iDesign - Cities - Fort Worth

Why Fort Worth?

Quick Facts Key Facts

• Convention Center(s): Fort Worth Convention Center • Hotels: 155
• Hotel at Convention Center? Yes • Total Sleeping Rooms: 14,000
• Sleeping Rooms 1 Mile from Convention Center: 2,500 • Committable Sleeping Rooms*: 1,200
• Airport(s): Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport • Committable Meeting Rooms*: 75
• Destination Type(s): Golf Destination, Historic Destination, • Convention Center Space: 253,226 Sq. Ft.
• Largest Exhibit Space: 58,849 Sq. Ft.
Cultural Destination, Family Friendly • Largest Ballroom: 28,160 Sq. Ft.
• Special Event Venues: 74 • Average Hotel Room Rate: USD $170
• Population: 833,319 • Average Daily Meal Cost: USD $50
• Restaurants: 66 • Average Weekly Car Rental: USD $30

What’s The Draw?

• As America's 15th-largest city, Fort Worth is a leading leisure destination with an eclectic cultural scene. For a truly Texan
experience, visitors can stop by the Stockyards National Historic District, where rich Western history is on display daily, including
Billy Bob's Texas, the world's largest honky-tonk; authentic Western saloons; the world's only year-round rodeo; and the Fort
Worth Herd, a cattle drive that takes place twice daily. Recently named the first music-friendly community in Texas by the Texas
Music Office, Fort Worth offers music lovers a variety of super-casual outdoor venues and grand music halls playing country
western music, R&B, indie rock, and opera, just to name a few. Art enthusiasts can explore world-renowned museums in Fort
Worth's Cultural District, including the Modern Art Museum, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art,
and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.

• Just north of the Cultural District, visitors can take a walk along a new epicenter of emerging artists, The Foundry District, where
a walkable lane named Inspiration Alley is beautified by murals from 11 local artists (and counting!). Those looking for a culinary
immersion can head to one of Fort Worth's finest “restaurant rows,” known as Magnolia Avenue; check out one of 10 local
breweries; or spend a day at Firestone and Robertson Distilling Co.'s newest creation, Whiskey Ranch, the largest whiskey
distillery west of the Mississippi. The 112-acre whiskey wonderland sits on a fully functioning historic golf course that hosted
legends Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson.

• Sports fans can start their engines at Texas Motor Speedway, which boasts the world's largest HD video board — called “Big
Hoss” — and hosts dozens of races a year, including three NASCAR Sprint Cup series events. Those looking for premier
shopping, delicious restaurants, and popular nightlife spots have plenty of choices in Sundance Square in downtown; the
popular West 7th neighborhood, which bridges downtown and the cultural districts; plus three new upscale-shopping
destinations in Clearfork, Waterside, and Westbend. Because of Fort Worth's proximity to Trinity River, there's never a shortage of
outdoor fun, with enough trails to work up a sweat and other water activities to keep everyone entertained. Between the up-
and-coming River District, Panther Island, and River East neighborhoods, visitors can find their centers in a stand-up
paddleboard yoga class, catch a free concert while leisurely floating on the Trinity River, or cast out a line and await the bite
of one of the plentiful largemouth bass in Lake Worth.

What’s The Draw?

• Fort Worth is also a premier meetings destination, with diverse amenities to help planners facilitate the event of a lifetime. There
are multiple venues available throughout the city, including the Fort Worth Convention Center, which features over 300,000
square feet of event space, and the planned Dickies Arena, which will accommodate any type of event starting in November
2019. Fort Worth is also home to outstanding accommodations, with 3,400 hotel rooms in downtown alone, plus an additional
six hotel properties under development, yielding 1,000-plus more rooms. Other unique venues include the new 112-acre
whiskey wonderland called Whiskey Ranch and Texas Motor Speedway, where groups will find out-of-the-box team-building
activities. World-class art museums, historical offerings, and live music venues abound in Fort Worth, as well as a full calendar of
annual events and an array of attractions. Clients will also enjoy personalized service from a Visit Fort Worth representative who
will assist them every step of the way to ensure the event goes off without a hitch.

