The City Of Cowboys And Culture

Last April, I had the opportunity to visit Fort Worth, TX, AKA the City of Cowboys and Culture. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was certain I was going to have a good time while I was there.

Fort Worth may be the only city where the Cultural District includes not only art galleries, but the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and the Will Rogers Equestrian Center as well.

I saw proof that just about everything is bigger in Texas at the Barnes & Noble in downtown Fort Worth. That Barnes & Noble has a two-story replica of a sculpture by Fredric Remington.

One of my favorite places downtown was the Sid Richardson Museum. It has an incredible collection of work by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, as well as other western artists.

My hotel was right on a bus line, so getting around posed no problems for me. The bus service wasn't as frequent as in Minneapolis, but the fare was much cheaper. Eating on the bus was allowed, unlike in Minneapolis. Also, they had one rule I wish could be incorporated here, best summed up signs that were on nearly every bus: "Grandma says, 'Pull 'em up or find another ride.'" In Fort Worth, wearing jeans with your butt hanging out (even if you're wearing underwear) is not allowed.

They also have a free bus in downtown Fort Worth called "Molly the Trolley." It's a bus designed to look like a trolley and will stop at bus stops throughout downtown. It's named after Molly the Longhorn, who is Fort Worth's mascot. Fort Worth's website has a graphic of Molly walking back and forth. Occasionally, she'll stop walking and a "Molly says" will appear. Frequently the message is "Molly says you need a pair of Justin Boots." (Justin is headquartered in Fort Worth. After wearing Justin Boots, I won't buy any other brand.)

My favorite place in Fort Worth is the Stockyards. The Stockyards has the world's only twice-daily longhorn cattle drive. I saw it a couple of times and one time when I was fairly close, it looked to me like the longhorns were thinking, "Do we have to do this again?" Of course, they do have a pretty cushy job - walk through the Stockyards twice a day and that's it.

While I was in Fort Worth, the Budweiser Clydesdales were visiting the Stockyards Stables and I got to see them up close and personal. I even had my photo taken with one of them. (A link to my Texas photo album will be posted at the end.)

I was able to go on two trail rides while I was there. They were fun, but next time I'm in Fort Worth, I want to visit a different stable. The second trail ride was the better of the two. On the second one, I had a better feel for what I needed to do to have better control of the horse.

The Stockyards includes two Cowboy Halls of Fame. One is the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. George Strait, of course, is one of the members. Admission is good for all day, so visitors can visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, go do something else and come back later the same day for another visit. The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame is located inside the Cowtown Coliseum and admission is free. Among the honorees in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame isn't a cowboy or cowgirl. It's Scamper, who was the horse Charmayne James rode to become the World Champion Barrel Racer ten times and National Finals Rodeo champion six times.

The Cowtown Coliseum is home to the Stockyards Rodeo, which is held every Friday and Saturday night. I wasn't able to attend one while I was there, though. Something to save for my next visit to Fort Worth!

The editorial offices of my favorite magazine, Western Horseman, are located in Fort Worth. I was able to visit there once. From there I walked to the Cultural District, where I visited the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. Even Jessie the Cowgirl from Disney's Toy Story II has been honored by the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. I would have loved to have been able to visit there more than once. There was a cutting horse show at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center, so I stopped to watch some of that.

I spent one day at the Botanical Gardens. Fort Worth has an amazing Japanese Garden there. (I was told it's considered one of the top five Japanese Gardens.)  Nothing against the Japanese Garden in St. Paul, MN, but the one in Fort Worth makes the one in St.Paul look like somebody's back yard.

I do plan on visiting Fort Worth again. I'm just not sure of when that will be.

Here's the link to my Texas vacation photo album: http://s225.photobucket.com/user/Princess_Ailina/library/Texas%20April%202012?sort=2&page=1