Fort Worth: Recreation
Sightseeing
Fort Worth and the Metroplex rank high on the list of U.S. tourist destinations. Many attractions are located in the city or within the mid-cities region of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, including Arlington, Grand Prairie, and Irving. Tourists have a wide range of diversions from which to choose.
The Stockyards National Historic District is a multiblock historic district featuring specialty shops, rodeos, saloons, and livestock auctions. Twice daily in the Stockyards, authentic cowhands drive the Fort Worth Herd, a group of Texas longhorn steer, down Exchange Avenue. Billy Bob's Texas in the Stockyards, is the world's largest honky tonk bar/entertainment center and can accommodate a crowd of 6,000 people to hear top western entertainers, play pool and video games, and shop. Sundance Square is another historic district of red-bricked streets, shops, and restaurants. Visitors to Fort Worth can walk through historic Van Zandt Cottage, Thistle Hill mansion, or the Eddleman McFarland House, an elegant Victorian residence. Tourists can also tour downtown Fort Worth and Sundance Square in a carriage. Fort Worth Water Garden Park is an impressive four blocks of concrete-terraced waterfalls, fountains, pools, and gardens. Trinity Trail consists 32 miles of paved trails for walking, biking, or rollerblading, winding from Northside Drive to Foster Park. The Tarantula Steam excursion train takes passengers between Grapevine and the Stockyards. Stockyards Station also includes retail and dining facilities, plus a children's carnival.
The Fort Worth Zoo is home to 5,000 exotic animals. Exhibits include a 2.5-acre World of Primates, African Savannah, Asian Falls, Parrot Paradise, and Texas Wild!, an exhibit that opened in 2001 which focuses on showcasing animals that are native to Texas. Nearby Log Cabin Village features 1850s-era restored cabins, a working grist mill, and pioneer craft demonstrations. Noble Planetarium in the Museum of Science and History features a Texas sky show that changes monthly. Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge in Lake Worth is a 3,400-acre habitat and National Natural Landmark. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden, including the Japanese Garden, contains acres of plants, and a pagoda, teahouse, and meditation garden. The Forest Park Miniature Railroad takes visitors on a 40-minute trip from Forest Park to Trinity Park and back. Hurricane Harbor in Arlington is a family-oriented water park. Six Flags over Texas is a large amusement park complex in Arlington. Visitors can tour American Airlines Flight Academy, Mrs. Baird's Bakery, or the Bandera Hat Company.
Arts and Culture
Cowboys and culture mix in Fort Worth. Community and commercial groups are generous and cooperative in their support of the arts. The city offers cultural experiences ranging from fine opera and ballet to knee-slapping country hoedowns. Its museums house the art and artifacts of European masters and Texas cattlemen.
The beautiful Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall, a $67 million facility that opened in 1998, is the first-ever home of the Fort Worth Symphony, Texas Ballet Theater, and the Fort Worth Opera, as well as the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The 2,054-seat performance hall is located in Sundance Square; it makes a grand impression with its pair of 48-foot angels gracing the entrance.
Casa Manana, a theater-in-the-round under a geodesic dome, seats 1,800 people and features Broadway touring productions, a children's playhouse series, and produces its own shows featuring local talent. The Rose Marine Theater is home to the Latin Arts Association of Fort Worth, the only Hispanic theater company in the city, and presents theater, film, and live music series. Other thriving Fort Worth-area theaters include StageWest, Circle Theater, Jubilee, and the avant-garde group Hip Pocket. A number of area community orchestra and professional ensembles present classical music concerts throughout the year. Electrifying film performances are presented at the Omni Theater's 80-foot dome screen in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The Scott Theatre hosts the Fort Worth Theatre, special film productions, and cultural activities. Hyena's Comedy Club features national acts; "Four Day Weekends" improvisational comedy show is Fort Worth's longest running show.
Fort Worth's museums and galleries also offer variety. The Kimbell Art Museum was designed by Louis Kahn and houses collections of classical and prehistoric art, and western European and early twentieth century paintings. The Amon Carter Museum, named for the late Fort Worth newspaper magnate whose foundation supports it, contains a collection of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Western and American paintings and American photographs. Twentieth-century multimedia art including sculpture, photography, and painting are displayed at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art in Sundance Square displays 60 paintings by artists of the American West such as Frederic Remington and Charles Russell.
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History houses the Omni Theater and Museum School, the Noble Planetarium, and 35,000 square feet of exhibits, including the Hall of Medical Science, Man and His Possessions, Antique Calculators and Computer Technology, Geology, and Texas History. The American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum is devoted to the history of commercial aviation, having over 1,000 items in its collection, including a restored DC-3 airplane. The history of the ranching industry in Texas is traced through film, photographs, and memorabilia at the Cattle Raiser's Museum. The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame pay tribute to the people who built Texas. The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the only one of its kind in the world, opened a new home in the city's Cultural District in 2002. Fire Station No. 1 is the city's earliest fire house and contains an exhibit entitled "150 Years of Fort Worth."
