1. Fort Worth Water Gardens
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 871-5755
Address: 1502 Commerce St.
Description: A contemporary and refreshing oasis surrounded by the hard lines of downtown buildings, this neighbor of the Fort Worth Convention Center is a design by famed architect Philip Johnson. A stair-step design with rushing water and three pools, the urban park was created with relaxation and reflection in mind. (Swimming is forbidden, and measures have been taken with the construction of railings to prevent any temptation after three drownings a few years ago.)
2. Sid Richardson Museum
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 332-6554
Address: 309 Main St.
Description: Widely known as one of the most important collections of western art in the nation, this recently expanded and reopened treasure trove exhibits an astounding assortment of the work of Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell, and other artists. If you’re looking for a single place to examine art from the American West, you can’t find anything better than the paintings and sculpture amassed by the oilman and philanthropist for whom the museum is named. A lovely painting is The Love Call, a dreamlike, 1909 work in which a lone Indian plays his flute by moonlight, a radically different sort of depiction and a departure from the often tragic, violent images in the genre. The gift shop is excellent.
3. Tarrant County Courthouse
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 884-1111
Address: 100 East Weatherford St.
Description: One of the more picturesque (and photographed) county courthouses in Texas, this 1893 masterpiece perched on a bluff high above the Trinity River at the north end of downtown was crafted of pinkish-red granite and boasts a four-faced Seth Thomas clock in the tower. Tours are free.
4. Cowtown Cattlepen Maze
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 624-6666
Address: 145 East Exchange Ave.
Description: The ages-old wooden cattlepens serve as framework for this game, perfect for families. It’s a great way to work off a big Mexican food or barbecue lunch devoured in one of the Stockyards Station restaurants.
5. Cowtown Coliseum
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 625-1025
Address: 121 East Exchange Ave.
Description: Home of the world’s first indoor rodeo, this 1908 landmark is where you still go to see a rodeo every Friday and Saturday night, year-round. Over the years, this building has hosted far more than rodeo; it’s even been an opera venue. A thorough overhaul made it much more comfortable than in its early days, with air-conditioning possibly the biggest boon. The one-hour Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show on weekends brings the Wild West to life with trick roping and riding, cowboy music, and more.
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 131 Exchange Ave.
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 130 East Exchange Ave.
8. Texas Cowboy Hall Of Fame
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 626-7131
Address: 128 East Exchange Ave. #A
Description: Inductees in this hall of honor include rodeo stars like Don Gay and Ty Murray, as well as music men George Strait and Don Edwards, but you’ll find folks whose contributions to the cowboy culture were less flashy, too. Inside the hall, find the Sterquell Wagon Collection, John Justin Trail of Fame, Chisholm Trail Exhibit, History of the Mexican Charro, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Zigrang Bit Collection, Adventures of the Cowboy Trail, and a gift shop and old-fashioned photography parlor. There’s plenty of hands-on action for the kids, too.
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd.
10. Botanic Garden
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 871-7686
Address: 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.
Description: Texas’s oldest botanical garden covers more than 100 acres in the middle of town, giving you a chance to escape from the world into a verdant oasis. Sheltered with nature’s gifts, the gardens lie next to the interstate—but you don’t know it, once you’re inside. Rose gardens, butterfly oasis, a Japanese garden, a conservatory, and quiet places of reflection await. Take a book or a journal and sit quietly, waiting for a rabbit to appear. A favorite setting for weddings, the site is home to the wildly popular Concerts in the Garden, a nightly music fest from early June through early July, complete with fireworks. The Gardens Restaurant is a busy lunch and Sunday brunch place.
11. Christian Arts Museum
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 335-1522
Address: 3205 Hamilton Ave.
Description: Opened in the fall of 2009, this small but impressive religious art museum provides a new home to a wax sculpture of the Last Supper. The artwork’s beginning dates to the 1920s when artist Katherine Stubergh was asked to create a full-size replication of Da Vinci’s famous painting. The piece wasn’t realized until the 1950s when oil tycoon William Fleming backed the work. It was on display in a shopping center until 1965 before finding a longtime home at the Southern Baptist Radio and Television building until 1997. In 2004, the Christian Arts Commission in Fort Worth began working on building the artwork a permanent home, raising money to construct this fine, small addition to the Cultural District.
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1600 Gendy St.
13. Fort Worth Zoo
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 759-7500
Address: 1989 Colonial Parkway
Description: Texas’s oldest zoo began in 1909 with a single lion, a pair of bear cubs and the assorted alligator, coyote, and peacock. Today, this zoo ranks among the nation’s top 10, serving as home to more than 5,000 native and exotic beasts, birds, and critters. In a dozen exhibit areas, you find everything from penguins to primates, raptors to big cats, flamingos to meerkats, koalas to elephants, snakes to prize-winning Texas cattle. There’s lots of food in various concession stands; just outside the zoo gates, find a miniature train ride taking kids and grown-ups throughout Trinity Park.
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd.
15. Log Cabin Village
City: Fort Worth, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 392-5881
Address: 2100 Log Cabin Village Lane, off Univers
Description: Situated a stone’s throw from the zoo, this city-owned ode to yesteryear heritage brings the pioneer age to life. You’ll see 19th-century Texas on display in authentic homes, with staffers dressed in period clothing to tell the story of a simpler, yet enormously challenging time. Among exhibits are a water-powered gristmill, one-room schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, herb garden, and several log home settings.