Feel free to ask me anything in the days/weeks ahead, but at first glance, for those coming down, here are my initial thoughts. (Keep in mind, gameday is Wednesday, the 27th at 8 p.m.) I've lived in Houston since 2009, and I'm president-elect of our local Mizzou chapter, so I'll be helping coordinate a few things:
1.) Keep your night of the 26th available -- there is a PM party in the works, possibly held in conjunction with our local chapter.
2.) As far as "official" team events, if that's your thing, the large MAA tailgate will be the afternoon of the game (~4 p.m.), likely in one of the NRG Arena halls just outside the stadium (still indoors, just a different building). There may be a small pep rally or alumni gathering on the 26th, but it's typically pretty small -- MAA puts most of their resources into the gameday tailgate, usually.
3.) As someone stated in another thread, Houston has changed significantly within the past 15 years. Downtown has really developed, owing largely to Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, and the two Super Bowls. If you can stay downtown, I'd recommend it. (A quick Expedia search shows quite a few hotels in the downtown area for a reasonable amount on the 26th and 27th, including some under $100.) The official MU hotel is the downtown Hyatt Regency, and there are a lot of great restaurants/bars in the area around there -- all either in walking distance or by going just one or two stops on the MetroRail.
4.) If you're just looking to eat, drink, and go to the game, it's entirely possible not to rent a car if you stay downtown and taxi or Uber your way there from the airport. MetroRail connects you to everything both downtown and in Midtown (another popular food/bar area about a mile south of downtown), and it's the easiest way to get to the stadium. Can also take it to various other spots around town, including the Houston Zoo, Museum District, UH, stuff like that.
5.) Houston's food scene is tremendous -- might be the best in the country. It's a really diverse city, so there's not really a "specialty" -- plenty of good spots for whatever your preference.
6.) I know airfare is always pricey around the holidays, but if you don't have major Christmas plans, you might can get better pricing if you fly out the night of the 25th. Often times airlines slash ticket prices when it's actually on the day of a major holiday.
7.) Weather varies significantly this time of year in these parts, hard to get a real handle on that until the week of. For example, tomorrow we have a high of 81 and low of 64... whereas Wednesday, it's a high of 54 and low of 40. Ton of variance, depends on exactly when fronts pass through, etc. (But the game should be indoors, regardless.)
Hope this helps as a general guide... any more specific questions, feel free to ask.
1.) Keep your night of the 26th available -- there is a PM party in the works, possibly held in conjunction with our local chapter.
2.) As far as "official" team events, if that's your thing, the large MAA tailgate will be the afternoon of the game (~4 p.m.), likely in one of the NRG Arena halls just outside the stadium (still indoors, just a different building). There may be a small pep rally or alumni gathering on the 26th, but it's typically pretty small -- MAA puts most of their resources into the gameday tailgate, usually.
3.) As someone stated in another thread, Houston has changed significantly within the past 15 years. Downtown has really developed, owing largely to Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, and the two Super Bowls. If you can stay downtown, I'd recommend it. (A quick Expedia search shows quite a few hotels in the downtown area for a reasonable amount on the 26th and 27th, including some under $100.) The official MU hotel is the downtown Hyatt Regency, and there are a lot of great restaurants/bars in the area around there -- all either in walking distance or by going just one or two stops on the MetroRail.
4.) If you're just looking to eat, drink, and go to the game, it's entirely possible not to rent a car if you stay downtown and taxi or Uber your way there from the airport. MetroRail connects you to everything both downtown and in Midtown (another popular food/bar area about a mile south of downtown), and it's the easiest way to get to the stadium. Can also take it to various other spots around town, including the Houston Zoo, Museum District, UH, stuff like that.
5.) Houston's food scene is tremendous -- might be the best in the country. It's a really diverse city, so there's not really a "specialty" -- plenty of good spots for whatever your preference.
6.) I know airfare is always pricey around the holidays, but if you don't have major Christmas plans, you might can get better pricing if you fly out the night of the 25th. Often times airlines slash ticket prices when it's actually on the day of a major holiday.
7.) Weather varies significantly this time of year in these parts, hard to get a real handle on that until the week of. For example, tomorrow we have a high of 81 and low of 64... whereas Wednesday, it's a high of 54 and low of 40. Ton of variance, depends on exactly when fronts pass through, etc. (But the game should be indoors, regardless.)
Hope this helps as a general guide... any more specific questions, feel free to ask.
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