{"id":350078,"date":"2026-06-25T15:49:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/350078\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T15:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:49:07","slug":"your-guide-to-fort-worth-things-to-do-landmarks-history-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/350078\/","title":{"rendered":"Your guide to Fort Worth: Things to do, landmarks, history and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the historic Stockyards to its world-class Cultural District, Fort Worth<\/a> has lots to offer on the western side of the D-FW area.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A city with many names, Fort Worth is variously known as the city \u201cwhere the West begins,\u201d \u201cCowtown\u201d and \u201cPanther City.\u201d It is also one of the fastest-growing big cities in the United States and recently reached a population of 1 million people.<\/p>\n

\"Michelin-recommended<\/p>\n

Michelin-recommended Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez restaurant is in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s your guide to Fort Worth:<\/p>\n

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Fast facts<\/p>\n

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Race \/ ethnicity<\/p>\n

One race, white: 43.6%
\nOne race, Black or African American: 19.1%
\nOne race, American Indian or Alaska Native: 0.7%
\nOne race, Asian: 5.3%
\nOne race, Native Hawaiian: 0%
\nOne race, some other race: 8.1%
\nTwo or more races: 23.1%
\nHispanic or Latino origin (of any race): 35.2%
\nWhite alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 35.7%<\/p>\n

Educational attainment<\/p>\n

For ages 18-24 (roughly 10.1% of the population)<\/p>\n

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Less than high school degree or equivalent: 15.5%
\nHigh school graduates (or equivalent): 38.4%
\nSome college or associate’s: 32.8%
\nBachelor\u2019s degree or higher: 13.3%<\/p>\n

For ages 25+ (roughly 64%)<\/p>\n

High school graduates (or equivalent): 24.85%
\nBachelor\u2019s degree: 21.7%
\nGraduate or professional degree: 11.8%<\/p>\n

Housing<\/p>\n

397,627 units; 362,403 occupied (91.1%)<\/p>\n

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210,450 owner occupied
\n151,953 renter occupied<\/p>\n

259,508 1-unit detached
\n12,573 1-unit attached
\n118,962 multi-unit
\n6,069 mobile homes
\n515\u00a0RVs, boats, vans, etc.<\/p>\n

Median home value: $330,500
Median rent: $1,630<\/p>\n

Compiled by staff researcher Rachel Friend. Data from U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Tables S0601, S1501, S1903, S2301, DP04.<\/p>\n

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\"Longhorns<\/p>\n

Longhorns from the Fort Worth Herd relaxed in the shade of a holding pen after being driven down Exchange Avenue in the historic stockyards June 27, 2023.<\/p>\n

Tom Fox\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

A brief history<\/p>\n

Before it was a town, Fort Worth was a U.S. Army fort built to defend the western frontier along the borders established by the Treaty of Bird\u2019s Fort that Texan settlers signed with local Native American tribes in 1843.<\/p>\n

A small civilian community grew near the fort in the 1850s and the fort was vacated in 1853, according to the city\u2019s website<\/a>. It narrowly won an election to become the Tarrant County seat in 1856, wresting the designation away from Birdville. In 1860, it won another election that reaffirmed its position as the county seat, according to the Texas State Historical Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The city was incorporated by the state Legislature in 1873 with a population of around 4,000, according to TSHA. Around that time, the arrival of cattle drives and railroads paved the way for modern Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

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The cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail saw herds of longhorns move through the city from South Texas to the railheads in Kansas. The drives also brought business to the city as it sought to cater to the cowboys making their journey north, according to the city. These drives gave the city its\u00a0Cowtown\u00a0nickname.<\/p>\n

The first railroad arrived in Fort Worth by 1876 and was soon followed by numerous other lines. That also brought with it some key advancements like waterworks, a streetcar line and eventually electric lights and a telephone exchange by the 1880s.<\/p>\n

A significant meatpacking industry developed in Fort Worth early in the 20th century, helping grow the city to more than 70,000 residents by 1910. The discovery of oil deposits in several towns just west of the city brought another industrial boom for Fort Worth, which soon became central as a refinery and pipeline center, according to the city.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Fort Worth Water Gardens were built in 1974.<\/p>\n

David Woo\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Notable landmarks<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Water Gardens: This public water feature was designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee in downtown Fort Worth and opened in 1974. It is on the former site of the notorious Hell\u2019s Half Acre district that was a hub of gambling, prostitution and other illegal activities in the late 19th century.<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Stockyards: Dating back to the days of cattle drives through Fort Worth, the Stockyards are now a lively entertainment district just north of downtown. The area still hosts twice-daily cattle drives on most days.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A platter with brisket, sausage, turkey, ribs, homemade brioche, sides and desserts at\u00a0Goldee’s Barbecue in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

Chitose Suzuki\/Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n

Things to do<\/p>\n

Bars and restaurants<\/p>\n

61 Osteria
\nBirrieria y Taquer\u00eda Cortez
\nCattlemen\u2019s Steak House
\nDon\u00a0Artemio
\nEllerbe Fine Foods
\nGoldee\u2019s Barbecue
\nJoe T. Garcia\u2019s
\nKincaid\u2019s Hamburgers
\nLonesome Dove
\nPanther City BBQ
\nReata
\n\"A<\/p>\n

A coyote left a creek after drinking from it July 20, 2018, in Trinity Park in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

File Photo\/Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n

Parks and trails<\/p>\n

Fort Worth has more than 300 city parks totaling more than 13,000 acres, according to the city\u2019s website. Here are a few standouts:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Arcadia Trail Park
\nDream Park
\nForest Park
\nFort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
\nGateway Park
\nNumerous parks sit along the shores of Lake Worth, including Mosque Point Park, Arrow S. Park and Camp Joy Park
\nRosemont Park
\nTrinity Park
\nTrinity Trails<\/p>\n

Shopping<\/p>\n

Hulen Mall
\nThe Shops at\u00a0Clearfork
\n\"The<\/p>\n

The north gallery in the new Renzo Piano Pavilion at the Kimbell Art Museum features Precolumbian and African art.<\/p>\n

Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Museums<\/p>\n

Amon Carter Museum of American Art
\nKimbell Art Museum
\nModern Art Museum of Fort Worth
\nStockyards Museum
\nTexas Cowboy Hall Of Fame<\/p>\n

Entertainment and sporting venues<\/p>\n

Amon G. Carter Stadium
\nBass Performance Hall
\nColonial Country Club
\nDickies Arena
\nSchollmaier Arena
\nTexas Motor Speedway
\nWill Rogers Memorial Center
\n\"Sam<\/p>\n

Sam Houston, the Fort Worth Zoo’s newest Asian elephant calf, was born April 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Zoo <\/p>\n

A fun fact<\/p>\n

The Fort Worth Zoo is the oldest continuous zoo site in Texas and dates back to 1909, according to its website. Today, the zoo hosts more than 500 species of animals and receives about 1 million visitors a year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From the historic Stockyards to its world-class Cultural District, Fort Worth has lots to offer on the western…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350079,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[107860,49,116,118,117,5964,15680,4432,88643],"class_list":["post-350078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-arts-entertainment-things-to-do","tag-food","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-listicle","tag-newcomer","tag-things-to-know","tag-tp-fort-worth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}