Venues

Billy Bob’s Texas

The world's largest honky-tonk, Billy Bob's Texas is located
within the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards. A truly entertaining
experience, Billy Bob's Texas features great country music
and a family-friendly atmosphere. It offers weekly live bull
riding, concerts, and dance lessons, in addition to its onsite
dining and shopping. Billy Bob's Texas welcomes groups of up
to 1,900 people for events and meetings in such spaces as
the 125-person Texas Club, compete with copper tables,
etched mirrors, and brass chandeliers, and 130-person Guitar
Bar, with windows into the main concert arena.

Venues

Fort Worth Zoo
As the oldest zoo in Texas, the Fort Worth Zoo was founded in
1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a
peacock, and a few rabbits! Today, the top-ranked, award-
winning zoo is home to nearly 7,000 native and exotic
animals in natural habitat exhibits. In addition to the zoo's 12
permanent exhibits, ranging from Asian Falls to Texas Wild,
the zoo features a petting corral, rock-climbing wall,
carousel, and train ride.

Venues

Joe T’s Garcia
Joe T. Garcia's is a Fort Worth institution, specializing in
authentic Mexican fare. Established in 1935 with space for
just 16 guests, Joe T. Garcia's has grown to a 1,000-seat
restaurant with remarkable indoor and outdoor seating
around a pool and surrounding courtyard. Entree selections
include delicious chicken flautas, chimichangas, and fajitas.

Venues

Hunter Brother’s H3 Ranch

Known as one of the best steakhouses in the Dallas and Fort
Worth area, Hunter Brothers' H3 Ranch is located in the Fort
Worth Historic Stockyards District. The comfortable, casually
upscale restaurant features Western artwork, dark rustic
wood, and authentic Spanish antiques. Many of the
restaurant's dishes date back to Fort Worth's cattle-driving
days; popular entrees include chicken-fried steak and
hickory grilled shrimp skewered with jicama, onion, and bell
pepper, in addition to a variety of steaks, ribs, chicken, and
spit-roasted pork.

Venues

Reata

Serving legendary Texas cuisine, Reata Restaurant offers a
menu inspired by cowboy cooking and a melding of
Southwestern, Creole, Southern, and traditional steakhouse
flavors. The elegant restaurant features rustic touches and
museum-quality Old West artifacts. Entree options include
tenderloin tamales, blackened buffalo rib-eye, chicken fried
steak with cracked pepper cream gravy, stacked chicken
enchiladas, and pan-seared pepper-crusted tenderloin with
port wine sauce.

Venues

Nancy Lee and Perry R Performance Hall
Built in 1998 of local limestone in the ornate architectural
tradition of Europe's historic opera houses, this stately
downtown performing arts center showcases a full slate of
world-class music, dance, and theater. The 2,042-seat hall is
home to such acclaimed companies as the Fort Worth
Opera, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra,
and Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Venues

Sid Richardson Museum
A destination for all who enjoy paintings of the Old West, the
Sid Richardson Museum features works by Frederic
Remington, Charles M. Russell, and other artists from the
personal collection of the museum's namesake, legendary
Texas oilman and philanthropist Sid W. Richardson (1891-
1959). Admission is free.

Venues

Fort Worth Water Gardens
The Fort Worth Water Gardens is a beautiful and refreshing
oasis adjacent to the Fort Worth Convention Center.
Designed by Philip Johnson (who also designed the much-
acclaimed Amon Carter Museum of American Art), the
gardens are an architectural and engineering marvel to be
enjoyed any time of the year. The park features three pools
of water: the aerating, the quiet, and the active pools.

Venues

Staockyard Museum

Railroads and cattle markets helped build Fort Worth
throughout the late 19th century and connect it with the rest
of the West. You can explore this colorful legacy by spending
a day in the high-spirited Stockyards District, a warren of
vintage shops, restaurants, and museums, including the
Stockyards Championship Rodeo, the Stockyards Museum,
and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. You can even see
cattle drives, led by seasoned cowhands through the district
at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

Venues

Cowtown Coliseum
Built in 1908, Cowtown Coliseum was the site of the world's
first indoor rodeo. The coliseum hosts a variety of events
throughout the year, including the year-round Stockyards
Championship Rodeo, which is held every Friday and
Saturday night at 8 p.m., and the Pawnee Bill's Wild West
Show, held every Saturday at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Venues

Cultural District

This vibrant neighborhood, which also encompasses the hip
shopping and dining of West 7th Street, ranks among the
nation's most impressive art-museum hubs, with such
architecturally inspired draws as the Louis Kahn- and Renzo
Piano-designed Kimbell Art Museum and the Tadao Ando-
rendered Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Fans of the Wild
West appreciate the guns, boots, and other cool
memorabilia at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of
Fame and the trove of renowned Western paintings and
sculptures by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell at the
Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

