I was born and raised in Houston and yet, despite The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo being one of Houston's few truly iconic events, I only went for the first time in my life a couple of years ago. It's definitely a sight to behold. I am not the biggest fan of the rodeo events themselves I must admit. The barbeque cook-off is interesting from a foodie standpoint. Unfortunately, access to the special privately sponsored tents of the cook-off teams usually only comes through knowing the right people. I was fortunate to be given a ticket a couple of years ago and the barbeque was excellent. Last but not least, you have the amusement park. This is more or less your standard amusement park fare with a few interesting wrinkles--the abundance of weird items that you can find deep-fried. Although not enticing to me, the sheer spectacle of watching people indulge themselves on deep friend snickers bars was worth the price of admission.