Cowtown, Panther City, Funkytown — whatever you want to call it, Fort Worth is the place I call home. Just 30 miles west of Dallas, Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country and currently the 12th largest.
Once part of the Chisholm Trail cattle drive that drove longhorns to market from Texas to Kansas, with a booming railroad history and a bit of Wild West lore, Fort Worth has always embraced cowboy culture with a laid-back attitude.
Today, you’ll still see riders on horseback trotting through the streets and a twice-daily cattle drive in the Stockyards, but you’ll also find renowned art and history museums, miles of trails along the Trinity River for outdoor adventure, a thriving live music scene, and plenty of bars and restaurants where you’ll find everything from simple Southern fare to next-level craft barbecue and fine dining.
Here’s the final part of our insider’s guide to Cowtown, with the top must-visit museums and nature trails. For our insider's guide to the best bites Cowtown has to offer, click here,and for where to shop, stay, and soak in Fort Worth’s Western flair, click here.
Must-Visit Museums
Spend some time exploring the cultural district, where five impressive museums offer modern and ancient art and history, plus notable outdoor spaces filled with sculptures and spots for reflection:
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St.) showcases art from the 1940s to the modern day, with notable pieces by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Anselm Kiefer, and Philip Guston. The museum offers free admission on Fridays, and don’t forget to step outside for giant outdoor sculptures that resemble Mickey Mouse pop art and a pair of intertwined stainless steel trees.
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art (3501 Camp Bowie Blvd.) explores American art from the past two centuries, with paintings and sculptures plus illustrations and photography. The Amon Carter Museum is always free, as are public tours of the galleries on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd.) focuses on antiquities and ancient artwork. Admission to the collection is always free. Don’t miss the African collection, which includes terra-cotta sculptures.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame (1720 Gendy St.) is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring the bravery and pioneer spirit of the women of the West, with more than 4,000 artifacts and information about more than 750 women. Check to see if Annie Oakley’s wedding ring is on display, and look for her cabinet cards as well.
Families love the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (1600 Gendy St.), where kids can learn about dinosaurs and energy resources in North Texas, plus explore the Cattle Raisers Museum on the second floor, where ranching and the cowboy way are the focus. Pro tip: catch a planetarium show, which is free with your admission.
Soak Up Nature
Head outdoors along the Trinity Trail (numerous entry points), where more than 100 miles of trails allow walkers and cyclists to explore shady tree groves and busy eateries alongside the Trinity River. “One of my favorite ways to see Fort Worth is on an electric bike along the Trinity Trails,” says Chef Love, who likes to start the day with a seven-mile ride that ends at another of his restaurants, Woodshed Smokehouse (3201 Riverfront Drive). “I like to stop for Dutch oven biscuits made over an open fire with fresh jam, honey, whipped butter and sausage gravy — only available on weekends.
After that, it’s usually back to the trails, and I’ll stop at the Botanic Garden [3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.] and spend the afternoon there if I have time.” The garden, a 120-acre campus, is the oldest major botanic garden in Texas, with Japanese, rose and perennial gardens, a tropical conservatory, a water conservation garden, a forest boardwalk and more than 2,500 species of plants.
This story originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Local Profile. To subscribe, click here.
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