Fort Worth Fun
This past weekend Carly Jo and I joined my friend Holly and her daughter for a girls weekend all about celebrating Holden’s 11th birthday and having some fun while exploring Fort Worth. Y’all, we had so much fun! Holly is the master of building a great itinerary so I knew we would have a blast. I have been going to Fort Worth for 3 years but other than the zoo and Lupton field we didn’t explore much. Today I’m sharing some fun sites we visited as well as a few other favorites I’ve found over the past few years.
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas but friends it doesn’t feel like a big city to me. As most places in Texas are, the town is full of friendly people.
ONE
The Fort Worth Zoo is one of the best I’ve been to. The animal habitats are set up so well and every time we have been (I think this was our 6th visit) there have been so many animals out and about. Spring Break is typically not the time I would choose to go but we really did get lucky and due to the forecast there was no crowd. We were able to see the new baby gorilla, Gus, and he is precious.
Last March we saw the lion cubs when they were newborns so it was fun to see how much they had grown. 
Nine giraffe in total were out wandering around as well. I think they are my favorites!
TWO
The Botanic Garden is open seven days a week and all gardens are free except for the Japenese Garden. Currently there is a butterfly exhibit which also requires tickets and we made that our first stop. Holly and I were loving the chance to explore but the girls were not so into it until they were able to hold a butterfly.
The Japanese Garden was much more the girls speed. It really is a beautiful garden with huge fish to feed and fun ponds to explore.
THREE
Mexican Food is a must and Joe T Garcias is a place I’ve been dying to try. At dinner you have your choice between fajitas or enchiladas and the margaritas were as advertised! Be sure to bring cash because that’s how they roll.
FOUR
The Fort Worth Water Gardens are downtown across from the Omni where we were staying. We walked through both at night and the morning before we left. Very beautiful and interesting pools of water which were fun to explore.
FIVE
Fort Worth has several art museums such as the Kimbell Art Museum. Holden is an aspiring artist so this was on our list. Obviously Holly and I were showing our small town roots. Within 5 minutes of walking in we were already called out for trying to photograph a picture marked no photos and evidently it is customary to stand at least 12 inches away from the art which I was not. Noted.
SIX
Number six would definitely be a great burger! Rodeo Goat (don’t worry it’s not a goat burger) is another restaurant I had been dying to try and it did not disappoint. They have a great selection of unique burgers but also the traditional build your own I had the Cowboy Murrin and it was delish.
Loved this sign and the decor….we were eating in what appeared to be a cattle pen! The story of how the owner came up with the name is a great read too.
Two other stops for great burgers closer to the TCU campus are Dutch’s and Fred’s Texas Cafe. Now I’m hungry again!
SEVEN
Nothing really speaks to Fort Worth’s history like the Fort Worth Stockyards and I cannot believe this was the first time I ventured down. We had so much fun watching the cowboys drive the longhorns down the street and then caught a quick “go green” parade. Of course Holly always has the best itineraries complete with photo challenges so the girls had to find a “real” cowboy for a picture! And if you are lucky you will be chosen to participate racing armadillos against your bestie. A little fun and a chance to embarrass the tweens….you bet.
EIGHT
NINE
Brunch definitely makes the top ten on a weekend away right? Sadly I didn’t get a picture of my food because obviously I had a one track mind on this mimosa! We headed to The Bottom for brunch on this visit. It is close to campus and the food is always good. My very favorite brunch location is Gloria’s on West 7th. The food is delish and the mimosas are $1. I also love heading to the Park Hill Cafe and Carly especially loves their mini pancakes. Can you tell brunch is near and dear to our stomachs hearts?
TEN
Last but not least head over and see the campus of Texas Christian University. The grounds are beautiful and this time of year my favorite tulips fill the beds all over campus. Of course if you are a sports fan you can head to my favorite Lupton Stadium where you can catch a game of Horned Frog baseball. Sundays are the very best for families with the game time in the early afternoon, $1 hot dogs and the kids can run the bases and meet the players for autographs after the game. Of course if you are Carly you can also take a picture with your big brother’s old roommate and maybe even see your big bro’s picture displayed.
Have you visited Fort Worth? What are some of your favorite things to do?
Ah! I LOVE it! Brought the biggest smile to my face thinking back to our fun weekend. And your picture of the girls at the drive-in proves that my car was clean to begin with! 😉
I loved flowing along on IG seeing all your pics from the weekend! And y'all look so cute in your matching shirts.
Loved your post because I think I've only ever drove thru Fort Worth. We normally stay in Dallas. Fort Worth reminds me of George Strait and his song, "Does Fort Worth ever cross your mind?"
