Step into the West | Attractions in Fort Worth Stockyards | Dallas Texas

Step into the West

Fort Worth is where the West begins, and nothing embodies Western heritage better than the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District. From the original brick walkways to the wooden corrals (korels), every inch of the Stockyards tells the true history of Texas’s famous livestock industry.

It was during the spring break, Deepak and family visited us in Plano on a Saturday afternoon. We are meeting after a long time. The weather looks fine, so we decided to go to Fort Worth Stockyards. It is around 50 miles from our place. After driving 50 minutes we reached here. We missed the longhorn cattle drive as we reached around 4.30. The Fort Worth Herd (ഹെർഡ്) is the world's only twice daily longhorn cattle drive, held every day at 11:30 AM & 4:00 PM in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Once home to cowboys, cattlemen and outlaws, today the Stockyards National Historic District is one of the most popular attractions in Texas. Day and night, visitors come to the Stockyards to get a taste of the true American West. Begin your journey on Exchange Avenue, where the weathered brick streets are lined with historic buildings, restaurants, shops, saloons and other attractions.

There are plenty of parking space available. We parked our car in one of the parking yards and started walking through this street of historic downtown. We took photos on a real-life longhorn cattle. There was a big queue, they will allow only for a few minutes to take photos. There are always a few scattered on the street available for photos, petting, and sitting on. A 5-dollar fee is asked for photos. Need to pay by cash, they won’t accept cards. Next time I will try to take a photo wearing a cowboy hat. It’s really a huge one.

This a bronze statue of famous Cowboy poet, actor and western singer, Red Steagall in front of the Cowtown Coliseum in the Historic Stockyards.

This is another sculpture of a man tackling a bull. The statue of African American cowboy and rodeo and film star Bill Pickett in front of the 1908 Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District.

In the background is a large building with orange tile- Cowtown Coliseum, the world’s first indoor rodeo and the only year-round rodeo held every Friday and Saturday at 8:00.

This is The “John Wayne: An American Experience” exhibit located in the Historic Exhibits Building on the corner of Exchange St. and Rodeo Plaza.

Spread over 10,000 square feet, the John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit is structured to give us an intimate tour of the life of John Wayne. Starting with his early childhood, each room highlights an aspect of The Duke’s legacy. For the film enthusiasts, an extensive gallery called the “Life on Screen” highlights the most iconic film props and costumes. In the “America, Why I Love Her” gallery, guests can immerse themselves in patriotism through Grammy-nominated original poems, recited by John Wayne.

All patrons will have exclusive access to never-before seen family photos and correspondences which have been thoughtfully curated by the Wayne family to give guests a holistic view of the icon, whose values translate both on the silver screen and off.

After visiting the John Wayne: An American Experience” exhibit we continued exploring the historic downtown. We are in search of a good restaurant to enjoy authentic taste of Fort Worth. We also didn’t miss to take some good visuals from Paint Horse Sculpture in Mule Alley.

This is Second Rodeo - A brewery and bar garden with daily live music, good grub, and a large dog-friendly patio in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards. It was heavy crowed hence we thought of trying another place for our dinner.

The other attractions are

the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame - This museum pays tribute to over 70 cowboys & cowgirls. There are interactive exhibits and a fun are for children.

Billy Bob’s - Famed, huge country music honky tonk with a live bull-riding arena, plus dozens of bars.

The Cowtown Cattlepen Maze –

Rodeo - Every Friday and Saturday night at 8pm, see the Stockyards Championship Rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum.

Ride a Horse - The Fort Worth Stockyards Stables offers both Trail and Arena horseback riding at the Stockyards. They also have a great petting zoo for the little ones.

Stockyards Museum - This cool museum has fun artifacts that bring Stockyard history to life. Make sure you see the 103-year burning light bulb, the bad-luck wedding dress, and the white buffalo skin, among other cool things.

Walk the Streets

The missed attractions will be reserved for our next visit.

Now we are moving to a famous restaurant for our dinner - Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que is located in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, just a stone’s throw from Billy Bob’s Texas. Cooper’s is honored to be known as the Best of the Best in the barbecue business, and are home of the original world-famous “Big Chop.”

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Step into the West | Attractions in Fort Worth Stockyards | Dallas Texas | Cowboy Town