So you’ve got your no-fee Houston Texans tickets from SimpleSeats. What can you expect on gameday? We’re here to help give you the information you need to have the best Houston Texans gameday experience possible.
Table of Contents
NRG Stadium Overview
NRG Stadium is a key part of the Houston Texans gameday experience. It opened in 2002 as the home of the expansion Houston Texans. It is part of a larger collection of venues known as NRG Park, and it is located next to the historic Astrodome, which was the home of the old Houston Oilers. NRG Stadium has a capacity of 72,220.
The stadium has a retractable roof that allows it to operate like an open-air stadium in good weather. The retractable roof can come in handy in Houston’s hot, muggy weather. The roof can be opened or closed in as little as 10 minutes. When the stadium opened, it had a natural grass surface, but in 2015, an artificial surface was installed due to complaints about field conditions in Texans games. In 2013, the Texans installed large digital displays in the end zone. At the time, these displays were the largest in the world, though they have since been eclipsed. In its history, NRG Stadium has hosted two Super Bowls.
How to Get to NRG Stadium
NRG Stadium is located at 8825 Kirby Drive with easy access from the 610 Loop. Additionally, it is accessible via the Red Line on the METRORail at the NRG Park stop. You can see the full list of METRORail Red Line stops here.
Taxies and Uber can also pick up and drop-off at the stadium. The rideshare and taxi pickup/drop-off location is in front of Hall B at the NRG Center. Uber has a helpful map of the pickup and drop-off location here.
Finding Parking at NRG Stadium
NRG Stadium has ample parking, with over 26,000 parking spaces. A map of the lots along with the associated parking entry gates can be found below.
All parking lots open 2.5 hours prior to kickoff. The Texans only allow car to line up for the parking lot gates 30 minutes prior to parking lot opening time.
If you are looking for directions to your specific lot, the Texans have integrated Waze into the team app, which you can access via the “Gameday” tab.
Pre-Game Food Options for Houston Texans Games
If you plan to skip the food at NRG Stadium, there are other options for pre-game food. Rice Village is just up the way on Kirby Drive and has a great collection of restaurants of all types. Here you can find Shake Shack, Torchy’s, Hopdoddy, Velvet Taco, as well as Sixty Vines and Prego.
In addition, if you plan on taking the METRORail to the game, there are lots of bar options in the Midtown area, including Little Woodrow’s, Red Dwarf, Holman Draft Hall, Sable Gate Winery, and more.
Concessions in NRG Stadium
Food is a big part of the Houston Texans gameday experience. And NRG Stadium offers plenty of great options for food and drink, with many local favorites available. Because of these familiar options, you can sample some of Houston’s most famous dishes all in one place. Gringo’s Tex-Mex, with stands behind section 138 and 118, serves up their Gringo’s samples along with their signature Street Tacos. BB’s Tex-Orleans Café has location behind sections 133 and 113 where you can find Cajun empanadas and shrimp po-boys. Local BBQ legend Ronnie Killen has two stands (by section 109 and 129) where he serves his signature top-quality BBQ. Killen’s has the ability to smoke 200 full-sized briskets for each gameday, so you will be certain to be able to get your BBQ fix at the game.
Local po’boy institution, Antone’s, also has a presence at NRG, with four grab-and-go kiosks throughout the stadium, with two on the 100-level and two on the 500-level.
The Club level is the location for particularly standout food. Here, you’ll find an outpost of James Beard award-winning chef Chris Shepherd’s famous Underbelly restaurant. Local institution, The Original Ninfa’s on Navigation, also has two locations on the Club Level that serve tacos and queso and chips.
NRG Stadium also offers stands that have value food and beverage items, selling things like $5 hot dog combos. These Touchdown Deals can be found at stands behind sections 115,118,135,138, 323, 351, 506, 510, 532, and 536.
Here are the prices for items you will find at the value stands:
- $2 Water
- $2.50 12oz Domestic Beer in Bud Light Plaza
- $5 Domestic Draft Beer
- $5 Popcorn
- $5 Nacho Combo
- $5 Hot Dog Combo
Houston Texans Gameday Experience Highlights
Once inside the stadium, you’ll find a great Houston Texans gameday experience. NRG Stadium is a modern facility with all of the bells and whistles that you would expect from a stadium built in 2002. It has great sightlines from nearly every seating area. In addition, with two giant scoreboards at either endzone, you’ll always be able to keep up with the action on the field and follow the Texans’ excellent in-game entertainment.
In the stadium, the Texans have set aside an area in the north end zone called the Bull Pen for their most avid supporters. Bull Pen members have created many fan traditions, songs and chants to add to the gameday experience and homefield advantage for the Texans. The section also houses the Bull Pen Pep Band, which is a 45-member musical group that performs at all Texans home games. The Texans also have a wide set of traditions. After each Texans touchdown, they will play their anthem, “Football Time in Texas,” by local country star Clay Walker in addition to rolling out “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” where the whole stadium will enthusiastically clap their hands during the refrain.
Planning Your Return Trip
And since you had such a great Houston Texans gameday experience at NRG Stadium, when you want to make a return trip, remember that SimpleSeats is the place for Houston sports fans to buy Texans tickets at the lowest prices. SimpleSeats does not charge any fees, ever. When you are looking for tickets, you can check the Texans’ home schedule here and also browse the various gameday themes that the Texans have on tap. If you are looking for discounted tickets to your favorite Houston sports teams like the Texans, SimpleSeats has you covered. Our low prices will save you 20% or more on Texans tickets compared to other ticketing sites