Texas-Sized Thrills: Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Unleashes Wild Weekend!

Texas is home to a lot of rattlesnakes.

Texas Tradition

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is a full four days of a celebration of the snake. Celebration may be a poor choice of words, but it's the reason for the big get together in Sweetwater. Things get underway this Thursday and don't wrap up until Sunday evening.

Read More: Batter Up! Texas Sonic Locations Hosting Epic Corn Dog Day Bash! |

It's easy to sit back and wonder what would happen if all of these snakes weren't rounded up. I think the easiest answer is, the area would be overrun with poisonous reptiles. At last years event, there were over 3,000 snakes. This event has been going on since 1958. Rattlesnakes have an average lifespan of 10-25 years. Now, I'll let you add all that up for posterity.

Snakes On The Plains

If it's rattlesnake oriented, it's happening this weekend. Things will start with a parade leading to a carnival on Thursday. Then Friday through Sunday you can experience everything from a gun/knife/coin show to a rattlesnake eating contest. It's kind of a "pick your poison" kind of thing (pun intended).

Details On The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup

Admission to the event runs $10 for adults and $5 for kids which is a pretty darn reasonable price for entertainment these days. The carnival, of course, is extra. You can even join a guided hunt for snakes if you want to. I have visited with the Sweetwater Jaycees a number of times of the years and after experiencing a box of rattlesnakes, I think I'll leave it to the professionals.