Great post! Joe T's and Gloria's are two of my favorites, too! I've been wanting to try Rodeo Goat, too! We were there a few weekends ago & went to Tim Love's restaurant Love Shack. It was fun!
Hello beautiful brunch girl! That's right, I forgot you guys were taking a girls trip, this looks like so much fun! I just love butterflies and when I hear somewhere is having a butterfly exhibit, I always beg my husband to go, LOL! Can you believe, I've never even been to your great state of Texas, I'm going to have to get my butt down there, so many great things to do and great people like YOU!!
Wow, you fit so much into your trip! Looked so fun! I guess I'll have to add Fort Worth to my travel list.
What an epic trip you had! The Water Gardens are my favorite, that looks like so much fun. We should totally make a trip, it's not that far. We keep talking about going to the Lonestar Roundup (a car show in Austin) Someday we'll get to Texas for sure!
Girlie if you make it to Austin we have to get meet up! It's only and hour and 1/2 from me. 🙂
Fort Worth has so much to do Alex! It should definitely be on your bucket list…it screams Texas!
It would be soooo fun if you brought your cute little self down to Texas! I would definitely make sure to find a bottomless mimosa brunch! Muah
Rodeo Goat was so good. I really loved the story behind the name. I've been dying for Joe T's forever and I seriously can't wait to go back. So many great places to eat in FW. Have a great week Emily!
Fort Worth really is so much fun Laura. I had only been to Dallas until Riley went to TCU and I really did fall in love with it.
We had so much fun Kimm! Girl time is always the best.
I can hardly wait to see where the years take us with these girls. So much fun.
I enjoyed following along with you all on your trip on Instagram. Looks like each gal had a great time. Do share tomorrow at my party!
There are so many fun things to do there! The Water Gardens look beautiful!
The Water Gardens were very interesting….lots of thought behind each water feature. Hope you are having a super week!
We had a blast! You know I'll be there.
This looks like such a fun trip! I would take the Fort Worth Zoo (it sounds like a great one!), Mexican food, and brunch. 🙂
Woo hoo! Pinning this post to my Great State of Texas board. We live an hour from Ft. Worth but honestly haven't done much there. We can definitely make a quick drive over for some of these fun ideas.
By the way, we have Gloria's here in Rockwall. Best margaritas in the whole wide world!!
How fun! I"d love to visit!
Here I am a native Texan and I've never visited Ft. Worth! I had no idea there was so much to do. Looks like a great place to take the grandkids. Pinning this for ideas in the future!
And this is now on my summer to do list! Great post – thanks for recapping for all of us! Can't wait to see all the fun your girls' weekends will continue to bring!
Pinning to my travel board!
Thanks Daisy! It really was a fun trip.
So much fun and so much to do!
Cathy your grandkids would LOVE Fort Worth! The zoo truly is one of my very favorites and I've been to lots of zoos.
Fort Worth really is a great place to visit…..I think it gets over looked for Dallas so many times but I love it so much more.
Thanks Stacey! I really love Fort Worth and we have made some special memories there for sure.
You can't go wrong with that combo Emily!
What a FUN trip you all enjoyed!! I've never been to Texas and it's definitely on my bucket list! I may be referring back to your post one day! 😉 Thanks for sharing, Shelly! xo – Brenda // Chatting Over Chocolate
Shelley – this was such a great post on all the fun things to do in Ft. Worth. I shared it on the MySideof50 Facebook page today for all my followers to enjoy! Thanks!
I live in DFW…y'all definitely hit up all the good places! I love the water gardens, Coyote Drive-In, and Joe T's is always a must eat! Found your post on This is How We Roll. It's always great to find a fellow Texan blogger…pinned and following 😉
I just love this area so much Charlotte! We had a blast. Hope you have a super weekend.
The Fort Worth Zoo is gorgeous and usually our go-to zoo. I will be visiting the Dallas zoo on Thursday with my son’s class and I can’t wait to see the improvements they have made. We have lived in the DFW area our whole lives, but have never been to the botanic gardens. We’ve seen them many times, just never been in. I hear it’s beautiful. Joe T Garcia’s is amazing! We go there or to the Rodeo goat after the Ft Worth Rodeo and Stock Show every year. TCU has a beautiful campus. Loved reading about your favorite places!
We have actually never been to the Dallas zoo but we totally love the aquarium in Dallas. We will be up in June for a 7 on 7 tourney and I'm hoping to do something fun one day. I seriously fell in love with Fort Worth while Riley was in school and secretly hope he settles down there one day. Have a great week!