Venues

Amon Carter Museum of Art

Designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson, the Amon
Carter Museum houses a pre-eminent collection of 19th- and
20th-century paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. It's
also one of the nation's major repositories of American
photography. Artists represented in the collection include
Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Georgia O'Keeffe, and John
Singer Sargent. The museum is home to nearly 400 works by
Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell, the two greatest
artists of the American West. Visitors can enjoy adult and
family-friendly programming throughout the year. Admission
is free.

Venues

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

Designed by Legoretta + Legoretta in November 2009, the
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is a dazzling
facility with bright colors, geometric forms, and abundance
of natural light. Exhibits include The Cattle Raisers Museum;
DinoLabs; Paluxysaurus jonesi, the official dinosaur of Texas;
the Noble Planetarium; the Fort Worth Children's Museum;
Innovation Studios; six glass-walled spaces near the main
entrance offering hands-on demonstrations; and the Omni
Imax Theater.

Venues

Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell Art Museum is the permanent home of
Michelangelo's first painting, “The Torment of Saint Anthony.”
Offering a world-class collection of art, including works by El
Greco, Cezanne, Rembrandt, Picasso, and Matisse, the
museum was designed by the great American architect
Louis Kahn. In November 2013, it expanded its exhibition
space when the $125 million Renzo Piano Pavilion officially
opened to house traveling exhibits. The Piano Pavilion stands
as an expression of simplicity and lightness some 65 yards
west of Kahn's vaulted, luminous museum landmark of 1972.

Venues

Modern Art Museum

One of the most stunning pieces at the Modern is the
building itself, a landmark design by modernist Japanese
architect Tadao Ando. The building became home to the
Modern in 2002. The permanent collection concentrates on
European art since 1920 and American art since 1945,
including works by Francis Bacon, Anselm Kiefer, Pablo
Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Cindy Sherman, and
Andy Warhol. Plan your visit around lunchtime, as the
seasonal dishes at Café Modern are creative masterpieces
themselves.

Venues

National Cowgirl Museum of Hall of Fame

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is the only
museum in the world dedicated to honoring and
documenting the lives of women who have distinguished
themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit of the
American West. From hardworking cowgirls to influential
women such as Sandra Day O'Connor, the museum pays
tribute to those who have contributed to the advancement
of Western heritage through arts, sciences, politics, business,
and education. In 2016, the museum unveiled a new art
gallery, a mobile in the Grand Rotunda composed of 100
moving pieces, and the Hitting the Mark: Cowgirls and Wild
West Shows gallery honoring Annie Oakley. It's currently
undergoing a renovation of the second floor, which will be
completed in 2019.

Venues

Botanic Garden
The oldest botanic garden in Texas, the Fort Worth Botanic
Garden is home to more than 2,500 species of plants in 23
specialty gardens. Visit the world-renowned Japanese
Garden, where the koi-filled pools, Japanese architecture,
meticulously maintained plants, and dramatic waterfalls
create a serene environment for strolling. Or explore the
winding paths of luxuriant tropical foliage in the 10,000-
square-foot Conservatory.

Venues

Will Rogers Memorial Center

The Will Rogers Memorial Center is located in the heart of the
Cultural District. It's home to the Will Rogers Coliseum,
Auditorium, Equestrian Center, Equestrian Multi-Purpose
Building, and the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Building. The Will
Rogers Coliseum, Auditorium, and Landmark Pioneer Tower
were erected in 1936. The coliseum, the largest of the
buildings, was the first domed structure of its kind in the world.
Each year, over 1 million people attend the Fort Worth Stock
Show & Rodeo held on the center grounds.

Venues

Panther Island Pavillion

Located on the banks of the Trinity River on the outskirts of
downtown Fort Worth, Panther Island Pavilion (PIP) is home to
a variety of events, festivals, and concerts year-round. PIP
boasts the only waterfront stage in Texas, with a sand beach
for public access to the river for boating, tubing, fishing,
swimming, and kayak and canoe rentals from Backwoods
Paddlesports. Local food trucks and breweries are onsite for
weekend festivities such as Rockin' the River and Sunday
Funday, as well as annual events.