Fort Worth Stockyards

Back at the end of last summer, I finally crossed off a major must on my Texas Bucket List {more on that in a future post}. It was partly like a time warp, partly a little embarrassing {just being honest here}, and I partly enjoyed every second! Time warp, because of cobblestone streets, honor system style pay-for-parking , and a cattle drive on the old Chisholm Trail. Embarrassing, because I hope all of the tons of tourists we saw {folks from Italy, and I don't mean Italy, Texas, the Middle East, and beyond} don't think this is all of what Texas is about. I hear so many foreign-to-the-U.S. people ask when they hear we are from Texas, "Do you ride your horse to work?", "Are there cowboys and Indians?", or "Does everyone own a gun?" All the while I'm imagining a old western movie running through their minds. Thanks to John Wayne, most of the world thinks that's all we're about, even though we are smack dab in the middle of the 21st century!

However, this is how it all started, cattle drives, cowboy & Indian battlefields, and eventually the honky tonk era {I only mention it because Billy Bob's Texas, the largest dance hall in Texas is nestled right in the middle of the Fort Worth Stockyards}, and it's nice to step back in time to honor our Texas past. So, let's head out on the Chisholm Trail for a trip through the Fort Worth Stockyards!

Now, of course, this isn't all a blast from the past, and this is a huge spot for a great time. So what all is there to do at the Fort Worth Stockyards? You can see a cattle drive down the Chisholm Trail (where cattle were driven from Kansas to the Rio Grande in the 1800s through the 1900s!), eat some of the best BBQ in Texas at Riscky's (Khloe Kardashian even dined here during her stay in Dallas), visit an authentic saddlery & boot store (Leddy's-smells amazing in there), stay over night in a historic hotel, line dance at Billy Bob's, dress to impress at Uncle Charlie's Old Time Photo Studio (usually a wait time), or watch a rodeo in the Cowtown Coliseum. There's always something going on at the Fort Worth Stockyards, and you're sure to have a great time!