Once a frontier outpost, Fort Worth has grown into a modern city where people come for both business and fun. The city has numerous attractions, both historic and modern, as well as cultural and business centers, great shopping and dining, and a range of hotels and inns for a comfortable stay. The accommodation ranges from quaint bed and breakfasts in renovated historic buildings, such as Rosen House and Lockheart Gables, to large boutique hotels downtown such as The Ashton and comfortable affordable romantic getaways such as the Comfort Inn. What makes all these hotels so typical to Fort Worth is a warm Southern hospitality blended seamlessly with modern amenities and comfort.
The Where to Stay in Fort Worth - 10 Best Romantic getaways near me today according to local experts:
- 1. The Rosen House Inn Bed and Breakfast
- 2. Staybridge Suites Fort Worth - Fossil Creek
- 3. Where to Stay in Fort Worth: The Ashton
- 4. Fort Worth Hotels: Omni Fort Worth
- 5. Comfort Inn
- 6. Lakeview RV
- 7. Avondale RV Park
- 8. Lake Worth RV Ranch
Attraction Spotlight: Fort Worth Zoo
The Fort Worth Zoo was founded in 1909 and is currently the oldest continuously operational zoo in Texas. When it was first opened, the Fort Worth Zoo had only a handful of animals: one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and even a few rabbits. Even though the zoo had such humble beginnings, it has now become a nationally recognized hot spot for tourists. In fact, it currently has more than 7,000 species of animals, both native and exotic, that reside at the Fort Worth Zoo.
Sadly, the zoo began to deteriorate in the late 1980s. Community support for the zoo fell rapidly and outdated animal care and maintenance became a huge issue. Luckily, in the fall of 1991 the Zoo became a non-profit organization under the management of the Fort Worth Zoological Association. After years of raising funds (more than $20 million to this date) and upgrading habitats and care methods, the Association has transformed the Zoo into almost a completely new place.
In fact, since 1992, more than 16 permanent exhibits and facilities have been opened. Improvements to walkways, the addition of restaurants and picnic areas, and even handicap accessibility has been added to the Zoo. This transformation has been more than noticed by the community, the Zoo is currently ranked within the top 5 zoos in the nation by the USA Travel Guide.
The mission of the Fort Worth Zoo focuses on three major prerogatives: conservation, education, and entertainment. Their goal is to improve the relationship between humans and animals, as well as increasing respect and knowledge of nature and all of its wildlife. The staff and volunteers of the Fort Worth Zoo hope to always exceed visitor's expectations and to promote positive environmental change through its scientific research.
The Fort Worth Zoo has 12 permanent exhibit areas on its campus: Penguins, World of Primates, Asian Falls, Raptor Canyon, Cheetahs, Flamingo Bay, Meerkat Mounds, Australian Outback, African Savannah, Parrot Paradise, Texas Wild!, and the Museum of Living Art.
There are currently 98 endangered species at the Zoo, including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Some of the most breath-taking endangered mammals are cared for at the Zoo, including jaguars, black rhinos, and western lowland gorillas. Visitors will be truly amazed by these magnificent creatures.
Visitors can even interact with some mild and friendly animals in the Texas Wild! Petting Corral. Here, guests can get up close and personal with goats, chickens, tortoises, and even snakes.
There are also all sorts of attractions and rides for every member of the family to enjoy: Safari Splash, Tasmanian Tower, Outdoor Learning Theater, Yellow Rose Express Train, Country Carousel, Playbarn, Wild West Shooting Gallery, Swinging Swamp Bridge, Texas NatureTraders, Weather Theater, Lone Star Mining Company Movie House, and even Hurricane and Tornado Simulators.
The zoo's newest attraction is a must-see – The Hurricane and Tornado Simulator. This attraction allows guests to experience hurricane and tornado force winds in a safe and exciting environment.
Guests can also experience life on the farm at the Zoo's PlayBarn, enjoy a game of laser tag at the Wild West Shooting Gallery, or even take a pleasant ride on the Country Carousel. The Yellow Rose Express Train is not to be missed! The train travels between SafariDepot and Texas Wild!while allowing children to experience conducting and operating the train.
