"Houston Astrodome" Top 5 Page for this destination Houston Sports & Outdoors Tip by H-TownJourneyman

The Houston Astrodome is still a Houston landmark even more than 40 years after it was originally constructed. It now sits vacant for most of the year, all but replaced by the newer stadium directly next door to it, Reliant Stadium. When it was opened in 1965, it became the world's first large capacity indoor stadium, seating well over 40,000 people then, and with several expansions, it currently seats over 60,000 now. It was nicknamed the "Eighth Wonder Of The World" in it's early days, and had natural grass in it for only 1 year before the artificial "Astroturf" was developed & installed. The Astrodome was home to the Houston Astros baseball team from 1965 until 1999, when they moved downtown to Minute Maid Park (then refered to as Enron Field!). The Houston Oilers American football team also played here from 1965 until 1996, when they moved to Nashville, Tennessee and are now known as the Tennessee Titans. :( It was also host to many famous events and conceets throughout the years, including the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Now it is primarily used for small functions throughout the year, and was made into one of the largest evacuation centers in history when thousands of people fled the devistation of Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. The future for this Houston icon is unknown. There are many different suggestions on what to do with it; everything from turning it into a huge casino, to tearing it down altogether. But with so many memorable moments taking place here over the years, it's legacy in this town will live on forever!

Address: 8400 Kirby Dr.
Directions: located within Relieant Park, directly next to Reliant Stadium
Theme: Other