I wouldn’t be a very good Dallasite if I didn’t jump on the opportunity to spread the word about the Fort Worth Zoo. Yeah, yeah, there’s a zoo in Dallas, too, but any local will tell you that it’s worth the extra time (and gas money) to make the trek out to the one in Fort Worth.
The recipient of considerable acclaim from magazines, newspapers, consumer guides and popularity polls, the Fort Worth Zoo is a DFW landmark. Founded in 1909 with a collection of less than ten animals, the zoo today houses thousands of critters across 300+ unique species. The Herpetarium, the building housing the reptile and amphibian collections, is of special note as one of the largest in the United States.
Because Texans enjoy celebrating nothing if not the sheer awesomeness of Texas, one of the most extensive exhibits at the Forth Worth Zoo is Texas Wild! As the zoo itself puts it, “Texas Wild! tells the tale of a state equal to its boasting!” Throughout this generous exhibit, the profound diversity of Texas flora and fauna is put on full display in a community of paddocks built around a Texas town designed with the look and feel of the turn of the century (the 20th century, that is). From the General Store to the leaky wooden water tower, it’s just a fun place to be.
Read more about the Forth Worth Zoo here.
Now, you could stay in Forth Worth as well, but truth is I wouldn’t recommend it. Unless we’re talking one-day trip, you’d be better served by staying in Dallas proper where, forgive me, the action is. So, for Dallas, TX hotels we like the Holiday Inn Dallas Market Center Hotel. Convenient location, free airport shuttle, fancy on-site coffee bar – it’s got what you need.
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6 Comments
You can save the time & gas money of a trip to Fort Worth (appx 27 miles west of Dallas) by taking the TRE from Union Station Dallas to Fort Worth ITC and then taking the No. 7 bus to the zoo. The same No. 7 will take you to the Museum District where you can visit the Kimbell, the Modern, and the Amon Carter. If you’re taking a “one day” trip to Fort Worth, you could choose one or two of these great sites, but you’d be missing out on some wonderful opportunities that good Dallasite may not know about.
Another Fort Worth hidden gem is the Log Cabin Village just across University Drive from the back of the Zoo. The Village features eight historic log cabins with authentic artifacts.
I’m just saying, you might regret not taking a couple of days to see some of the unpretentious charms Fort Worth has to offer.
Thanks for your comments, Elisabeth. I know our readers will appreciate this information.
In addition to what Elisabeth said, Fort Worth has a number of interesting attractions downtown in Sundance Square and in the Stockyards just north of downtown. Plus, there are some terrific hotels in Fort Worth, including the Ashton, the brand new Omni, the Stockyards Hotel, and the Worthington just to name a few. All of these are beautiful, reasonably priced, and would be great places to stay while you explored the sites of Fort Worth – plenty of action there. And plenty of good food as well. While Dallasonians are loathe to admit this, Fort Worth has much more to offer visitors to the Metroplex…
Where the action is? As a proud Ft. Worthian anyone not exploring the other side of the Trinity is missing out on so, so much. Sorry to go all Amon Carter on you but Ft. Worth has Dallas beat in so many ways, including real culture. And excellent bars.
Since I have never visited anywhere in the United States East of Arizona I guess I have to say that the zoo in San Francisco is pretty good and the Los Angelos Zoo is a good one but San Diego is probably the best. The Phoenix zoo is probably the worst of all of them in the West but it is all we have….
Zoo’s nice. If you know anyone that is coming to the Dallas-area, make sure they give us a look if they want to catch a Cowboys game.