In our My Top 5 series, we highlight entrepreneurial Houstonians who have helped form the character of the city. Each shares her own favorite things to do in Houston when not hard at work. This week, with Dining Out for Life happening on Thursday, April 26, we’re very pleased to feature Sharon Haynes, who founded Tacos A Go Go, with locations around Houston and Katy. All locations are part of the 40 restaurants participating in the annual fundraising event for AIDS Foundation Houston.
In anticipation of this year’s Dining Out For Life, we’re also featuring My Top 5 entries from John Reed of BCK Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures in the Heights and Chef Domenic Laurenzo of El Tiempo Cantina and Laurenzo’s Restaurant.
My Top 5 Things to Do in Houston
by Sharon Haynes
- Walk with my family and three dogs at the Houston Arboretum – Sometimes nature seems like a long drive down the highway, but the Houston Arboretum in right in the center of the city. Over the years, we have gotten to know many of the trails and seen armadillos, rabbits, snakes, frogs, lizards, turtles, fish, butterflies, and many incredible birds along the way.
- Dinner at Bellagreen – We stop in almost weekly and we can find something for the vegetarian, the vegan, the paleo, and the gluten-free members of our family. The food is delicious and consistent and we love going there.
- Sunset at James Turrell’s Twilight Epiphany Skyspace at Rice University – Houston does big sky really well and the light and color sequences of one of Houston’s most iconic public artworks is stunning. It’s relaxing and exciting all the same and a wonderful way to transition from day to night.
- Equestrian Show Jumping at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center – I love to ride horses and when I can’t do that I love to watch other people ride. The GSWEC hosts many horse shows throughout the year that showcase talented riders competing in many different disciplines, including Grand Prix jumping.
- Screenings at Aurora Picture Show – This group presents many great screenings throughout the year that are well-curated and never disappoint. Extremely Shorts is a recurring event and this mish-mash of very short films can elicit laughs, tears, and lots in between.
About Sharon Haynes
With a keen eye for the unusual, eclectic and trendy, Sharon Haynes has a long and successful history of bringing unique concepts to Houston. An original owner of Solero Restaurant in Downtown, she was one of the pioneers of the downtown revitalization in the late 1990s. After he sold it and the equally successful, adjacent nightclub, the Swank Lounge, in 2002, she took time off to start a family. In 2010, she returned to the restaurant business to open Tacos A Go Go, a thriving Tex-Mex concept with locations in Midtown, the Heights, Oak Forest, Katy, and in the Downtown tunnels. She is also a partner in the sister concept Fajitas A Go Go in West University.
