Saturday is the 16th International Independent Home Video Day, and local video store Lost & Found Media (located inside Misfit Toys) will be celebrating with some sweet home-video deals. If you spend $10, you can get a free DVD or VHS tape. They'll also have a limited run of mystery DVD blind boxes.

Como, Italy-based aerospace company Involve Space recently made the Houston Spaceport the site of its first U.S. office.

Halloween is creeping up, and Houston bars and restaurants are getting into the spooky spirit with themed cocktails, costume parties, movie screenings, and festive bites. Read on for 15 ways to celebrate Halloween around the city.

American Express is dramatically expanding its Centurion Lounge at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). When the work is completed in 2028, the lounge will nearly triple in size to more than 23,000 square feet.

In the Houston Heights, eating well doesn't have to mean choosing between a perfectly planned meal-prep routine and whatever happens to be easiest at the end of a long day.

I love it when a good story comes together. You know, one of those feel-good stories that remind you everything can turn out just right. That's exactly what's happening at Houston Wine Merchant. After 42 years under its founder, one of Houston's best wine shops is changing hands. A longtime employee and his wife are taking the reins, and I couldn't be happier for everyone involved. To understand why, you have to go back to the beginning.

Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris will embark on his first headline tour across North America in 2027, which will include a stop at the Toyota Center in Houston on Friday, April 23.

Another NBA player has listed his San Antonio home, but this one never housed a Spur. New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson is selling his Dominion estate for $7.5 million.

A West Houston Tex-Mex restaurant is saying adios after 12 years, but its beloved breakfast tacos will live on. Moderno Tacos & Tex Mex will close after service on Saturday, October 24, owner John Moore tells CultureMap.

A recently-relocated Houston comedy club is adding a daytime component to its offerings. Beginning this Saturday, October 17, The Riot Comedy club's cafe will be open daily for coffee, meals, and more.

Rock band Matchbox Twenty will celebrate its 30th anniversary on an extensive 2027 tour across North America, which will include a stop at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on Friday, June 18.

Star Cinema Grill is launching a major renovation at its Cypress location (8920 Fry Rd.) that will offer the first laser IMAX screen with full dine-in service at a Houston movie theater, according to press materials. Soon, moviegoers will be able to enjoy film-themed burgers and drinks in front of a cutting-edge projection on a screen that's roughly the size of an office building.

With early application season in full swing, a local university is racking up accolades on a new list of the 10 best Texas colleges for 2027.

For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.

Three Houston area breweries have a reason to raise a glass after securing hardware in the nation's top contest for brewers and craft aficionados. This past weekend, Misfit Brewing, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, and No Label Brewing Company each scored medals at this year's 2026 Great American Beer Festival amongst the more than 7,000 entries from across the country. The winning beer categories run the gamut in both approach and style while also recognizing the creativity of some of Houston's most acclaimed breweries.

The interior design experts at Houzz are unveiling the hottest renovation trends for Houston homeowners who are ready to say goodbye their outdated bathrooms and step into updated, self-care retreats.

Historic Third Ward now has an equally historic, newly-renovated third space in the form of the Cultural Center at Emancipation Park. The Emancipation Park Conservancy officially opened it for the public on Tuesday, October 6, as part of the National Night Out campaign, a community-building initiative designed to bring together neighborhoods and the law enforcement officers that serve them.

Canadian rock band Nickelback will embark on their Everything Under The Sun Tour in 2027, a massive global arena run that will include a stop at the Toyota Center in Houston on Thursday, April 29.

Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, starting with America's best small cities before diving into the new Texas Michelin Guide. Read on for our most popular stories, then plan your weekend here.

Contemporary-leaning Houstonians who share a keen appreciation for heritage craftsmanship and a need for speed now have something fresh to covet. The ink on the bill of lading is barely dry, yet the hotly-anticipated Giorgetti | Maserati collection has already pulled in to BeDESIGN.

Notes from a chef

Five Texas-made products took top honors in Quest for Texas Best, the annual competition hosted by Texas supermarket chain H-E-B, sharing $110,000 in cash prizes, as well as a chance to be sold at H-E-B stores.

When life gives you lemons, throw an Italian soirée.

Italian driven design

If pumpkin patches and roadside haunted houses aren't quite scary enough, it is time to plan a Halloween-themed road trip. The brave can explore everything from haunted hotels and cemeteries to ghostly aircraft carriers, and even ride in a decked-out hearse. No plane tickets are required; just round up some brave friends, pack snacks, and hit the road for a weekend of creepy thrills.

