Fun Things to Do in and around Fort Worth, Texas

Just to let you know, I'm going to have a rather loose definition of Fort Worth in this particular blog post. This is a collection of the fun and awesome places we went and things we saw and ate while we were staying in Fort Worth area. Once upon a time, I lived just outside the city for several months, and then I ended up marrying a guy whose family lives near the city as well, so somehow, this part of Texas is always going to play a role in my life!

Here's some of the best to see and do and eat:

U. S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth

This comes first because it's just that amazing. First of all, touring the factory is free. You can't take any phones or cameras inside with you, so be prepared to leave your stuff at home or in your car. My dad was a factory manager when I was little and I've toured many factories in my life and have a special fondness for factories, so that added a lot to the coolness factor for me, but I think anyone could appreciate how awesome this place is

Once inside, you get to tour a glassed-in catwalk around the ceiling of the factory floor, and listen to phones that tell you all about the different machines and the process of printing U.S. currency. This is an active factory, and the workers on the floor were quite friendly and engaging, holding up sheets with 100 dollar bills printed on them and giving us the thumbs up, or pointing out a pallet full of bills ready to be cut and holding up a sign that said, "This is $16 million!" They all seemed to be proud of their work and unusually engaged with visitors who were separated from them by a glassed-in walkway around the ceiling. 

After the tour, we enjoyed wandering through the little museum about the history of currency and the gift shop, where you can pay money to buy defective uncut sheets of money or shredded bills. Seems strange to me...

Fort Worth Log Cabin Village

A small "village" of buildings from days long past preserved in order to give us a taste of what life was like in the past. Most of the homes and buildings are from Texas, and inside several of the homes were historic interpreters who were able to tell you the story of the families who used to live in the homes. 

The staff at the village were absolutely fantastic, answering all of our curious questions and taking lots of time to chat with us, no one seemed rushed at all. One of the cabins was the former home of the uncle of Cynthia Ann Parker. That was especially fascinating to me because I remember reading about her during my school days. We got to dip candles the old-fashioned way and explored the herb garden and mill house. This village isn't large--about 8-10 buildings to tour, but it was well worth the visit!

Fort Worth Botanical Gardens

These are the type of gardens that are so expansive you'll run out of stamina to continue walking in the Texas heat long before you run out of garden to see. Some areas, like the Japanese Garden, are paid entrance only, but there is plenty to see if you just want to wander the rest of the grounds for free. One particular garden was my favorite because while standing above it I felt like a queen surveying the perfectly manicured grounds in front of her palace.

Fort Worth Stockyards and Historical District

Of course, isn't this what most out-of-towners think of when they think of visiting Fort Worth? It really is fun--I've come here every time I've been to Texas and I've even attended a rodeo or two here. This time we wandered the train station area and drove by during a reenactment--plenty of excitement!

Joe T. Garcia's

This one's for when you get hungry. There's always been a line when we've come to eat here--you have two choices, enchiladas or fajitas. We love eating outdoors in the garden area, and the meal never disappoints.

Sundance Square

Nice place to hang out and enjoy a summer evening while watching the lights and the fountain. In the daytime I believe kids are allowed to walk in the fountain. 

Fort Worth Zoo

No pictures since we didn't make it there on this trip, but I have been there before and it is a very impressive zoo! Probably try not to go during the heat of the summer just to make it a little more comfortable for yourself, because it's big and there's plenty of walking if you want to see everything!

TopGolf

This one is a new concept for me--a driving range/bowling hybrid. It's a golf driving range, but you accrue differing amounts of points by hitting your golf ball into different targets scattered all over the range. It's really fun even for people like me, who don't have a powerful enough swing to get the ball to get to the end of the range--at least I can aim for the nearer targets. On some games, my score was higher than Angels even though he can hit further! It's all about getting your ball into a target. It was so fun we went twice. You don't need to have your own clubs, you can borrow clubs there, and they do have lefthanded clubs but you have to specially request them (I appreciate their recognition that left-handers exist!). It can be a bit pricey, but you can sign up for emails to get coupons and deals, and combine those with a morning-priced session, and bring your maximum six people to the game, and the per-person cost can be quite low. 

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We're so glad we got to spend lots of time in Texas during our trip and adventure locally with family!

Have you ever been to Fort Worth or to the Dallas area? There's plenty to see and do--this part of the state gets my hearty endorsement! What are you waiting for?