If Dallas is the last Eastern city, Fort Worth is undoubtedly the 1st Western one. A mere 33 mi. west of Dallas on I-30, Fort Worth mixes raw Texan flair with cultural refinement. The city has three districts: the Stockyards Historic District, Sundance Square, and the Cultural District. Fort Worth’s old stockyards, which were once the busiest in the country, have been turned into the city’s largest tourist attraction. Exchange Avenue is the dusty main drag. Once lined with casinos and brothels catering to cowfolk with jingling pockets, its bars, restaurants, and shops now cater to the jingling pockets of tourists seeking what Fort Worth bills as a taste of the “authentic West.” Catch the cattle drive, (www.fortworthstockyards.org.) when cowboys and cowgirls rustle a team of longhorns down Exchange Ave. The White Elephant Saloon, 106 Exchange Ave., a filming location in “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has a ceiling plastered with celebrity cowboy hats. (☎624-8273. Cover M $2, F-Su $5-10. Open M-Th 2pm-midnight, F 2pm-2am, Sa noon-2am, Su noon-midnight.) The Cowtown Coliseum, 121 Exchange Ave., hosts national-level rodeos and Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show. (☎625-1025 or 888-269-8696; www.cowtowncoliseum.com. Box office open F-Sa 6-8pm. Rodeos F-Sa 8pm. $15, seniors $12, ages 3-12 $10. Pawnee Bill’s June-Aug. Sa-Su 2:30 and 4:30pm. $9, seniors $7.50, ages 3-12 $5.) The world’s largest honky-tonk, Billy Bob’s Texas, 2520 Rodeo Pl., draws crowds with country music’s big names. The club has a restaurant, games, and 25 bar stations. (☎624-7117. Free dance lessons Th 7pm. Bull-riding F-Sa 9 and 10pm. Families welcome; under 18 must be with parent. Cover $1 M-Th and Su before 8pm and F-Sa before 6pm. W women no cover. Open M-Sa 11am-2am, Su noon-2am.)
Sundance Square is the name given by promoters to what is essentially downtown Fort Worth. The 40-block brick-lined downtown is chock-full of trendy shops, museums, and restaurants. Parking lots are free after 5pm Monday through Friday and all day on weekends. The Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art, 309 Main St., is a shockingly enormous collection of western art, all donated by a wealthy oilman, Sid Richardson. Highlights include paintings by Remington. (☎332-6554; www.sidrmuseum.org. Open M-Th 9am-5pm, F-Sa 9am-8pm, Su noon-5pm. Free.) West of downtown along 7th St., Fort Worth boasts an astonishing array of high-caliber museums in the Cultural District. The Modern Art Museum, 3200 Darnell, contains an excellent collection of art from the last half-century, including sculpture, abstract art, and photography, all housed in a stunning structure surrounded by a reflecting pool. (☎866-824-5566; www.themodern.org. Open Tu-Sa 10am-5pm, Su 11am-5pm. $10, seniors and students $4, under 12 free. W and 1st Su of month free.) The Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., has a large collection of Western art and is renowned for its photographs of Western landscapes. (☎738-1933; www.cartermuseum.org. Open Tu-Sa 10am-5pm, Th until 8pm, Su noon-5pm. Free.)
Trinity Railway Express , Amtrak, and city buses share the Intermodal Transportation Center, at the corner of 9th and Jones St. (☎215-8600. Open M-F 5am-10pm, Sa 8am-10pm, Su 10:15am-5:30pm.) The Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau is at 415 Throckmorton St., in Sundance Sq. (☎800-433-5747; www.fortworth.com. Open M-F 8:30am-5pm, Sa 10am-4pm.) There are other branches in Stockyards, 130 E. Exchange Ave., and the Cultural District, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave. (All open M-F 9am-5pm, Sa 9am-6pm, Su 10am-6pm.) Post Office: 251 W. Lancaster Ave. (☎870-8104. Open M-F 8:30am-6pm.) Postal Code: 76102.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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