We are off to explore the rough and wild cowboy heritage of Dallas’ sister city Fort Worth. Learn about the infamous bandits and visit Hell’s Half Acre and the Fort Worth Stockyards.
The 1880’s were the heyday of the Stockyards as Fort Worth was the southernmost terminus on the railroads leading to Chicago. The cattle cattlemen and cattle rustlers passing through contributed to the Stockyard’s atmosphere some of which remains today. We will drive by the White Elephant Saloon and see a taste of "yesteryear". The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame honors Texas men & women who have excelled in the sports of rodeo and cutting. The inductees include Ty Murray (7 time World Champion All Around Cowboy) Tuff Hedeman (4 time World champion Bull Rider) Charmayne James (11 time World Champion Barrel Racer) and Don Gay (8 time World champion Bull Rider) just to name a few. The Fort Worth Herd Cattle Drive is held daily seven days a week weather permitting. The first daily cattle drive begins at 11:30 a.m. at the far east end of Exchange Avenue and ends at Cow town Coliseum. The Herd can be viewed at the Longhorn Observation Deck after the drive until 4:00 p.m. The second daily cattle drive begins at 4:00 p.m. Sundance Square named after the Sundance Kid is a 20-block district that has an incredible variety of things to do and see — stores and boutiques museums and galleries coffee shops and live theaters.
After the Stockyards you will get to visit the Kimbell Art Museum. The museum holdings range in period from antiquity to the 20th century including masterpieces by Duccio Fra Angelico Mantegna Caravaggio El Greco La Tour Rubens Velázquez Rembrandt Houdon Goya David Monet Cézanne Picasso Matisse and Mondrian. A docent will also be on hand to point out many important pieces. The Museum is one of the few institutions in the Southwest with a substantial collection of Asian arts and has also assembled small but select collections of Pre-Columbian and African art as well as Classical Egyptian and Near Eastern Antiquities.
Enjoy lunch at Joe T. Garcia’s. The 64-year-old restaurant is a Fort Worth institution. Still run by the Garcia-Lan Carte family Joe T.’s serves consistent no frills Tex-Mex. And it remains one of the most popular restaurants in Fort Worth judging from the packed parking lot and the line running out the door every weekend. Here guests may sip at an ice-cold margarita and have a bite to eat.