Rustle Up a Wild West Adventure in Fort Worth

Fort Worth offers many wonderful ways to celebrate its Western heritage, so grab your Stetson and get ready to “boot scoot” around this historic, family-friendly city.

Between 1866 and 1890, Texas cowboys drove more than four million head of cattle up the Chisholm Trail through Fort Worth to meatpacking houses in Oklahoma. For that reason, the city came to be known as “Cowtown” and eventually became home to the largest stockyards and processing operation in the West.

Walking through the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District today, it’s easy to imagine what those Wild West days were like. Thanks to the preservation of many of the buildings, structures, traditions and cultures from that era, your visit to Fort Worth will come complete with rodeos, cattle drives and singing cowgirls

The Fort Worth Stockyards

If you’re looking for a long weekend in Fort Worth, jump right into the action at the Stockyards Championship Rodeo. Enjoy classic events like bull riding, roping, and barrel racing, where you experience the excitement of cowboy culture in action.

After the adrenaline rush of the rodeo, kick back at the Stockyards Hotel, a luxurious historic inn with Old West touches. Alternatively, head to Cattlemen’s Steak House, a Fort Worth staple since 1947, where you can savor a perfectly grilled steak or indulge in their famous smoked prime rib.

For your next day in town, enjoy some shopping at Stockyards Station, or take a ride on an authentic stagecoach and work your way through the Cowtown Cattlepen Maze, a 5,400-square-foot labyrinth of wooden pathways.

Just after 4 p.m., you’ll likely hear what sounds like rumbling thunder overlaid with a distinct ‘moo.’ You’re going to want to step aside for the twice-daily Fort Worth Herd of Longhorn cattle being driven down the street by genuine Texas ‘drovers. Follow the cattle to the end of the trail and where you’ll be able to take photos and talk to the cowhands.

Billy Bob’s Texas

Anyone who’s been to Billy Bob’s Texas knows it’s big, but when you walk into the 100,000-square-foot dance hall with its 30 bar stations and live professional bull-riding arena, you’ll quickly realized “big” doesn’t begin to describe it.

As you twirl around the enormous dance floor to the music of various country stars and CMA award, you’ll be reminded the other country music legends who have played there through the years (including Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard) as well as favorites like Cory Morrow and Josh Turner.

Before you leave, don’t miss getting  your picture taken on the stuffed bull, which is posed to look like it’s in full bucking mode. Ham it up, with one hand on the saddle horn and the other thrown up in the air like the real riders do!

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

You’ll probably hear so much about rough-and-tough cowboys who tamed the wild territories, so a visit to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a nice way to fully understand how much help those cowboys had. Built to celebrate female ranchers, rodeo stars, pioneers, writers and other leaders who helped shape the American West, the museum is fascinating, fun and truly inspiring.

One of the most interesting displays is a series of holograms featuring several different honorees, with interchanging images as you walk past. Other areas showcase famous women like artist Georgia O’Keeffe, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Sacagawea, the Native American guide for Lewis and Clark.

Along with celebrating grit and determination, the museum features the glittering costumes and gussied-up saddles used by award-winning rodeo cowgirls.

FUN FACT
While Fort Worth was known as Cowtown to many cattle owners in the historic American West, it has a different name to the Eastern bankers and financiers who made millions off the cattle industry. After the newly built stockyards and the railroad spurred economic growth in the city, the Fort Worth Livestock Exchange Building was dubbed “the Wall Street of the West.