Rodeo Time!

Rodeo Time!

For two solid weeks in March, Houston returns to its Wild West roots. It begins with the trail rides.. suddenly, the highways and byways leading into the nation's fourth-largest city are filled with cowboys and cowgirls of all ages, races, and sizes, all galloping toward the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The huge event at Reliant Park (the complex that houses the Astrodome) brings the entire city together with big-time entertainment (all the biggest country stars, plus crowd-pleasers like Hannah Montana, Fergie, John Legend, and Beyoncé, to name a few recent performers), plus livestock auctions, a chili cook-off, carnival rides, and rodeo competitions. The calf scramble and chuck-wagon races are always fun to watch, and all events benefit a scholarship fund that doles out millions of dollars in support each year.

Unlike the trail riders, you don't have to ride your horse to get there: off-site parking and shuttles operate from all over the city, or you can take the convenient METROrail. Be warned, though: this is one time of the year when you'll have to book a hotel room way in advance.