Head To Fort Worth For Some Cowboy Culture

Above, Exchange Avenue at the Fort Worth Stockyards. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To say that one can have a grand ol' time at the Fort Worth Stockyards would be an understatement.

Back in January, Mitch Geriminsky and I took a trip to Fort Worth and Dallas for a little mini vacation. This was my second visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards. I was there in 1984 during the Republican National Convention. Our delegation was taken to Billy Bob's Texas honkytonk for some partying one night.

Above, about to order dinner at Riscky's Steakhouse. 

There's plenty of things to see and do in the area including Dealey Plaza, the Sixth Floor Museum, Southfork Ranch and the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Above, the Livestock Exchange. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Besides becoming the home of the John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit in December, the Fort Worth Stockyards has plenty to see and do. There's plenty of shops and restaurants there to enjoy.

Above, one of the two longhorn cattle drives held daily. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Fort Hood Herald has an article on the Fort Worth Stockyards that should entice one to pay a visit.

They begin with:

FORT WORTH — Pull yer boots on and step back in time to experience a taste of real cowboy life at the Fort Worth Stockyards, a 98-acre slice of history near downtown that includes an array of entertainment, shopping and dining venues, as well as twice-daily longhorn cattle drives.

The town of Fort Worth became an important livestock center with the arrival of the railroad in 1876, with the 206-acre Union Stockyards opening for business in January 1890. Not long after, the Dressed Meat and Packing Company was founded and meat-packing houses were established.

By 1907, a million head of cattle per year were being sold, and the stockyards became a place where not only cattle but sheep and hogs could be bought, sold and slaughtered. Fort Worth remained an important part of the overall cattle industry until the 1950s, when business began to suffer as livestock auctions moved closer to various production centers.

Today, the Stockyards is a popular tourist draw, with steak houses and other eateries scattered throughout alongside western saloon-style bars, boot and hat shops, vintage record shops, fashion boutiques and art galleries. There are historical walking tours, concerts, rodeo performances, bull riding, trick roping demonstrations, the Stockyards Museum and the Texas Trail of Fame.

For details on events, attractions, places to stay nearby, and more, go to www.fortworthstockyards.org.

Above, yours truly having a brew at Billy Bob's Texas. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

 To read more, go here.