One of the most popular and educational exhibits is the Texas Nature Trader's area. Children can explore and learn in a simulated wild environment. They will gather fossils, rocks, bones, plants, and all sorts of other artifacts for points, while enjoying a wild adventure.
During the summer months, the Safari Splash zone allows guests to cool off and enjoy some shade in a world-class 14,000 square foot play pool. There are four water slides, a toddler play area, and even animal-shaped water cannons for the children to enjoy.
The outdoor learning theater is a state-of-the-art theater where the zoo hosts conservation and educational presentations. It is more than 13,000 square feet and truly provides invaluable experiences to visitors.
The Fort Worth Zoo has a wide variety of educational and outreach programs, including summer camps, field trips, and animal outreach events. There are plenty of resources for teachers and students, as well as the environmental buff or budding zoologist.
The pride of the Fort Worth Zoo is the year-round educational program it offers to thousands of students every year. These programs are taught by Texas-certified teachers and follows a strict yet entertaining curriculum for students K-12. There is even a fishing seminar, a nature club, hands-on animal experiences, and overnight camps.
The staff of the Fort Worth Zoo also prides itself on its many conservation programs. The staff and volunteers of the Zoo hope to continuously encourage, conduct, and support conservational research not only locally, but throughout the world. Their research not only focuses on the captive animals at the Zoo, but also wild animals in their own habitat.
Established in 2010, the Texas Turtle Watch is a citizen science program developed to research and attempt to understand three native turtle species whose declining population levels are not yet well understood.
The Fort Worth Zoo provides a wide variety of fascinating exhibits and attractions for visitors to enjoy. Whether planning a school field trip, a family trip, or a solo outing, the Fort Worth Zoo is sure to delight all who attend. There are plenty of picnic areas, shaded walkways, and relaxing restaurants and cafes to visit while at the Zoo. Bring a swimsuit for the Safari Splash area and plenty of snacks for the picnic areas, because a visit to the Fort Worth Zoo is sure to be an outing to last an entire day.
The surrounding Dallas/Fort Worth area also provides plenty of fine dining, museums, parks, and historical sites for visitors to enjoy.
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1989 Colonial Parkway · Fort Worth, Texas 76110, Phone: 817-759-7555
Attraction Spotlight: Amon Carter Museum of American Art
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas first opened on January 21, 1961. The trustees of the Carter Museum of American Art desired for the museum to be a vibrant institution from the beginning.
By the Amon Carter Museum's 25th anniversary in 1986, the museum's collection had grown from the 400 works of art from Amon G. Carter's collection to almost 6,400 objects. Expanding beyond being just a repository for Carter's collection of Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington artwork, the museum now encompasses a much broader array of American art. The museum provides a diverse selection of publications, programs, and exhibitions that connect guests to the American art masterworks.
Nowhere else can visitors view and compare so many masterworks by Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington, the American West's two greatest artists, than at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. This fact makes the Amon Carter Museum's excellent collection of masterpieces by Remington and Russell unique. These works of art offer an unrivaled exploration into the Old West with their mesmerizing aura of romance and interesting details.
The Amon Carter Museum contains premier examples of nineteenth and twentieth century American painting. Masterworks by Thomas Eakins, Frederic Church, Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, and Martin Johnson Heade share gallery space with significant works by artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Charles Demuth, Stuart Davis, and Marsden Hartley. The museum also houses an expansive collection of paintings by Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington, the American West's two greatest artists, along with several other riches. Among these riches are trompe-l'oeil still life paintings by artists such as John Frederick Peto and William Harnett, as well as nineteenth century landscapes created by painters from the Hudson River School, including Frederic Church and Thomas Cole.
Excellent examples of American impressionism, such as works by Childe Hassam and William Merritt Chase, can be found among the Amon Carter's collection. Visitors can view masterworks of Marsden Hartley and Arthur Dove, luminaries of American modernism, as well. The painting galleries also showcase depictions of views of the American West by artists such as Albert Bierstadt and John Mix Stanley in the nineteenth century. Guests will also find twentieth century New Mexico paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe among the gallery paintings.
