I’ve always believed every season carries its own mood. Summer often feels limitless—though in Houston heat, it can also feel relentless. Fall leans into nostalgia with the holidays and hints of cool weather. Winter always seems like a time to pull back, reflect, rest, and move more slowly. Spring, then, is the in-between season. And in Houston, it can feel almost nonexistent.

Still, no matter where you live, spring tends to signal a kind of awakening. People start peeking out again, calendars and patios fill up, as if the city is stretching after a long pause. In Houston, spring is game time. It’s baseball season, Rodeo season, wildflower season—and, if we’re being honest, about two precious weeks of truly pleasant weather.

While spring technically starts in March and extends through June, the version of spring Houstonians love is brief. This season still arrives buzzing with activity, ambition, and energy, and the city leans all the way in (more daylight has a way of making us do that).

In this issue, we’re celebrating the ways Houston comes alive. News and city
life editor Erica Cheng rounds up bucket-list moments that define the season, including the Art Car Parade and, of course, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. We also take a deeper look at the Rodeo itself, exploring both its global reach and the lesser-known aspects of events that longtime fans love.

Food and travel editor Sofia Gonzalez dives into a new restaurant built around the idea of a world without borders, and we go behind the scenes in local kitchens to see who’s helping drive some of the city’s top restaurants (the answer might surprise you). And arts and culture editor Meredith Nudo explores how art can be a catalyst for change, whether it’s in the classroom, on the streets, or in a prison. You’ll also find a season-by-season guide for getting things to bloom in your own backyard, with spring setting the stage for planning and planting the year’s bounty.

The magazine’s cover, illustrated by Sean McCabe, reflects the city in this season, too—a place that’s in motion, changing, and constantly growing. Spring gives us just enough time to take part in an invigorating rhythm before the heat returns.

Let’s use these next weeks wisely, because in Houston, spring doesn’t linger, but it always shows up ready to be lived.