Semi-formal: Suits, gowns, and cocktail dresses are welcome. We want you to feel comfortable, but we also highly encourage adding some spice. The venue is a covered outdoor space, so take this into consideration when packing. Did you go to the rodeo and buy a bolo tie? WEAR IT. Do you have a dress that's been sitting in your closet because you can't find the right occasion? She's BEGGING to be let out.
If you're only staying Friday-Sunday, the answer is unequivocally no. Uber/Lyfts are abundant and relatively cheap, around $10 during the day and $20 at night. Parking downtown isn't super expensive, but a rental car will be more of a nuisance than helpful. Both the reserved hotel and the venue are going to be in Downtown Houston. Friday night welcome drinks are in Rice Village - only about 10 minutes away. Even if you're not staying downtown, total cost of rideshare is unlikely to come close to your rental car bill. The public transportation in Houston isn't the best, but the MetroRail red line is a good option from Downtown to Hermann Park or to get to the Rodeo. From the hotel the closest stop is about 4 blocks away, Bell Metro Station. It's free during the Rodeo weeks and is pretty quick. If you're coming down for longer and want to do some exploring, it might be worth your while. Rice Village, Downtown, EADO in themselves are pretty walkable, but to get between each you'd need to uber or drive. From the Heights (North) to the med center (South) it's about 30 minutes. Downtown is about 12-15 minutes to each surrounding neighborhood.
In the hotel there's a bridge that connects to the Houston Convention Center. There's tunnels underneath the convention center with shops, restaurants you can explore. There's also an Einstein Bagels and Shula's Steakhouse in the lobby (but if I were you I'd make the journey to other HTX restaurants). Here's a small list of places if you're looking for something to do close to the hotel: Coffee: The Understory, Brass Tacks, Mademoiselle Louise, 5th vessel Parks: Discovery Green, Market Square Park, Buffalo Bayou (go to the Cistern! 30min tourist activity that's actually worth it. https://buffalobayou.org/location/the-cistern/) Bars: Angel Share, Truckyard, Captain Foxheart's Bad News Bar (speakeasy), McIntyre's (sport's bar), Cidercade (arcade + hard cider) For a bigger list of restaurants see the "Around Town" tab!
Yes. Get yourself a good ol Texas experience. https://www.rodeohouston.com/tickets/#rodeoconcerttickets NRG HTX RODEO The livestock show and rodeo is the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo in the world. The event runs from Feb 27 - Mar 17 and will give you the quintessential Texas experience. Get up close with animals, win some prizes, go shopping for the cowboy hat that fits just right, and finish the night off with a concert from a headlining artist. Oh and all the “fried-on-a-stick’ type foods you can think of. Make sure you get a rodeo/concert ticket so that you can see the show, not just carnival and livestock! Do not miss the mutton bustin. Additionally, you can take the Metro Rail all the way there and it's free during the Rodeo.