Fort Worth Stockyards

Fort Worth was where the Chisholm Trail herds were held, and the stockyards that grew from the 1880s, with the Union Stockyards opening in 1890, made it a major livestock and packing centre until the 1950s, when auctions moved closer to the ranches. The district was redeveloped from the 1970s and now runs on heritage: brick pens, the Livestock Exchange Building, and the Cowtown Coliseum, which still runs rodeos most weekends. The twice-daily cattle drive is a staged event - a small herd of Texas longhorns walked down Exchange Avenue by drovers at set times, not a working drive, which the operators state openly. Billy Bob's, a very large honky-tonk, is in an old cattle barn.

What's there

• A staged longhorn drive - twice daily, and openly presented as staged.
• The Livestock Exchange Building - the administrative centre of the yards.
• Cowtown Coliseum - with rodeos most weekends.
• Brick pens and catwalks - what remains of the working yards.

When to go

October to May; summer heat in Texas is severe. Half a day.

Practical notes

The cattle drive is a short, staged walk-past and draws a crowd for a few minutes. The district is heavily commercial. Summer is very hot. Rodeo and event nights fill the parking.

Nearby

The Fort Worth Cultural District and the Kimbell are south-west.

Key facts