott Marquis for a staycation — for the Texas-shaped pool and also because it isn’t haunted…. yet.

Worth the trek

Maybe your bride/groom wants to get outta town for their last hurrah as a single person. Check out some recs for that!

Fredericksburg and Wine Country

We’ve blogged a little bit about Texas Wine Country, but ultimately the way to go with a large group is a private shuttle. The shuttle system is cool but it was impossible to all get on the same van, which held us up a lot of times. I recommend sticking to 3 wineries a day, so you can enjoy it. Also, make sure you stay IN TOWN. You don’t want anyone in the group to have to drive out of town to where you’re staying.

Galveston

Summer bachelorette/bachelor party? Book a beach house and go crazy. Check out our Galvy blog here.

Dallas

Dallas is a lot of fun with a big group! We’ve blogged about a weekend away, and I think a great itinerary would be to get brunch at The Rustic, BBQ from Ten50, go out in Uptown, and explore Bishop Arts District and Deep Ellum!

Austin

I mean, duh. You can have a lake weekend, a wild downtown ATX trip, or even a chill brewery tour in East Austin.

New Orleans

Another obvious one, but NOLA is so fun with a good group of close friends! Beignets, daquiris, and gambling down by the bayou!