Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District

If you only have a day in Fort Worth, head straight to the Stockyards. This living museum pays tribute to Fort Worth’s Wild West heyday with daily cattle drives and plenty of restaurants serving up cowboy cuisine.

Fort Worth, once known as Cowtown, is a city that never forgot its roots. You can see those roots still honored at the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, where a Texas longhorn cattle herd takes to the streets daily. This festive ritual is exemplary of how the city continues to embrace its Cowboys and Culture brand.

Start your visit at Stockyards Station at the heart of this historic neighborhood – from here, you can join a guided walking or Segway tour or hop on a stage coach. If you’re interested in the district’s history, pay a visit to the Stockyards Museum, which is housed in the former Livestock Exchange building and now contains an extensive collection of documents and artifacts from Fort Worth’s Old West era. Meanwhile, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Texas Trail of Fame will also offer insight into Fort Worth’s most notable residents. If you have kids in tow, take a twirl through the Cowtown Cattlepen Maze or a ride on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad.

Recent visitors strongly recommend visiting the Stockyards on a Friday or Saturday night for the Championship Rodeo. Starting at 8 p.m., talented cowboys will show off their riding, roping and racing skills in the Cowtown Coliseum. Afterward, you can test your dancing skills at Billy Bob’s Texas – at 3 acres, Billy Bob’s claims to be the world’s largest honky tonk. While many reviewers said this was a great activity for first-time visitors, they also cautioned that it is quite touristy.