Welcome to the World’s Biggest Rodeo

The Houston rodeo is the best family vacation in America

It’s great for kids: all their senses are engaged and there’s a ton to learn. It’s great for adults: the premier window into agricultural life organized meticulously for your viewing pleasure. We’ve been to the Houston Rodeo twice and we’re already itching to go again next year.

We’re city creatures, and coastal ones at that. This rodeo—held conveniently in America’s soon-to-be third largest city—is the only event I’ve seen so far in this country that provides this truly enriching family atmosphere embedded in a unique cultural experience that certainly feels as novel as going abroad.

The rodeo includes a mind-boggling array of activities organized over 20 days. The most famous and flashy is the rodeo itself and the concerts that follow. First, the cowboys duke it out with the mix of “timed” and “roughstock” sports—tie down roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, etc. These make for a great show: but they’re not just athletics. They’re Yeoman athletes competing to showcase a wide array of skills used in ranching like lassoing and breaking in horses. And every night after the portion of the program that engages the youth, a lone star stage unfolds in the arena and the night’s concert begins. The array of performers is as diverse as the crowd at the rodeo: Bun B, Brad Paisley, the Jonas Brothers.

The rodeo was founded in 1932 as the Houston Fat Stock Show and Livestock Exposition, during the depths of the Great Depression. Although it initially faced resistance from the existing rodeo cartel, the inaugural show proved successful enough to become an annual event.

One of the rodeo’s most notable contributions to agriculture has been its impact on livestock breeding and development. The event became a premier showcase for innovative breeding techniques and new cattle varieties, helping to advance the quality of Texas livestock. This focus on agricultural innovation remains a cornerstone of the event today. The rodeo’s mission is to “promote agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that educates and entertains the public, supports Texas youth, showcases Western heritage, and provides year-round educational support within the community.” Most non-profits would kill for a mission statement that clear.

The rodeo is amazingly well organized, allowing it to be truly enormous. It claims over $227 million in economic impact each year, brings together 35,000 volunteers, and features the largest livestock show in the world, a massive carnival, and competitive events for ranchers from all over the country. The scholarship program has awarded more than $550 million to Texas students since its inception while vendors include your classic shopping: clothes, hats, accessories, art, mementos. But more importantly, they include things that drive the agricultural industry: commercial farm vehicles, award-winning semen, meat pigs, beef and dairy cattle, poultry, etc. And the broader range of agricultural specimens: the rabbit show, and other activities that serve the rodeo’s mission to engage the youth in agricultural excellence like the ag mechanics competition. It captures the values that have made America an elevator for opportunity and showcases some of the reasons Houston’s population has grown more than 9% between 2020 and 2024.

Houston’s explosive growth over the past 25 years is a testament to American ingenuity and the Texas approach to governance. The city has flourished as both an energy innovation hub—home to over 4,600 energy-related firms—and a medical powerhouse with the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world. Houston’s sunbelt success story embodies core American values: entrepreneurship, innovation, and the freedom to build and grow that have attracted families and businesses alike. The diverse, opportunity-rich environment of Houston mirrors the spirit of the rodeo itself—a celebration of hard work, community, and the pursuit of excellence that could only happen in Texas, where tradition and progress ride side by side.

There is so much to learn at this place that having been twice I can barely wait until our family returns in 2026. Next on my list are learning more about the advances in farm vehicle technology (autonomous combine harvesters!) and finding out more about how this impressive event runs so smoothly and efficiently (what do things look like behind the scenes to flip the arena from the grand entry to the rodeo events?) moving thousands of animals and more than 2 million people through my favorite vacation experience America has to offer.