Fort Worth isn’t short on nicknames: Cowtown, Panther City, Where the West Begins. Just don’t call it a Dallas suburb. It may be the second half of “Dallas-Fort Worth,” but The Big Juicy is a destination unto itself, with a sizzling food scene, first-rate music venues and world-class art. (Museum Capital of the Southwest, anyone?)
Chisholm Trail Monument in Fort Worth downtown district. Photo credit: typhoonski on iStock
At Kimpton, we’re thrilled to be opening a downtown hotel in the Queen City of the Prairie. We’re restoring the century-old Farmers and Mechanics National Bank building, once the tallest building west of the Mississippi. As we anticipate our opening in spring 2021, we’ll reveal why boots are optional, but a good time is guaranteed in Fort Worth.
Fun at the Fort
Grab fresh produce at The Trailhead at Clearfork’s farmers market. Photo credit: Anne Preble on Unsplash
You’ll find plenty to do in and around Fort Worth. A great place to start the day is The Trailhead at Clearfork, a community fitness mecca with outdoor yoga classes, a weekly Farmer’s Market, and 60 miles of riverfront trails for hiking and biking.
Cultural enrichment abounds at the Cultural District neighborhood, home to the Casa Mañana Theater, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the famed Kimbell Art Museum—housing works from Michelangelo, Picasso and Monet. For art of the natural variety, meander the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the oldest garden of its kind in Texas. A phenom of urban engineering, the Fort Worth Water Gardens is equal parts relaxing and fascinating.
Fiddles to French Horns
It doesn’t get more Lone Star State than Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky tonk. Listen to live music, sip a cold one at one of 30 bar stations, learn to line dance on the 2,000 square-foot dance floor, and watch professional bull riding. Live.
Local and national musicians show off their chops at Scat Jazz Club. Photo credit: Joshua Patterson on Unsplash
Country isn’t the only musical genre here. When the weather’s fine, grab an inner tube and take in a concert on the Trinity River at the waterfront Panther Island Pavilion. Or catch the symphony at the Bass Performance Hall. Jazz fan? The “underground” Scat Jazz Lounge was made for you.
Way Beyond BBQ
By now you’ve worked up a Texas-sized appetite. Carnivores, delight: order grilled bone marrow at Clay Pigeon, known for their farm-fresh seasonal entrees. If you like your filet topped with black truffle butter, head to GRACE, a Fort Worth institution serving dishes like lamb belly dumplings and sustainable Regalis caviar.
Fear not, herbivores: GRACE also offers a vegetarian chef’s tasting menu (think miso-grilled trumpet mushrooms and Koginut squash cheesecake). Waters serves up seafood so fresh you’ll think you’re on a beach vacay. Or sample Istanbul Grill’s authentic Turkish menu in their sleek downtown space. At local fave Salsa Limón, sip micheladas while savoring Mexico City-style tacos.
Sipping in Style
Treat your beer-loving palate to The Flying Saucer’s impressive beer list. Photo credit: Dameon Hudson / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)
After sunset, Fort Worth’s nightlife saddles up. Slip into Thompson’s Bookstore, an atmospheric old bar serving prohibition-era cocktails with literary monikers like Grapes of Wrath. For views with your booze, there’s Reata, where you can gaze over the city while drinking a Billionaire Margarita. Beer aficionados love The Flying Saucer, with its brew garden and massive beer list.
Festive Fort Worth
Rock out at Fort Worth’s annual Fortress Festival. Photo credit: @fortressfest and @iq3photography
If you’re here in April, check out Fortress Festival for a cutting-edge mix of music ranging from indie rock and punk to rap and R&B. Or tackle the largest arts festival in the Southwest, the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival. For the rodeo-curious, the authentic Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo has been entertaining crowds since 1896.
We can’t wait to see you in Fort Worth—or as some call it, Funkytown. Be sure to visit the Central Business District when Kimpton opens our adaptive-reuse hotel, featuring 232 guestrooms, a signature restaurant, two-story grand ballroom and a Penthouse Sky Bar with expansive views of this fast-growing Texas town.
