Whether you’re an art connoisseur or a cowboy, sports fanatic or history buff, foodie or seasonal shopper, Fort Worth is your paradise. Here’s a sample three-day itinerary that will help you experience a little bit of everything. Keep in mind, the time you spend in each activity will determine how many activities you can fit in. Be sure to check operating hours and entrance costs beforehand. Dead Sea Scrolls & the Bible exhibition tickets should ideally be purchased in advance.
Morning
Dead Sea Scrolls & the Bible
Don’t miss your chance to see the oldest-known copies of one of the most influential—and controversial—books of all time.
Purchase tickets online
Fort Worth Zoo
Head north to Colonial Parkway to see more than 550 different animal species at the Fort Worth Zoo, which USA Travel Guide named No. 5 zoo in the nation.
Lunch
Go north on University Drive to reach the Cultural District, where you can dine at the Buffet Restaurant at the Kimbell Art Museum, the Café Modern at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, or any of the several renowned restaurants nearby. A less-than-five-minute drive east on Camp Bowie Boulevard to West 7th Street will give you even more tasty choices at Montgomery Plaza.
Afternoon
Cultural District
The nation’s third largest cultural district features a variety of diversions, from art and history to science and nature:
Art Museums
Fort Worth’s world-class art museums include the Kimbell Art Museum, Amon Carter Museum of American Art and The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
Includes plenty of hands-on fun for the whole family—and don’t miss the 120-foot-wide Omni Theater, the largest IMAX screen west of the Mississippi.
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
Right next door to the Museum of Science and History, this museum provides a fascinating look into the lives of powerful women of the West, from bronc riders to Supreme Court justices.
Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Take a stroll in Texas’s oldest botanic garden, where more than 2,100 species of plants in 21 specialty gardens provide an escape to nature. The public is allowed free access to the majority of the garden, but less than $5 per person will grant you entrance to the enchanting 7-acre Japanese Garden.
Dinner
Sundance Square
East of the Cultural District, in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, you’ll find Sundance Square: 35 blocks of shopping, restaurants and entertainment. Or take in the art scene, perusing the Milan Gallery, the Thomas Kinkade Gallery, or the Sid Richardson Museum, which features classic Western art from Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell.
Evening
Bass Performance Hall
The Bass Performance Hall, with its famous trumpeting angels, is the permanent home of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Cliburn Concerts. Don’t worry if you can’t make a show; it’s impossible to be bored in Sundance Square.
Morning
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
From Sundance Square, go north on Jacksboro Highway and pass over Lake Worth to reach the Nature Center, where you can hike along more than 20 miles of trails through forests, prairies and wetlands, to experience the rugged beauty of wild Fort Worth.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Western Currency Facility
East of the Nature Center, on Farm to Market 156, is one of only two places in the nation that print money—the other being Washington, D.C. Take a tour and watch them turn out thousands of greenbacks.
Lunch
Go north on I-35W and exit 114 East to get to Roanoke, where several delicious restaurants await you, from famous fried chicken to burgers, pizza, enchiladas and Wiener schnitzel.
Afternoon
Texas Motor Speedway
Get back on 114 and cross over to the west side of I-35 to the 1.5-mile Great American Speedway. Tour the Pit Road and Victory Lane—and maybe even take a few laps around the track.
Dinner/Evening
Pop back over to Roanoke to try a restaurant you missed at lunch, or head back to Sundance Square, where you’ll never run out of new sites and tastes.
Morning
Cowboys Stadium
East on I-30 from Fort Worth will take you to Arlington and Cowboys Stadium. The home of America’s team—the Dallas Cowboys—is the largest domed structure in the world. Several tours are available, covering everything from the field and locker rooms to the stadium’s contemporary art collection.
Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
You’ll find the Ballpark just up the road if you go east on E Randol Mill Road. Tour the batting cages, dugouts, press box and more at the home of the 2010 and 2011 American League Champions.
Six Flags over Texas
If you’re more into roller coasters than team sports, the original Six Flags amusement park is just around the corner off Six Flags Drive. The New Texas Giant recently won Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for best new ride of 2011, and at 25.5 stories high, the Titan features one of the world’s fasted drops.
Lunch
While you’re in Arlington, sample cuisine from around the world: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Indian and Japanese restaurants, as well as classic Tex-Mex and barbeque, are all nearby.
Afternoon
Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District
Ride I-30 back to Fort Worth and go north on Main Street to reach the Historic District, where you’ll explore Fort Worth’s rich history at the Stockyards Museum, learn about Texas’s most famous cowboys at the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, have your own hands-on cowboy experience at Stockyards Station, and watch real cowboys drive longhorns up Exchange Avenue in the Fort Worth Herd Cattle Drive, the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive (11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.).
Dinner
Get a taste of some real Texas barbeque at any one of the legendary steakhouses in the Historic Stockyards District.
Evening
Stockyards Championship Rodeo
If you’re in town on a Friday or Saturday night, be sure to catch a rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum on Exchange Avenue.
Trinity River Trails
If you miss the rodeo, check out the more than 40 miles of trails along the Trinity River and its tributaries—one of which runs right next to the Historic Stockyards District. Take a cool evening walk to enjoy the scenery as you wrap up your Fort Worth adventure.
Visit FortWorth.com for more things to do in Fort Worth.
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History & Culture in Fort Worth Itinerary