Tours are available at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing's Visitor Center, allowing the public to watch the printing of paper currency. The Pate Museum of Transportation, located on a ranch near Cresson, maintains a collection of varying modes of transportation including antique, classic, and special interest cars, airplanes, railroad cars, and space exhibits. On the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Tandy Archaeological Museum houses a collection of biblical artifacts. The Texas Civil War Museum is scheduled to open in mid-2005 with a large collection of uniforms, weapons, and flags from both North and the South.
Festivals and Holidays
In January/February the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is held over two weeks at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum and includes an indoor rodeo, exhibits, arts and crafts, rides, and a carnival midway. Cowtown Goes Green is Fort Worth's unique, western-style St. Patrick's Day celebration. The festival is held in the National Historic Stockyards District and features a parade, cattle drive, pub crawl, arts and crafts sales, and Irish music. For four days in April, Fort Worth's Main Street becomes a marketplace of food, arts and crafts, and live entertainment during the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival.
The arrival of spring is observed with Mayfest activities, games, sports, and arts and crafts in Trinity Park. The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is held at the Bell Performance Center every four years. At the Texas Frontier Forts Muster and Quanah Parker Comanche Pow Wow & Honor Dance, Fort Worth's frontier past is highlighted with re-enactors showing off the skills and equipment needed in the days of the old West, along with Comanche dancers performing traditional dances. Shakespeare in the Park is also held in June at the Trinity Park Playhouse with nightly shows, music, and dance. In June and the beginning of July is the American Paint Horse Association World Championship Show & Sale at the Will Rogers Center. Pioneer Days in September commemorates the early days of the cattle industry with a fiddler's contest, fajita cook-off, parade, and footrace. Also in September, the Forth Worth International Air Show at Alliance Airport is a family-oriented event conceived as a tribute to Fort Worth's aviation industry. Oktoberfest features music, dance, and food events to raise money for symphonic activities. The Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering & Western Swing Festival fills the Stockyard District with music, rodeo and cowboy poetry in October. November and December are filled with holiday observances including the Zoobilee of Lights and the Christmas Parade of Lights.
Sports for the Spectator
Fort Worth professional sports fans follow the American League's Texas Rangers baseball, NFL Dallas Cowboys football, NBA Dallas Mavericks basketball, and the Dallas Stars NHL teams. None of these is based in Fort Worth, but all are close enough to claim fans. Fort Worth's own Brahmas are in the Western Professional Hockey League; they play at Will Rogers Coliseum. College fans in Fort Worth pay close attention to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs and the Texas Wesleyan University Rams, both of which compete in major collegiate sports. The Colonial National Invitational Golf Tournament and the GTE Byron Nelson Classic are held in May.
The Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile NASCAR oval track with a seating capacity of 155,000 (plus 53,000 more in the infield), is the second largest sports facility in the country; it schedules three major racing weekends a year.
Sports for the Participant
Six large lakes within 25 miles of downtown provide Fort Worth residents with ample opportunities for water sports and recreation. Burger's Lake is a 20-acre recreational park with a swimming pool and picnic grounds. Greenhills Environmental Center is a 1,000-acre nature preserve and recreational area with hiking trails. Heritage Park Boat & Recreation Center bills itself as "a one-hour vacation in the heart of Fort Worth."
Fort Worth maintains 231 developed city parks with more than 10,000 acres, 98 public tennis courts, 3 bicycle trails, 6 public golf courses, and 20 municipal pools.
Shopping and Dining
Fort Worth boasts one of the most beautiful and vibrant downtown areas in Texas. The centerpiece of the revitalized downtown is the Sundance Square entertainment and shopping district, a 20-block area filled with historic buildings, movie theaters, live theaters, nightclubs, coffee houses, art galleries and, of course, shopping in a 40-store mall with an indoor skating rink. Other popular shopping areas are Hulen Mall, the Fort Worth Outlet Square, University Park Village, Stockyards Station, the Camp Bowie Boulevard shops, Exchange Avenue Shops, and Ridgmar Mall in west Forth Worth.
Restaurants are plentiful in Fort Worth, offering everything from Continental, Texas Ranch, New American, and ethnic cuisines. The historic districts in particular, such as The Stockyards and Sundance Square, abound in restaurants and saloons. Texas beef, chili, and Tex-Mex are specialties. At Ellington's Southern Table in Sundance Square, diners' plates are piled high with Southern specialties like pot roast, chicken-fried steak, fried catfish, and liver and onions.
Visitor Information: Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, 415 Throckmorton, Fort Worth, Texas 76102; telephone (817)336-8791 or (800)433-5747