Fort Worth Fun

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This past weekend Carly Jo and I joined my friend Holly and her daughter for a girls weekend all about celebrating Holden’s 11th birthday and having some fun while exploring Fort Worth.  Y’all, we had so much fun!  Holly is the master of building a great itinerary so I knew we would have a blast.  I have been going to Fort Worth for 3 years but other than the zoo and Lupton field we didn’t explore much.  Today I’m sharing some fun sites we visited as well as a few other favorites I’ve found over the past few years.

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas but friends it doesn’t feel like a big city to me.  As most places in Texas are, the town is full of friendly people.

ONE

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

The Fort Worth Zoo is one of the best I’ve been to.  The animal habitats are set up so well and every time we have been (I think this was our 6th visit) there have been so many animals out and about.  Spring Break is typically not the time I would choose to go but we really did get lucky and due to the forecast there was no crowd.  We were able to see the new baby gorilla, Gus, and he is precious.

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Last March we saw the lion cubs when they were newborns so it was fun to see how much they had grown.  10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in BetweenNine giraffe in total were out wandering around as well.  I think they are my favorites!

TWO

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

The Botanic Garden is open seven days a week and all gardens are free except for the Japenese Garden.  Currently there is a butterfly exhibit which also requires tickets and we made that our first stop.  Holly and I were loving the chance to explore but the girls were not so into it until they were able to hold a butterfly.

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

The Japanese Garden was much more the girls speed.  It really is a beautiful garden with huge fish to feed and fun ponds to explore.

THREE

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Mexican Food is a must and Joe T Garcias is a place I’ve been dying to try.  At dinner you have your choice between fajitas or enchiladas and the margaritas were as advertised!  Be sure to bring cash because that’s how they roll.

FOUR

The Fort Worth Water Gardens are downtown across from the Omni where we were staying.  We walked through both at night and the morning before we left.  Very beautiful and interesting pools of water which were fun to explore.

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

 

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

FIVE

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Fort Worth has several art museums such as the Kimbell Art Museum.  Holden is an aspiring artist so this was on our list.  Obviously Holly and I were showing our small town roots.   Within 5 minutes of walking in we were already called out for trying to photograph a picture marked no photos and evidently it is customary to stand at least 12 inches away from the art which I was not. Noted.

SIX

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Number six would definitely be a great burger!  Rodeo Goat (don’t worry it’s not a goat burger) is another restaurant I had been dying to try and it did not disappoint.  They have a great selection of unique burgers but also the traditional build your own   I had the Cowboy Murrin and it was delish.

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Loved this sign and the decor….we were eating in what appeared to be a cattle pen!  The story of how the owner came up with the name is a great read too.

Two other stops for great burgers closer to the TCU campus are Dutch’s and Fred’s Texas Cafe.  Now I’m hungry again!

 SEVEN

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Nothing really speaks to Fort Worth’s history like the Fort Worth Stockyards and I cannot believe this was the first time I ventured down.  We had so much fun watching the cowboys drive the longhorns down the street and then caught a quick “go green” parade.  Of course Holly always has the best itineraries complete with photo challenges so the girls had to find a “real” cowboy for a picture!   And if you are lucky you will be chosen to participate racing armadillos against your bestie.  A little fun and a chance to embarrass the tweens….you bet.

EIGHT

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between
The Coyote Drive In is just outside downtown and it was our first drive in experience.  It was a little chilly but we loved it.  I definitely think this is so worth checking out!
10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between
This picture doesn’t do it justice but the view of the Fort Worth skyline was beautiful.  Lots of options for food and drinks and there was live music playing before the movie in the concession area.

NINE

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Brunch definitely makes the top ten on a weekend away right?  Sadly I didn’t get a picture of my food because obviously I had a one track mind on this mimosa!  We headed to The Bottom for brunch on this visit.  It is close to campus and the food is always good.  My very favorite brunch location is Gloria’s on West 7th.  The food is delish and the mimosas are $1.  I also love heading to the Park Hill Cafe and Carly especially loves their mini pancakes.  Can  you tell brunch is near and dear to our stomachs hearts?