It will be a rockin' good time when Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Def Leppard and Goo Goo Dolls team up for a co-headlining tour in 2027, which will include a stop at the Toyota Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 1.

The 2010 film The Social Network -- about the early years of Facebook after Mark Zuckerberg created the social media site -- was a landmark movie in many ways. But given the time it was made -- just four years after it went public beyond colleges -- the impact Facebook had on society was minimal compared to what it is today (the film's tagline references 500 million users on Facebook; there are now over 3 billion).

Houston and six more Texas cities are soaring among the best places in the U.S. for women in tech, a new report says.

Houston swapped city slick for frontier chic as the 38th annual Houston Cattle Baron's Ball saddled up for “The New Frontier.”

The Texas restaurant scene is once again in the international spotlight. Breaking from its invite-only ceremony of the previous two years, the Michelin Guide revealed its statewide selections via a press release.

As Americans grow increasingly concerned about where their food comes from, beef sourcing has become part of a larger conversation about quality, safety, and supporting American ranchers.

Houston falls into new art realms this month as intriguing new exhibitions open that take art lovers from Earth's elements, specifically silver, all the way to the Moon.

This weekend, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival will wind down with screenings at such venues as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Rice Cinema, and The DeLUXE Theater. The DeLUXE will also be present the Houston Comedy Film Festival, a two-day celebration of funny features and shorts. The fest will also have a performance by a live jazz band, aerial performers, and networking opportunities.

A Houston hospitality veteran has found a new home at one of the city's most iconic dining rooms. Jonathan Horowitz is the new general manager of the Tea Room at the Junior League of Houston.

Cancer Warriors

The Austin-based Texas State History Museum Foundation (TSHMF) has set the date for its 23rd annual Texas Independence Day Dinner and unveiled the 2027 recipients of its prestigious History-Making Texan Award, which includes a prominent Houston businessman.

The reality competition show Dancing with the Stars will once again go on tour in 2027, bringing their moves to more fans than ever in arenas, including a stop at the Toyota Center in Houston on Sunday, March 14.

While no state is invulnerable, some do more to protect their residents than others. And a new study has declared Texas one of the five least safe states in America.

Houstonians have embraced Terry Black's Barbecue. Since the Michelin-recommended, Austin-based barbecue joint opened its Houston location in August, fans have been lining up for its signature Central Texas-style smoked meats.

Crux Climbing Center, one of Austin's best indoor bouldering and climbing gyms, opened its first Houston location in September and is hosting a grand opening celebration this weekend.

Southern Smoke recap

Bolstered by a thriving manufacturing sector, Waller County--the country's second-fastest-growing county--leads all Houston-area counties for the growth of pay from 2021 to 2026, according to a new study.

Shopping at Round Top's famous antique shows can be daunting even for the most experienced pros. There is a lot of ground to cover, with shopping spread across miles of fields, barns, and venues along Highway 237. To make the fashion hunt during the upcoming fall event, October 17 - 31, a little easier, we've rounded up the must-shop spots for amazing vintage items, designer pieces, boots, jewelry, and accessories.

Fans of Houston's performing arts groups have a reason to celebrate. Jones Hall, home to the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston has completed a five-year, $67.5 million renovation project.

East Texas is gaining a new state park at Lake Palestine that will include amenities like hike-and-bike trails, campsites, and lakefront access.

Four Houston neighbors -- with Friendswood at the top of the pack -- have been rated among the best small cities in America for 2026.

At just 17 years old, Angel Maldonado's life changed when a severe car accident resulted in a spinal cord injury. What followed was a journey not just of physical recovery, but of profound personal and professional transformation.

After last month's sensational season openers, Houston theaters are still not ready to slow down. Comedy is king and queen this month, as sizzling satires on make the must-see list, while other performing arts companies get ready for spooky season with devilish or vampiric fun. October also brings big touring shows, including epic dance, a singing nanny, and one major Broadway star.

Singer-songwriter Dylan Gossett, one of Austin's most prominent rising stars in music, is setting out on a U.S. headline tour set with a stop at Houston's Bayou Music Center on May 14, 2027.

The eyes of the culinary world will be on Texas this Thursday, October 8, as the Michelin Guide announces its third annual selections for the state's restaurants. Unlike in 2024 and 2025, when Michelin hosted a ceremony in Houston that drew almost all of the state's top culinary talent, this year's announcement will be made via email.