Things to Do in Fort Worth

Downtown pedestrian plaza lined with shops, restaurants and public art. Has fountains, benches and free live music on weekends in summer.

🕐 Open daily 24 hours (shops and restaurants vary)

💡 Free parking validation at many surrounding garages if you buy something at a restaurant. Check their website for the weekend concert schedule.

Three concrete water features designed by Philip Johnson: the active aerating pool, quiet meditation pool and dramatic 38-foot descending waterfall pool you can walk into.

🕐 Open daily 7:00-22:00

💡 The active pool gets loud and wet if you sit too close – the meditation pool is quieter for people-watching. Go at dusk when the lights come on.

109-acre garden with different specialty sections – rose garden, Japanese garden, full-scale conservatory and native Texas plants. Free access to the main grounds.

🕐 Gardens daily 8:00-19:00 (Japanese Garden hours vary)

💡 The Japanese Garden and Conservatory require a small fee (about $6) but the main grounds and rose garden are free. Best in spring or autumn when flowers peak.

Permanent collection of works from antiquity to 20th century, including pieces by Caravaggio, Cézanne and Picasso. Housed in Louis Kahn's celebrated modernist building.

🕐 Tue-Thu 10:00-17:00, Fri 12:00-20:00, Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-17:00, closed Mon

💡 Skip the paid special exhibitions. The permanent galleries are free and contain most of the notable works. Arrive at opening to avoid crowds.

Working cattle yards from the 19th century, now with preserved brick streets, live cattle drives twice daily, rodeo events and honky-tonk bars.

🕐 District open daily 24 hours (shops 10:00-18:00 typically)

💡 Watch the free Longhorn cattle drive at 11:30 and 16:00 along Exchange Avenue. The rodeo on Friday and Saturday nights costs extra but you can see the pens for free.