Day one of this road trip sees us traveling some 360 miles to Sweetwater, Texas (located around 180 miles west of Dallas Fort Worth) which lays claim to an interesting title! This comparatively small town with a population of around 11,000, is home to the world’s largest Rattlesnake Round-up!

Held annually, the purpose of the event was originally designed to eradicate a portion of the rattlesnake population and lessen its threat to the town and surrounding communities. While still doing this, these days the round-up, which can also be called a rattlesnake rodeo, is a common festivity in the rural Midwest and Southern US, which has morphed into a fair-like event with trade stalls, food and rides alongside information on rattlesnake identification and safety.

Held each March, Sweetwater’s 2017 Rattlesnake Round-up attracted some 40,000 visitors and pumped over $8 million into the local economy. The main attractions are captured wild rattlesnakes which are sold, displayed, killed for food or animal products such as snake skin or released back into the wild.

Each captured snake is weighed and measured, its sex recorded and compiled into data given to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Service. Most of the snakes are then skinned, beheaded and milked of their venom which is made into anti-venom and sold to pharmaceutical companies. The skin, heads, tails and rattles are preserved while the meat is deep-fried and served at the festival!

Sweetwater’s 2017 “Miss Snake Charmer” in the rattlesnake pit.