How to get around Houston
Once again, Houston is huge—we cannot overstate this enough. So, how you get around town will largely depend on:
- Where you choose to stay
- What you want to do besides visit the ballpark.
The main area of focus for activity in Houston proper is contained within what Houstonians call “the loop,” or Interstate 610. Minute Maid Park is inside this loop, along with many attractions, restaurants, bars, and plenty of places to stay. If you’re going to stay within the 610 loop, you could rent a car, but you won’t need to rent a car. In fact, the only case in which we would recommend renting a car would be if you plan to visit some of the popular attractions that are a bit further from the city. These would include Space Center Houston and especially Galveston Beach, which is about an hour drive from the ballpark.
Driving to and parking at Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is located in downtown Houston’s business district off of U.S. Hwy 59/Interstate 69 (again, one freeway, two names) so getting there is easy. Parking your car, however, is a bit trickier. This is mainly because there are a lot of options to choose from and they’re not all created equal. It is pretty easy to get a parking ticket downtown, so shying away from street parking would be recommended. As we mentioned in the Lodging chapter, there are plenty of hotel options downtown within walking distance to the ballpark, and one of the reasons we recommend staying downtown if your main focus is going to the ballpark is to alleviate the hassle (and cost) of parking.
If you are staying downtown but choose to rent a car, you’ll likely have an expensive parking option at your hotel. If you check a parking app like ParkWhiz or SpotHero, you may find less expensive options, but keep in mind that these options won’t offer you in and out privileges, so be sure to factor that into your parking equation.
Team Lots
It can be easy to get lost when parking downtown in an unfamiliar city… we get that. If this is something you may be concerned about, parking in one of the seven official team lots could be a convenient option. These lots are large, clearly marked, and provide an easy walk to and from the stadium.
TSI TIP: The majority of the passes to these lots (other than Lot C) belong to season ticket holders. While you are sometimes able to find them on secondary marketplaces, they are likely to be more expensive than privately owned surface lots and garages with similar walking distances to the ballpark.
So, if you are looking for the best parking deal, the team lots are usually not going to be the best option. But if you prefer to plan ahead and don’t mind paying a bit more for parking, here are more details on the team lots.
Diamond North & South
Extremely close to the stadium, but very expensive and difficult to obtain for single games. If you can find one on a resale marketplace and the price is acceptable, great—go ahead and grab one.
Lots A, B & C
All three of these lots are on the home plate side of Minute Maid Park. Lot A is the closest, and located partially under US 59/I-69. If you park in lots B or C, you have to walk underneath the freeway to get to the ballpark, but they are connected to the stadium via a sidewalk with police officers at the intersections, so we consider it a safe walk.
Lots A & B are only sold to season ticket holders on a full-season basis, but the Astros make passes to Lot C available during the ticket purchase process on their website. But all three lots are typically available on ticket resale sites.
Lots D & E
Both of these lots are located on the outfield side of the park. There are a few bars and restaurants along Crawford street where fans congregate before the game. If you’re planning on arriving early and participating in one of the few pregame activities around the stadium, these lots would be a convenient option. But like lots A & B, these lots are only sold by the Astros to season ticket holders as an annual package, so if you want to park there, you’ll have to buy your pass on a resale site.
Garages/privately owned surface lots
Located around the immediate vicinity of the ballpark, some are staffed, and some utilize on-site payment booths which, at some surface lots, especially the ones further from the stadium, means they have no human attendant working there. Yeah, we know this can be unsettling, but they work just fine. If you pay the fare at the parking machine and either enter your license plate or put the ticket on your dashboard (whichever that specific lot requires), you won’t have any issues.
These vary in price depending on what team is in town, the day and time of the game, and what other events are happening in the area. Prices can range from $75 (closest to the stadium on the weekend), to as cheap as $5 (up to a 10-minute walk on a weekday), and everything in between. Keep in mind, parking in the area fills up quickly on game days, especially for weekend series and for key opponents. If you’re keen on a shorter walk to the ballpark, we recommend arriving at least an hour ahead of the first pitch to get a better spot. But downtown Houston is safe, so if the extra few minutes on foot don’t bother you, you don’t need to show up super early just for parking reasons.
Additional parking option: Parking apps
SpotHero
Example taken 04/04/24 for a 05/03/24 game
ParkWhiz
Example taken 04/04/24 for a 05/03/24 game
ParkMobile
Example taken 04/04/24 for a 05/03/24 game
Parkopedia
Example taken 04/04/24 for a 05/03/24 game
Similar to other MLB stadiums, you can use parking apps like SpotHero or ParkWhiz to reserve a spot in a nearby parking garage or surface lot in advance. However, our experience is that there is typically plenty of parking around the stadium to choose from, so it’s not necessary to do this. But, if you’re the type who would prefer to know exactly where you’re going, or if you can lock down a great deal by purchasing in advance, it’s worth taking a look at these ahead of time. And if you’re expecting to arrive closer to gametime, then grabbing a spot in advance is definitely a good idea.
