The various Rice University Owls teams, (713) 522-6957, draw large crowds to their 70,000-seat facility.
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Rodeos always are sellouts, particularly those presented by The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; phone (832) 667-1000.
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Houston has many public tennis courts. Golf is available at many public courses in the city: Bear Creek, (281) 859-8188, at 16001 Clay Rd.; Memorial Park, (713) 862-4033, at 1001 Memorial Loop Dr. E.; and Woodlands Resort and Conference Center, (281) 882-3000, at 2311 N. Millbend Dr.
Polo is played near Memorial Park at the Houston Polo Club, 8552 Memorial Drive at I-610; phone (713) 681-8571.
Challenger Seven Memorial Park, 2301 W. NASA Blvd. in Webster, (713) 440-1587, and Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Rd. in Humble, (713) 274-4160, contain hiking trails as well as picnic areas. Memorial Park, 6501 Memorial Dr., features 6 miles of running trails as well as paths for bicycling and skating; phone (713) 863-8403. Track cycling can be found at the Alkek Velodrome in Cullen Park, 19008 Saums Rd.; phone (281) 578-0858.
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Tom Bass Regional Park Section II is at 3602 Fellows Rd. and contains jogging and nature trails as well as a 20-acre spring-fed fishing lake. Visitors can enjoy canoeing and a view of Houston's skyline from Buffalo Bayou. Boating is popular at Clear Lake Park, 5001 NASA Pkwy.
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Cypress Trails Equestrian Center at 21415 Cypresswood Dr. in the town of Humble offers horseback riding trips along the trails threading through the undeveloped land around George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The equestrian center offers rides at other locations as well; phone (281) 446-7232.
Horse racing, both Thoroughbred and quarter horse, takes place at the Sam Houston Race Park, 7575 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. W. Simulcast racing is available daily. Phone (281) 807-8700.
Note: Policies concerning admittance of children to pari-mutuel betting facilities vary. Phone for information.