Barbecue's *almost* synonmous with Texas, and Houston barbecue fans are in for huge treat this weekend: the Houston BBQ Festival!

The third iteration of this flavorful event happens this Sunday, April 26 at Houston's NRG Park. It starts at 1, runs til 5, and features food from a long list of Houston's best BBQ places. Think well-known brick-and-mortar spots like Killen's, Ray's BBQ Shack, CorkScrew BBQ, and more, as well as trucks and trailers like Feges BBQ and El Burro & the Bull.

All told there'll be about two dozen BBQ restaurants participating, which means that this is your chance to taste some of the city's best food all in one spot near Siena at Memorial Heights.

Tickets are $50 and allow attendees to sample unlimited portions from each participant. To ensure there's enough food for everyone, the event's planners have decided to limit the number of available tickets. So: if you'd like to attend, you need to buy tickets online in advance, and you can do it through the Houston BBBQ Festival website.

Houston BBQ Festival
April 26 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
NRG Park
http://houbbq.com/

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr ozjimbob

Love the Houston Rockets? Now's your chance to root them on as they begin the NBA playoffs against their in-state rival, the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets finished the season in second place in the Western Conference, which means that they'd have home court advantage for at least the first two rounds. And that means home playoff games happening just a short trip from Siena at Memorial Heights.

With MVP candidate James Harden, center Dwight Howard, and newcomer Josh Smith, the Rockets hope to play for an NBA Championship this year.

It all starts Saturday night, April 18, at the Toyota Center, with Game 1 against the Mavs. Game 2 will happen on Tuesday, April 21, and the Rockets have made tickets to each game available through Flashseats, the arena's official secondary ticket market.

Prefer to watch it at home? Game 1 will air Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks
Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs
Saturday, April 18 at 8:30 p.m.
Toyota Center
Houston, TX
www.nba.com/rockets

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr smkybear

It's the moment baseball fans have been waiting for for months: the start of the new season! And it means that the hometown Houston Astros are embarking on another season. This will be their third year playing in the American League, which means they're cultivating a whole new set of league rivals.

The upcoming Astros schedule, for example, includes home games against the Oakland Athletics, the Los Angeles Angels, and the Seattle Mariners. In May, they'll host the Rangers, Blue Jays, White Sox, and As as well as playing two now-interleague games against the San Francisco Giants. The home games happen at Minute Maid Park, a ballpark in downtown Houston that features a retractable roof, a natural grass playing surface, and a whole host of concessions ranging from classic foot-long hot dogs, burgers and barbecue, craft beer and desserts.

Interested in taking in a ballgame near Siena at Memorial Heights? You can see the upcoming Astros schedule and find out more about tickets by visiting the Houston Astros website.

Houston Astros
Minute Maid Park
501 Crawford Street
Houston, TX 77002
houston.astros.mlb.com

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr vinton.jeff