It seems only fitting to highlight the Cowboy culture that is Texas while visiting, both the real and the famed. Outside of going to an actual ranch, I don’t think it gets more real than the Fort Worth Stockyards and in terms of the famed, well, there is none more notorious than JR Ewing. For those who don’t know who JR is, he was the arrogant oil rancher from the 1980s nighttime drama, Dallas.
The Fort Worth Stockyards constitute a lively and active commemoration to FtW’s cattle industry traditions. It’s been registered as a historical district that is home to all things Cowboy and Cowgirl! In fact, it’s often referred to as the place “where the west begins” and I can see why. Between the wild west show, the rodeo, the cowboy paraphernalia shops and Billy Bob’s night club, you can have a full on western experience. I know, I sound like such a tourist. You can also take part in the “cattle drive” through the yards. It happens every day at 11:30 am and 4:00 pm. While you are in this area, I highly recommend Joe T. Garcia’s for lunch or dinner. It’s Tex-Mex and they serve only two dishes daily. Typically fajitas and enchiladas…and they are amazing! Eat on the patio if you can stand the heat. Item of note: brace yourselves ladies, I’m not sure where they recruit the wait staff from but they were so good looking I kept thinking I might hear Matthew McConaughey say “all right, all right, all right” at some point!
On to the famed. When I was a kid, I remember begging the babysitter to let me stay up until 9:00 pm so I could watch the show Dallas. Don’t tell mom, but she typically let us if we had behaved ourselves. So naturally I thought I should visit Southfork. Well…how do I say this? You know how they say the camera adds 10 pounds to a person? Clearly it added scale to Southfork. I remember thinking the house was huge and luxurious…but it’s actually puny and really tacky! I know, it was the era, but it was a disappointment. Unless you are a diehard fan who wants a formal tour to learn about the people behind the characters, I don’t recommend going. The people that work there are a delight, but the site…ehhh, not so much.