TSI TIP: as you can see from the charts above, Parkopedia had some of the cheapest parking rates on some of our sample tests. But be sure to check the various apps if you are finding high prices — there may be a better deal waiting on one of them.
TSI TIP: Ninfa’s on Navigation is the one restaurant which we know of that offers free transportation to and from the ballpark. If you’re staying in the immediate area, or somewhere other than downtown, consider grabbing a bite to eat or a margarita at Ninfas and taking the shuttle to the ballpark. You’ll miss out on the stadium food, but if you prefer what we think is a great meal instead, and to save some money on parking, this is a great option.
The shuttle starts running one hour before first pitch, and concludes one hour after the game is over. Pickup and drop off at the ballpark is at the corner of St. Emanuel St and Congress St.
Ninfa’s on Navigation to the ballpark
Minute Maid Park via Rideshare or Taxi
Rideshares and taxis have a designated drop off spot on Crawford Street near the left field and center field entrances to the ballpark. When leaving the ballpark, it’s not usually hard to catch an Uber or Lyft. The only caveat would be if you’re seeing a concert at Minute Maid Park or if there’s a concert happening nearby at a venue like the Toyota Center. Rideshare options can be a bit more difficult to come by at these times and rates will be higher.
TSI TIP: the city of Houston recently passed a $6 flat fare in the downtown area. Essentially covering the entire downtown hotel zone, any taxi will be a flat fare of $6 within that zone, regardless of the number of riders. This won’t help you get to the Galleria or Medical Center, but it does make it even less expensive to get around the downtown area. If you want to stay at a hotel further away from the ballpark (like closer to the Toyota Center), you can now hop in a cab for cheap. Honestly, without surge pricing a rideshare isn’t much more expensive, but it’s good to have additional options. And if you can find a taxi after the game, it won’t be subject to surge pricing — it’ll be $6.
| Galleria To Minute Maid | Minute Maid to Galleria | Medical Center to Minute Maid | Minute Maid to Medical Center | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $20 | $25-30 | $15 | $20-$25 |
Getting to Minute Maid Park by Metrorail
MetroRail - Houston's light rail
Though it’s not our preferred way to get around Houston, Minute Maid Park is accessible by METRORail. Given the limited amount of money you’ll save, and the extra time it will take to walk to the rail station, in most cases, we just don’t believe it is worth it.
The only case in which we believe it could be beneficial is if you are staying in the Medical Center/Museum district, and are within a five-minute walking distance to one of the METRORail stations (we have included a list of hotels where this is the case below).
If you do decide to get to the ballpark via METRORail, you will take the Red Line (Northbound) and transfer to the Green or Purple Line in downtown Houston and ride eastbound for one stop to reach Minute Maid Park. From the Convention District Station stop, you’ll have to cross underneath a freeway, but there are safe walkways by which to do so. Just keep following the signs to the ballpark.
| Hotel | Nearest Rail Station | Walking Distance from Hotel to Rail Station | Travel Time to Ballpark | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Westin Houston Medical Center/Museum District | Dryden/TMC Station | 1 min walk | 34 minutes | $1.25/Person (children 5 and under are free) |
| Houston Marriott Medical Center/Museum District | Dryden/TMC Station | 1 min walk | 34 minutes | $1.25/Person (children 5 and under are free) |
| Hotel Zaza Houston Museum District | Museum District Station | 2 min walk | 27 minutes | $1.25/Person (children 5 and under are free) |
Walking to Minute Maid Park
Staying downtown and walking to the ballpark is, without question, our preferred method for traveling to Minute Maid Park. While every major city can have issues with safety, we consider downtown Houston to be safe for tourists and safe for walking around, especially on game days.
Like in any major city, it is important to take precautions and be aware of your surroundings when you’re walking, but there’s no reason to believe you’ll have any issues. The streets directly surrounding the ballpark are well-lit at night and there is typically a heavy police presence on game days to help keep pedestrians safe and traffic flowing.
Bottom Line
With so many different freeways and names, navigating Houston can be tricky. As mentioned previously, staying at a hotel downtown most definitely puts you at an advantage in many aspects: it’s the most convenient, gives you the most time to focus on the gameday experience, let’s you have a few adult beverages without worrying about driving, and, if you’re not driving, saves you money on parking. But if you’re staying further away, rideshares are good options that will get you there and back without being too hard on your budget, and there’s plenty of nearby parking if you decide to rent a car.
