Stockyards Fort Worth

Stockyards National Historic District

Celebrate the mystique of the American West in 15 square blocks of tradition, nightlife, shopping, and family fun. Rodeos, saloons, museums, shops & more.

Stockyards Station

Over 20 shops & restaurants, a depot for the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, home to the Cowtown Cattlepen Maze, Historical Walking Tours, the Texas Trail of Fame and the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive at 11:30 a.m. & 4 p.m.

Stockyards Station – shopping, dining and big fun – Texas style! Check out www.fortworthstockyards.com for the special event calendar.

 

 

Spirit of The West Video

The 12-minute video “The Spirit of the West” gives the history of the Fort Worth Stockyards and the role it played in the cattle business. The video is included in your walking tour. The video is available for viewing for those not taking a historic walking tour and is shown throughout the day for just $1.00.

Four Hours of Fun in the Stockyards

The Stockyards Station participates in “Four Hours of Fun in the Stockyards,” an educational program in partnership with the Fort Worth Herd, The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Cowtown Cattlepen Maze, and it includes a Historical Walking Tour! This education program is perfect for school groups, class trips and more.

 

Legends of Texas

You can catch the “Legends” re-enactment gun fights inside Stockyards Station every Saturday and Sunday at 11:45 am immediately following the cattle drive, and again at 4:15 pm immediately following the 2nd cattle drive of the day.

Stockyards Gunfighter

Texas’ first full-range virtual gun range. Safe, fun, and realistic (no live ammo). Something for the entire family, from and old-fashioned shooting gallery to advanced tactical training. Strap on a holster with authentic .45 caliber revolver and quick draw against gunslingers. You can also sharpen your skills in concealed carry, exterminate zombies, or practice the elite Bianchi Cup. Shoot a laser, a real six-shooter, or semi-automatic pistol (Glock, Smith & Wesson, etc.) with air recoil. – You choose the weapon, you choose the experience!

Visiting Stockyards District for the First Time

Venturing out to the really the heart of Texas culture and cowboy history. Stockyard of Fort Worth should be done in a weekend or maybe a whole day. There is alot to do for the entire family, and you will get a better glimpse of the cowboy history of Texas.

 

Alot more than meets the eye for Stockyard. It spans several city blocks of stores, museums, restaurants, and lots of fun things to see and do. We arrived pretty early on a weekday. So parking was easy, and there weren’t a lot of people. I can’t imagine what it would be like on weekends or holidays. Luckily we went in December, so the temperature was manageable being outside. We first parked off the main road – to the right of the Stockyard Museum. Parking, as I said, was easy. All parking in and around the Stockyard is paid to park – so pay attention to the parking meters at the beginning of the parking lot.

 

Our first stop at StockYard is to say hi to all the Longhorns stationed there. Each Longhorn has a name and is identified with a photo on a large board. It’s fun to locate Longhorn and discover their names—great photo opportunities for these beautiful creatures. Longhorns are Texas very on iconic steers. If you manage to pet them – be cautious of their long horns… they are sharp and can knock into you without any notice.

Kids activities at the Stockyard – The Maze

We then made our way to the Cowtown Cattle Pen Maze. This is so much fun for the kids and adults! You can pay $6 (approx – not sure if it cost more on the weekends). You will get a punch card at the Maze and are asked to find a specific location within the Maze to punch your card. Once you complete the card with all the hole punches – you can go to the end and hit the Timestamp and see your total time.

 

There are maze records for achieving the maz and trying to beat the time is a challenge. There are 2 lookout towers at the Maze to help assist those in the Maze – but if your kids are short – it will be hard to see them from the lookout towers. The Maze is not in the shade – so this could be a bit hot during the summertime in Texas.

The Cattle Drive

Do not miss the Cattle Drive! The Cattle drive is at 11.30 am and 4 pm every day! It goes by high-speed and it is a great photo op! They are very strict in safety and want everyone to stay on the sidewalk. The Texas Cowhands drive the herd on the main stockyard street – East Exchange Avenue right in the middle of the Stockyard Historic District. It starts out by men and women on horseback showcasing their roping skills. Followed by the Longhorns slowly making their way down the road. The cowboys ensure the herd stays together and they keep a steady pase. This is a slow and steady pace that the longhorns walk with such grace with those long horns. The longhorns are very impressive – with their horns expanding over 5 feed wide.

 

Many stores have typical texas souvenirs – Like leather goods, cowboy boots, and cowboy chaps and shirts. If you are not from Texas, this is where to bring back some typical Texas clothing, souvenirs or goodies. All these stores are under the Fort Worth Stockyard Station. Great thing is – if it rains you can go store to store and it’s all undercover. More stores are on the N. Main Street – West of the historic stockyard district. Lots of restaurants to choose from – most of them have outdoor seating. There is even a brewing beer garden. We did not try this out since we didn’t find it until after arriving. It may be worth it to visit and check it out.

Viewing the Stockyard from Horseback

Horseback riding is also available for those that want to strut down E Exchange Ave on horseback. The horses follow each other – so jumping on a horse as a beginner is perfect. Some are mules for those that require a more heftier horse. It looks like fun and no special attire is required. Mornings is best to go on horseback through town – when it is nice and cool. Not sure how long the ride is – pretty sure they just circle the covered stockyard shopping area.

There is also a petting zoo. It is covered and in a tent to ensure you and the animals are not in the sun all day. There is a fee for each person to enter. There are lots of varieties of animals to pet. The animals are in small spaces. Most of the animals are typical farm animals from sheep to goats to lamas and perhaps an emu!

Making your way to the N. Main Street – check out the ‘Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame’ and there are lots of murals for great photo ops. South of town there is the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum.

 

Stockyard Fort Worth is a must-go to destination. Plan on an entire day spent there from eating at one of the many restaurants, stopping at the brewery and perhaps getting on a horse and finishing the day off with the famous Longhorn Cattle run.

Guided Walking Tour

On our Wrangler Tour, a personal tour guide will walk you through the Stockyards and share historical facts, culture, and stories. A Cowboy Tour includes all of the sites of the Wrangler Tour but with the addition of a tour of Billy Bob’s, the world’s largest honkey tonk.

  • Wrangler Tour- Adults $7, Seniors $6, Children $5
  • Cowboy Tour- Adults $9, Seniors $8, Children $7

Monday- Saturday: 10am, 12pm, 2 pm
Sunday: 12 pm, 2 pm, and 4 pm
*Tour times are subject to change

Address
130 E. Exchange Avenue
Fort Worth TX

Phone
817-624-4741