The interior of the newly opened Cooking Girl is so stunning, it almost distracts from the food—but not quite. Exposed wooden beams, hanging ladders of greenery, and lots of sunlight set the stage for a chic business lunch or a special date night. You can also grab takeout and enjoy the authentic Szechuan fare in the comfort of your apartment.

The menu encompasses a wide variety of dishes, offering something for every taste. The options are plenty, so if you’re not sure where to begin, check out the list of house specialties. Customers rave about the hot diving fish, a spicy dish that features flounder simply embellished with cucumber, pepper, and ginger. If you want something milder, try the tea-smoked duck or the eggplant and green bean dish, which skips the meat altogether.

Jubilee has been open for more than two decades, and in that time, a lot has changed about the shop. That’s because the boutique stocks only the home decor, clothing, accessories, and gifts that are currently in style, so its inventory never stays the same for very long. One thing that does stay the same? Jubilee’s commitment to curating the coolest pieces.

So you can always expect to find new and stylish items when you stop in at Jubilee. Peruse the home decor section for industrial-chic lighting accents and contemporary pieces of furniture. Snag a new pair of autumn boots or a trendy tunic to take your autumn fashion to the next level. Find a unique gift, from candles to Texas-themed wine glasses, to give to a friend who has everything. You’ll find items like these and many more at Jubilee.

Lua Viet Kitchen teams up with local farmers and purveyors to bring fresh Vietnamese food to Montrose. Stationed above its service counter, you can actually see some of them. Hormone-free beef from 44 Farms, Houston-grown produce from Hardie’s, and local craft breweries are just a few of the vendors who contribute to the food menu and bar list.

Step up to the counter and place your order for the locally sourced, farm-fresh food. Try a few of the “introductions” (AKA starters), like the Viet meatballs or the crispy vegan rolls. Then add the main noodle, rice, or soup dish, perhaps the lemongrass chicken over rice or the veggie garlic noodles with plump Gulf shrimp. Wash down your meal with a Vietnamese coffee featuring beans from nearby Boomtown Coffee or a refreshing glass of iced tea.

According to the Houston Chronicle and Houston Press, ScreamWorld is the best haunted house anywhere in the city. It’s not really a “haunted house,” however, but a collection of haunted attractions, from a spooky swamp to a maze inhabited by the red-nosed creatures of your nightmares.

Start exploring in the Voodoo Swamp, where the mud mingles with snakes and monsters. Then head to Jake’s Slaughterhouse, where disturbed employees slaughter more than just cattle. The Edge of Darkness contains a hodgepodge of unsettling rooms, like Death Row and The Morgue, and the Maze of Maniacs plays host to a fleet of deranged clowns. Meanwhile, in the Zombie Graveyard, monsters with a taste for human flesh are streaming from their freshly un-dug graves to spread their disease to the outside world. Buy tickets online ($19) to visit the haunted attractions, available most evenings now through Halloween.

‘Tis the season to share ghost stories, and haunted pub tours with Nightly Spirits Houston offer a fun way to do just that. Part bar crawl, part historical tour, the outings offer something for both craft beer fanatics and history buffs in Houston. Now through Halloween, you can catch a tour seven days a week at 7:30 or 8:30 p.m. 

Reserve your spot online (tours tend to fill up in October) and head to the designated meeting place a few minutes early for 2.5-hours of slightly spooky fun. The tour stops at three or four pubs, and at each stop, you’re invited to grab a drink and listen to the ghost stories that circulate about the area. Some are rooted in actual events, others stem from pure fiction, but they’re all delivered to you in the name of Halloween fun. Tour tickets are $25, which doesn’t include tip or drinks.