Stockyards Station
Fort Worth Stockyards Historic District
130 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth
817/625-9715
stockyardsstation.com
Hours: Times vary by event or attraction. Visitor’s Center is open 8:30am–6pm Monday–Friday; 9am–6pm Saturday; 11am–5pm Sunday.
Admission: Free entry to Stockyards Station. Admission fees may apply to events and museums.
Parking: Choose from five nearby lots with $3 or free parking, get free parking from 11am–2pm Monday–Friday, and street parking is free along East Exchange Avenue. Special event parking may be $5. Visit fortworthparking.com for more information.
Discover why 2.5 million visitors annually flock to Stockyards Station, the historic district that once saw more than 160 million head of livestock and is now home to museums, rodeos and restaurants, all within walking distance. Better yet, the kids will be too distracted with family-friendly attractions to realize that they’re also soaking in Fort Worth history. Dare we say it? A trip to the stockyards may make you a better Texan, so don’t miss out on these must-do activities.
1. Fort Worth Herd
Make sure to schedule your visit around 11:30am or 4pm to watch the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive. A team of drovers will lead 16 Texas longhorns – signifying 160 years of Fort Worth history – for a 5-minute parade down East Exchange Avenue.
When the longhorns return to their livestock pens, climb up to the catwalk or walk up to the observation deck for another look at the massive animals. Exactly how big are they? Find out by visiting the longhorns in front of the Livestock Exchange Building. Two will be saddled and ready for you to climb up into the stirrups.
2. Cowtown Cattlepen Maze
Set the kids loose in the 5,400-square-foot labyrinth made from real wooden cattle pens. Join the kids or watch them from a second-story lookout over the maze. Misters overhead will keep you cool in the summer. Admission is $6.
3. Cowtown Coliseum
Every Friday and Saturday night, professional riders compete in events including bull riding, bronc riding and barrel racing, and on special dates the coliseum produces the Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show for extra western flair.
At each show the bravest kids are invited to get in the arena themselves for the mutton and calf scrambles. Kids ages 7 and younger can strap on a helmet and hang onto a sheep for dear life. Ages 8–12 can join the calf scramble, in which they capture and wrestle the young cows to the ground.
4. Mechanical bull
For your own chance to make the coveted eight seconds, climb onto the mechanical bull near the railroad turntable. Remember, hang onto the saddle with one hand and throw the other in the air. No worries if you can’t stay on – the entire area is padded. Rides are $6.
5. Petting Zoo
The kids can get their fill of cuddlier farm animals at the petting zoo farther along East Exchange Avenue. Feed a pen full of goats, llamas and alpacas and a one-year-old camel named Truffles, and pet them through the low fence. Admission is $1.
(Keep an eye out for the trackless train, which will be returning soon to Stockyards Station. The line starts near the petting zoo to take kids through the historic subterranean passageway where 50 million sheep and 33 million hogs were unloaded, sold and held until shipment.)
6. Horse and Pony Rides
Pony rides are available on Saturdays and Sundays on the lawn of the Livestock Exchange Building, and horses are available every day from 10am–6pm for 15-minute arena rides (all ages) and 30- or 60-minute trail rides down the Trinity River (ages 11 and older). No reservations required.
7. Jersey Lilly Photo Parlor
Dress up with props and costumes at the western photo parlor located in the front lobby of Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Choose from four backgrounds including one with a real stagecoach. Sepia-toned photo packages start at $27.95.
8. Grapevine Vintage Railroad
If you’re heading to the stockyards from out of town, trade the time on the highway for the preferred method of transportation – by railcar. The vintage train makes one-way trips and round trips on Saturdays and Sundays from the Cotton Belt Depot in Grapevine and drops you off at the station beside the shops. Roundtrip tickets start at $10.
