Best places to park during Rodeo

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Time to dust off those boots and get ready to Rodeo! If you are planning to head to NRG to enjoy BBQ, the shows, or the rides, you'll want to know the best place to park.

Between the traffic and the crowds, getting to and from the Rodeo can be a wild ride.

"We are busting at the seams," Joe Bruce Hancock, General Manager of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo told us. There are only 8,500 parking spaces for the 150,000 people who attend the Rodeo each day.

Just three on-site lots are available for public parking: the Yellow Lot, off of Main Street; The OST Lot, off of Braeswood; and the 610 Lot, where Astroworld used to be. Taxis and Limos go to the green lot, and this year, Uber drop off and pick up is in the teal lot.

And if you park somewhere you shouldn't, expect your car to get towed.

"We'll tow your car to a secure place on the grounds and you'll have to go do the walk of shame," Hancock said.

This year, parking rates at NRG have jumped to $15, up from $12. During the World's Championship, the rate increases to $20. If you haven't broken in those boots, the Rodeo offers free tram or shuttle bus from each lot.

Be sure to check out the Rodeo Houston App. In addition to providing information about the midway, livestock show, and performances, you can also find plenty of parking and transportation information. Just open the app to find maps of the parking lots, real-time information on how full those lots are, where to enter and exit the lot, and directions.

"We want them coming with a smile and leaving with a smile," Hancock said.