I’ve heard many a story from Rodeo cook-off each year, but had never made it out. The biggest reason is because I heard it’s not worth it unless you have tickets to a tent. After receiving a last minute tent invite yesterday, my husband and I ventured to the Rodeo Cook-off for our first time. Here’s what I learned.

1. Traffic and parking sucks even more than I expected. Take the day off and get there early so you don’t have to deal with it. If you’re going after work on Friday – the cash lots will be sold out so ignore the signs telling you to exit S. Main. Park off of the 610 lots (either the old Astrodome lot, or the Fannin South lot)
2. "They" were correct about having tickets to a tent. That’s where the food and beer is, and it’s free. Or you’ve paid for a ticket to get into said tent, and food/ beer is included in your ticket price.
3. Don’t bother trying to talk your way into a tent through a bouncer. Most of them are off-duty cops, and you’re not fooling them. However, girls can probably flirt their way into an invite (but not from the bouncer at the door).
4. If you’re on a diet and want to stick with it; eat before you go, or expect to go hungry. I managed to stick to mine despite doing the "walk of temptation" past all the carnival food tents on the way into cook-off, and smelling all the delicious BBQ smells all night. I did however go hungry.
5. Wear comfortable shoes. After walking from your car to whatever mode of transit will take you to the rodeo (light rail, metro bus, trolley, etc), walking through the carnival to get to the cook-off, walking all around the cook-off, and finally back again at the end of the night, you’ll do at least 3 miles of walking.
6. Don’t plan to go anywhere else but home to shower at the end of the night. You will be covered in the lovely fragrance of eau de BBQ smoke by the end of the night. But you won’t realize it until you’re in the car on the way home.
7. And finally - be sure to have a DD. I saw lots of swervy cars on the highways on the drive home.