Fort Worth, TX

Twice a day in 2026, the Fort Worth Herd moved longhorns along Exchange Avenue in the Stockyards. Weather and special events sometimes changed the schedule. The drive reenacts the cattle traffic that helped shape the city. Fort Worth began in 1849 as a U.S. Army post on a bluff above the Trinity River. Cattle moving north on the Chisholm Trail later passed through the settlement, and railroads turned that traffic into stockyards and meatpacking plants. The Stockyards now combine preserved livestock buildings with rodeos, music venues, shops, restaurants, and public art. The stock show dates to 1896. Each January and February, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo carries that ranching tradition into livestock competitions, horse shows, and rodeo performances at the Will Rogers complex and Dickies Arena.

The Cultural District occupies a compact area west of downtown. Three art museums—the Kimbell, Modern, and Amon Carter—stand near one another on landscaped grounds, each in a building designed by a major modern architect. Nearby, the Botanic Garden and museums devoted to science and cowgirl history share the district with Dickies Arena and the Will Rogers equestrian facilities. This mix of art, gardens, sports, and livestock events grew from land the city acquired for parks and the 1936 Frontier Centennial. Near Southside has a separate state-recognized arts district, where galleries, studios, performances, restaurants, hospitals, and homes share the streets south of Interstate 30. Aviation, logistics, and medicine occupy different parts of the modern city. Lockheed Martin and Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base sit west of downtown, where aircraft manufacturing and military aviation remain active across a large industrial complex and airfield.

In north Fort Worth, Perot Field Alliance Airport handles air cargo, corporate aviation, and military flights within a district tied to warehouses, BNSF rail operations, and interstate freight. Near Southside, immediately south of downtown, brings hospitals, medical offices, research, and education into an older mixed-use neighborhood. Together with downtown and Carter Industrial Park, these districts spread the workday across the city’s west, south, and far north. Hospital blocks near Magnolia Avenue, aircraft assembly on the west side, and freight operations far to the north occupy separate parts of the city. The Trinity River and its trail system link many of these districts.

The paved Trinity Trails network covers over 100 miles along the river and its tributaries, connecting parks, neighborhoods, downtown, and adjoining cities. Trinity Park covers 252 acres between the Cultural District and the Clear Fork, placing paths and festival grounds beside the museums. Regional rail reaches beyond the river corridor. TEXRail runs 27 miles every day from two downtown stations through north Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, and Grapevine to Terminal B at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Fort Worth Central Station is the transfer point among TEXRail, Trinity Railway Express, local buses, and routes serving the Stockyards. From one downtown stop, riders can reach DFW Airport, Exchange Avenue, and neighborhoods along both rail lines.