HOUSTON — Parking and traffic in downtown Houston can be rough on a regular day. Now add the Final Four to the mix.
You’re going to want to prepare days in advance if you have plans on taking part in any of the festivities. There are plenty of ways to get to the events, whether by rail, rideshare or driving yourself, but trust us when we say with any of these options, you're going to NEED to plan ahead.
Ride the Rail
Let’s start with METRORail. If you’re going to the Final Four festivities, you can ride the rail for FREE from Friday, March 31 through Monday, April 3. The free rides are on the red, green and purple rail lines. You can plan your route here on the RideMetro app.
Downtown Parking
There is plenty of parking in downtown Houston, but there will also be a bunch of people down there, so plan ahead. There are apps you can download to reserve parking. Here’s a map of spots you can leave your vehicle
Want to ride a pedicab?
Pedicabs will be running Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 a.m., and Monday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Here’s a map of where you can catch a ride.
Heading to NRG Stadium for the games?
If you’re planning to be at one or more of the games, you can catch a FREE shuttle to and from the fan zones, stadiums and surrounding locations from March 31 through April 3. Look for the wrapped Buick Encore GXZs, Envisions and Enclaves at these three hub locations:
- NRG Stadium - Orange Lot #13
- South Transit Center (Adjacent to George R. Brown Convention Center)
- Buffalo Wild Wings @ Midtown Crossing (510 Gray St. Suite C Houston, TX)
You can also park at the stadium. Here’s a map of the parking spots.
Prices at the stadium are as follows:
- On Friday, March 31, which is Reese’s Men’s Final Four Friday, all lots are FREE.
- On Saturday, April 1, when the semifinal games are played, the yellow, blue and green lots are open and each with cost you $50.
- On Monday, April 3, when the national championship game is played, the yellow, blue and green lots are open and each with cost you $50.
Rideshares and Taxis
A lot of people will use rideshares to get to the venues during Final Four weekend in Houston. Here’s a map of downtown for ride shares and taxes.
The taxi zones will be in orange and existing ride shares are in blue.
Taxi locations
- Austin between Lamar and Dallas
- Dallas between Crawford and La Branch
- Temporary zone on Crawford between Rusk and Capitol
Rideshare temporary locations
- Bell between Jackson and La Branch for Toyota Center
- Capitol between Avenida de las Americas and Crawford for Minute Maid