Researching and writing a plan for a family weekend in Houston or Dallas

Velo Dendro 11 / A Better Shreveport , a photo by trudeau on Flickr.

The great metropoli in our region are Dallas and Houston.

Your task is to plan a family weekend in one of the 2 cities. That will include
- Approximate driving time and gas consumed. I would suggest a rough figure of 2 and a half tanks of gas for Dallas, 3 and a half tanks for Houston.
- Motel/hotel cost. Figure the number of people in your family and get a price for 2 nights: a Fri and Sat. An option: get a cost for a budget hotel and a price for an upscale location.
- Attractions: find the location, cost and hours of a museum and an amusement center.
- Meals and notable restaurants. Find the cost of a special restaurant for supper/dinner. Choose at least one that offers an unusual foreign cuisine. You may figure about $20 per person for breakfast and a generic lunch.
- Shopping: find a store that suits you that is not available in Shreveport.
- Approximate total cost.