Movies, Music and Markets

Fort Worth

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Photographer: Fernando Ugaurte

There's a lot more to Fort Worth than its moniker, "Cowtown," suggests. The best way to dispel that myth is to tour the Kimbell Art Museum, which consistently wins international praise for its fine collection of art, including works by Holbein, El Greco, Poussin, Velázquez, Rembrandt, and Picasso. The building itself is a work of art, designed by renowned architect Louis Kahn. Next is a stop to view the impressive collection of works by Western artists Charles Russell and Frederic Remington in the Amon Carter Museum. The morning is best wound down at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the oldest museum in Texas. Chartered in 1892, the museum hosts a surprisingly eclectic mixture of artists and media. Among its permanent collection are pieces by Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko.

For the quintessential Fort Worth experience, however, we should have lunch at the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, where we will likely share counterspace with ranching millionaires and cattle barons. After lunch, set aside plenty of time to soak up the ambiance of the area, where each year thousands of head of livestock are bought and sold. We'll see the Stockyards Hotel, where Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker once slept, and cool our heels at Billy Bob's Texas, the world's largest honky-tonk. We shouldn't leave without touring the Cattleman's Museum, where all the area's history comes alive in hands-on exhibits, audiovisual displays, and vintage photographs of the cattle barons of legend: people like Charles Goodnight, Richard King, and A. H. "Shanghai" Pierce. This is where visitors finally get a solid understanding of Texas' mercurial rise to leadership in the cattle industry.

Sundown is the time to find ourselves at Sundance Square. Comprised of turn-of-the-century buildings that were spared the wrecking ball, Sundance Square is a delightful collection of restaurants, bistros, shops, and galleries right in the middle of downtown Fort Worth. Highlights include the Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art and Fire Station No. 1. For your evening pleasure, the place to be is the one-of-a-kind Caravan of Dreams performing arts center, where you can enjoy a nightcap under the stars on the Rooftop Grotto Bar and catch some of the best live music in the state.