Ft. Worth, Texas

Ft. Worth Texas is the perfect day trip from Dallas. And it fulfilled the need for everything we expected all of Texas to be. For some reason this New York gal expected to head to the South and herd cattle in the streets, walk past hundreds of cowboys and stay on a dude ranch. Imagine my surprise when I found out that’s not the case (especially when staying in Dallas). So, a trip to Ft. Worth was most necessary for my fix of “the way we thought Texas should be”!

Ft. Worth Stockyards

The Stock Yards have maintained an authentic experience of cowtown, USA. The spot used to be one of the largest livestock trading centers in the Southwest, and now those empty stalls have been transformed into a lively Western experience. Every day, rain or shine, there is a cattle call at 11:30am and 4pm. Truly, it was one of the most surreal experiences. We’ve never seen cattle with such massive horns – and close enough to poke you. After the cattle call, everyone disperses into the various stores selling authentic cowboy attire and BBQ joints and saloons lining the main strip.

We popped into the Love Shack – an outdoor restaurant with a deck overlooking the main street, and a deck overlooking the main stage. Country singers grace the stage as you sit back and relax with a delicious burger and beer, or root beer from the tap – can we get a yeehaw?! Because this place was a dream.

After Krista suddenly became a country music fan, we headed down to Billy Bobs felt logical – the largest Honky Tonk in town. Unfortunately, during the off season, and the middle of the day on a Monday – the place was dead, but we got a feel for the magnitude of this space. We would have loved to see a concert here, or bull riding on the weekend, and soak up all the country vibes. And we had just missed it – but you can take dance lessons certain days of the week for $5!

Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens

Seriously, we could spend every day running around these grounds. One of our days in Texas, Derek was at a conference so I (Krista) headed for a run at the gardens after dropping him off. Well, a Monday morning at 9am seems to be the most ideal time to go because I was alone in this perfect place. They were set up for their Spring showing of “Lanterns in the Garden” and it was exquisitely done. Would I come back to Ft. Worth another season just to see these gardens again? Probably.

Ft. Worth Murals

After picking Derek up from his conference I wanted to “quickly hit a mural” I had seen on Instagram. Well, I wasn’t aware that Ft. Worth was the haven of all inspiring murals in the country – or at least that’s what it felt like as we came upon the Foundry Art District.

I went looking for the “Don’t Quit Your Daydream” mural, behind M&O Station Grill. But, we ended up gazing across the street and spotting “inspiration alley”. This little nook of land is loaded with amazing artwork, and some of the #28mantras of FW. Which prompted a mini drive around to find more of the amazing mantras. If we didn’t have dinner back in Dallas – I would have stayed for hours seeking out these inspiring words!

*Pro tip: if you’re going to hop around Texas as much as we did – stay outside of the center city. We stayed in Northwest Dallas near the airport, and it not only convenient, but exponentially cheaper. (We book all of our trips at Booking.com – you can search this exact location with the Booking.com search tool at the bottom of this page!)