Fort Worth Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Fort Worth

Fort Worth is a city in North Texas and the seat of Tarrant County, spanning nearly 350 square miles and extending into Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise counties. Located along the Trinity River at the junction of its Clear and West forks, it is the second-largest municipality in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan region and the tenth-most populous city in the United States. Long characterized by its Western heritage and traditional architecture, Fort Worth is historically recognized as the place where the West begins.

The settlement began in 1849 as a U.S. Army outpost situated on a bluff above the Trinity River, established by Major Ripley A. Arnold and named after Major General William Jenkins Worth. Following the military post's abandonment in 1853, the location developed into a vital station on the Chisholm Trail, where millions of cattle were driven north to market. This central role in the ranching and cattle trade earned the town the nickname Cowtown. The completion of the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1876 transformed the Fort Worth Stockyards into a major wholesale cattle and meatpacking center.

Late nineteenth-century growth brought a famous entertainment district known as Hell's Half-Acre, a hub for saloons and gambling parlors visited by historic frontier figures such as Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, and the Earp brothers. During an economic downturn in the 1870s, a newspaper commentary joked that the city was quiet enough for a panther to sleep in the street; local citizens embraced the story, adopting Panther City as an enduring nickname reflected in local badges, statues, and geographic features like Panther Island.

Modern Fort Worth is a major corporate and educational center, hosting institutions such as Texas Christian University, the University of Texas at Arlington, and the Texas A&M University School of Law, alongside headquarters for companies like American Airlines, Bell Textron, and BNSF Railway. The city is also a significant arts destination, hosting the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and several museums designed by notable contemporary architects. Key venues include the Kimbell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Sid Richardson Museum, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.