Dear readers, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. Work has been busy since we came back from winter break to visit Calgary and see the Northern Lights.you can see the post here! This week is our spring break and I’m going to be writing a few posts here before getting back to the day job 🙂 In today’s post I’m writing about the Houston Rodeo, if any of you this year Time to travel here, it’s a must see event or live nearby. We went on a Monday and had a great time. Our last visit was last year in 2022, so it’s been two years in a row after the pandemic. So read on for the Houston Rodeo!
introduce
You all must have heard of the rodeo, which is basically an exhibition or competition where cowboys demonstrate their skills. This includes herding cattle, twisting steers, lasing calves, and more. There are also concerts, shows, rides, food, games, exhibits, shopping and lots of walking. The Houston Rodeo is nearly a month old, and this year it runs from Tuesday, February 28th to Sunday, March 19th. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been around for over 90 years since 1932! In 2003, the 71st Annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo celebrated its first year at its new home NRG Stadium and NRG Center. At approximately 1.9 million square feet, NRG Stadium is the largest and most expensive rodeo and soccer facility ever built.
our experience
We have lived in Houston, Texas since 2006, 17 years now, but we have only been to the rodeo a few times. We visited before COVID, then last year and this year. I can say that going to the Rodeo can be expensive, but it’s worth the day! Tickets are $20 this year, compared to $10 in previous years. Concerts are reasonably priced, starting at $25, including free entry/ground tickets. As a family, rides are something all kids look forward to, and if you want to play a lot, you can easily spend $100. This year I found the pricing a bit high compared to previous and pre-COVID times. You pay $1 for 2 tickets and the ride costs between 15 and 30. Yes, 30 tickets, or $15 each way! Children’s rides can be under 10 tickets. Add in food, drinks, games, and shopping, and you can end up spending $200-$400 as a family of 4. This isn’t to stop you from going, but it’s a reminder for anyone looking to have a fun and interactive day at the Houston Rodeo! It’s definitely worth a visit – maybe every other year, if not every year. It’s ultimately all about your personal preferences and family decisions.
The animal exhibition area also has a shopping area and a petting zoo. Our family favorites have always been the rides which include Cliffs, Crawl Show, Endeavor, Evolution, Flying Dutchman, G Force, Galaxy Coaster, Ferris Wheel, Haunted House, Kite Flyer, La Grande wheel XL, mach 1, mini bumper cars, omg, slingshot, highway, tango, zero gravity, zipper and more.have List of rides, if you are interested in checking them out. There are many games that also have prizes, and game tickets can range from a minimum of 9 to a maximum of 22.
Attractions and events at Rodeo include Adventure (a farming adventure), carnival, dining, shopping, Crossroads (kids rides and games and interactive shows), and the Ranch and Wildlife Expo.read here More information on each.
Fun facts about the Houston Rodeo:
- The rodeo began in 1932.
- The first rodeo drew 2,000 attendees and lost $2,800.
- The Houston Rodeo is the largest livestock show in the world.
- The rodeo has been canceled three times in its history. Twice for COVID-19 safety and once after a fire destroyed Sam Houston Hall in 1937.
- The NRG Stadium concert attendance record was set on Sunday, March 17, 2019. Attendance was 80,108.
- Cowboys are required to ride for eight seconds in a bull riding competition.
- Carnival has been ridden by more than 2.5 million people
- The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest scholarship providers in the U.S. Since 1957, the Rodeo has awarded more than 20,000 scholarships worth $260 million. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo awards more than 800 scholarships to Texas students each year.
- The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is officially described as a Section 501(c)(3) charity designed to benefit youth, support education, and promote better agricultural practices through exhibits and displays.
- The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has awarded nearly $84 million in research, grants and educational programs to more than 100 organizations and institutions in Texas.
- Each year, Houston Methodist sends approximately 80 rotating healthcare professionals to the Houston arena, including emergency physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists, orthopedic surgeons, emergency physicians, primary care physicians, chiropractors teachers and nurses.
wrap up
All in all, the Houston Rodeo is a fun filled, energetic day trip for any family! The Houston Rodeo is packed with events and activities, with concerts and carnivals, and you can take the kids there for a day (or days) of fun and excitement.
Dear reader, we’d love to hear from you. Have you participated in any rodeos in your city or state? Please share any other family fun experiences you have enjoyed with family or friends recently.
related articles:
Fun Things to Do with Kids in Texas
Places of interest in and around Houston