TEN

10 Ways to Experience Fort Worth - The Queen in Between

Last but not least head over and see the campus of Texas Christian University.  The grounds are beautiful and this time of year my favorite tulips fill the beds all over campus.  Of course if you are a sports fan you can head to my favorite Lupton Stadium where you can catch a game of Horned Frog baseball.  Sundays are the very best for families with the game time in the early afternoon, $1 hot dogs and the kids can run the bases and meet the players for autographs after the game.  Of course if you are Carly you can also take a picture with your big brother’s old roommate and maybe even see your big bro’s picture displayed.

This is just a tiny look at what Fort Worth has to offer.  It is rich with cultural experiences, shopping and so many great restaurants to choose from.  I really am so happy Riley chose to attend TCU so we had the chance to experience Fort Worth.

Have you visited Fort Worth?  What are some of your favorite things to do?

36 Comments

  1. Ah! I LOVE it! Brought the biggest smile to my face thinking back to our fun weekend. And your picture of the girls at the drive-in proves that my car was clean to begin with! 😉

  2. Loved your post because I think I've only ever drove thru Fort Worth. We normally stay in Dallas. Fort Worth reminds me of George Strait and his song, "Does Fort Worth ever cross your mind?"

  3. Great post! Joe T's and Gloria's are two of my favorites, too! I've been wanting to try Rodeo Goat, too! We were there a few weekends ago & went to Tim Love's restaurant Love Shack. It was fun!

  4. Hello beautiful brunch girl! That's right, I forgot you guys were taking a girls trip, this looks like so much fun! I just love butterflies and when I hear somewhere is having a butterfly exhibit, I always beg my husband to go, LOL! Can you believe, I've never even been to your great state of Texas, I'm going to have to get my butt down there, so many great things to do and great people like YOU!!

  5. What an epic trip you had! The Water Gardens are my favorite, that looks like so much fun. We should totally make a trip, it's not that far. We keep talking about going to the Lonestar Roundup (a car show in Austin) Someday we'll get to Texas for sure!

  6. Woo hoo! Pinning this post to my Great State of Texas board. We live an hour from Ft. Worth but honestly haven't done much there. We can definitely make a quick drive over for some of these fun ideas.

    By the way, we have Gloria's here in Rockwall. Best margaritas in the whole wide world!!

  7. Here I am a native Texan and I've never visited Ft. Worth! I had no idea there was so much to do. Looks like a great place to take the grandkids. Pinning this for ideas in the future!

  8. And this is now on my summer to do list! Great post – thanks for recapping for all of us! Can't wait to see all the fun your girls' weekends will continue to bring!

  9. Shelley – this was such a great post on all the fun things to do in Ft. Worth. I shared it on the MySideof50 Facebook page today for all my followers to enjoy! Thanks!

  10. I live in DFW…y'all definitely hit up all the good places! I love the water gardens, Coyote Drive-In, and Joe T's is always a must eat! Found your post on This is How We Roll. It's always great to find a fellow Texan blogger…pinned and following 😉

  11. The Fort Worth Zoo is gorgeous and usually our go-to zoo. I will be visiting the Dallas zoo on Thursday with my son’s class and I can’t wait to see the improvements they have made. We have lived in the DFW area our whole lives, but have never been to the botanic gardens. We’ve seen them many times, just never been in. I hear it’s beautiful. Joe T Garcia’s is amazing! We go there or to the Rodeo goat after the Ft Worth Rodeo and Stock Show every year. TCU has a beautiful campus. Loved reading about your favorite places!

  12. We have actually never been to the Dallas zoo but we totally love the aquarium in Dallas. We will be up in June for a 7 on 7 tourney and I'm hoping to do something fun one day. I seriously fell in love with Fort Worth while Riley was in school and secretly hope he settles down there one day. Have a great week!

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