Fort Worth Stockyards

One of our most favourite places here in the Metroplex is the Fort Worth Stockyards. We've yet to explore much of the Dalls/Fort Worth area, but it's one of the local sites that we find ourselves going to time and again. It's always worth the while to go.
This Christmas while my parents were visiting, we made another trip. It had been almost two years since we'd been but decided to take my step-dad there, who had never been. For Critter it was his second trip, but he was so young this time was like his first.

For those of you who have never been (and I suspect most of you haven't), the Fort Worth Stockyards is a treasure trove of history and interesting sights. To this date, there is a twice daily longhorn cattle drive - the only one in the world. There are lots of fantastic shops, museums, a rodeo arena, a couple of hotels (one original to the historic area and one new), restaurants, the only steam train left in the area, cattle stock exchange and Billy Bob's - the worlds largest honkytonk. For more enough on the Fort Worth Stockyards, check out their website here.

Here are some of the pictures I took that day:



On the left is a view of the Fort Worth Stockyard Histork District and on the right, the Stockyard Cattle Exchange building - still in use today.



Here are the cowboys driving the longhorns down the main road through the stockyards. They are driven exactly as they were over a hundred years ago, from one set of pens up by the meat packing plants to other pens in the stockyards. As we, the crazy on-lookers, stand on the sidewalks, the cattle walk past with in touching distance. It's great!



On the left is a quaint little alley between the rodeo arena and one of the orignal buildings turned shop. On the right is a ground view of one of sheep/pig "subway" areas of the original stockyards.



Critter..in his glory! In the first picture, O poses with his balloon hat complete with balloon horse. In the second, we're there in front the restaurant we had lunch in. O get's his rodeo on!



Here..LOL..my Mama gets fresh with one of the locals. And here my boy makes friends with Coco Puff, the pony, as he catches a ride.



When was the last time you saw a longhorn being rode by..well..anyone? LOL Here Pacos Bill (the longhorn, not the man!) makes his way down the street to his station where he hangs out for the day. For $5 you can get on his back and have your picture taken. In the other picture is Critter and I dancing on one of the dance floors in Billy Bob's. Above us (though you can't see it) is saddle completely covered in rhinestones.