Fort Worth Stockyards
The old cattle yards north of Fort Worth, where a small longhorn herd is driven down the street twice a day.
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Fort Worth was where the Chisholm Trail herds were held, and the stockyards that grew from the 1880s made it a major livestock and packing centre until the industry decentralised after the Second World War. The district was redeveloped from the 1970s and now runs on heritage: brick pens, the Livestock Exchange Building, and the Cowtown Coliseum, which held the first indoor rodeo in 1908 and still runs rodeo 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 you actually see
- A staged longhorn drive - twice daily, and openly presented as staged.
- The Livestock Exchange Building - the administrative centre of the yards.
- Cowtown Coliseum - the first indoor rodeo, 1908, still running.
- 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.
Honest expectations
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.
What to pack for Fort Worth Stockyards
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.