Amon G. Carter possessed a personal collection of more than 100 works of art by Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington. These works were in materials ranging from bronze to wax and plaster. In the Amon Carter Museum's first decade of being open, it began acquiring a wider range of American sculpture. Today, in addition to a collection of more than 100 sculptures by Charles M. Russell and Frederic Remington, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art contains a collection of various other American sculpture, including notable works by luminaries such as Daniel Chester French, Elie Nadelman, Henry Kirke Brown, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Paul Manship. Sculpture representing later twentieth century artists include works created by Louise Nevelson, Robert Laurent, and Alexander Calder.
Noted as one of the country's key research facilities for quite some time, the Amon Carter library has continued to collect illustrated books to enhance the historical and visual context of related artwork from the museum's collection throughout its history. The museum's rar illustrated book collections now consist of several of the best examples of the literature of Americana and American art that have been published during the past two centuries.
More than 4,500 photographic prints by over 450 different photographers are housed at the Amon Carter Museum, which has made the museum one of the major American photography repositories in the country. The photograph collection spans the photographic art medium's history, dating back to the earliest daguerreotypes made in America to inkjet prints made today. The photographs on display often change as a result of the fragile nature of photographs.
Just months after the Amon Carter Museum opened in 1961, the photograph collection began with three portraits that were gifted by Dorothea Lange of Charles Russell. The portraits were given to museum as a complement to the collection of sculptures and paintings by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell that the museum's possessed at its founding. The collection has grown to demonstrate the central role of photography in documenting the history and culture of the nineteenth century in the United States, as well as photography's development as an important and influential form of art from the 1900's to present day.
The Amon Carter's photograph collection also contains numerous American West landscapes from the nineteenth century, including works by Carleton Watkins, Timothy O'Sullivan, and William Henry Jackson. Also represented well are Native American portraits, including Laura Gilpin's extensive photographic documentation of the Navajo Nation, over 1,400 photographs that were originally compiled for the Bureau of American Ethnology, and The North American Indian, a monumental twenty volume project by Edward S. Curtis. Collections of prints and negatives assembled by figures such as Fred and Jo Mazzulla, Mary Everhard, Helen Post, and E.A. Brininstool show the regional histories of economic development and settlement throughout the American West, acting as a helpful aide for scholars of American studies and photography.
Along with gelatin platinum and silver prints by early masters such as Edward Steichen, Clarence White, and Gertrude Käsebier, the Amon Carter Museum possesses a complete set of Camera Work, Alfred Stieglitz's seminal publication. The collection reveals the story of the artistry of photography in the twentieth century through pieces by several of photography's exemplary figures, including Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Edward Weston, Lewis Hine, Barbara Crane, Robert Frank, Walker Evans, and Margaret Bourke-White. These prints are supplemented by archives of works by Nell Dorr, Carlotta Corpron, Erwin E. Smith, Laura Gilpin, and Eliot Porter, which add significant insight into their processes of work by adding to the exhibition of these artists.
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art supports work by contemporary artists as well. Richard Avedon was commissioned in 1979 by the museum to create his acclaimed series In the American West, and the Amon Carter's photography collection now contains the full set of prints from the project. In 2013, the museum collaborated with Terry Evans, a photographer from Chicago, to document Fort Worth's Trinity River. More recently, the museum has greatly focused on obtaining and showcasing photography by contemporary artists, such as Katy Grannan, Sharon Core, Dawoud Bey, Mark Ruwedel, Todd Hido, Larry Sultan, and Alex Prager.
The collection of works on paper at the Amon Carter Museum includes more than 900 drawings and watercolors and around 7,000 prints. The drawings, watercolors, and prints cover a broad array of subjects, from early nineteenth century views of the American West by artist-explorers to abstracts by twentieth century American Modernists. Among the artists represented in the works on paper collection are James McNeill Whistler, Oscar Bluemner, William Trost Richards, and John Marin. The museum's collection also includes over 7,000 prints, including lithographs of the Mexican War, the spectacular Hudson River Portfolio by William Guy Wall, and full sets of prints by Stuart Davis and George Bellows.
The Amon Carter Museum's art collection is complemented by the museum's research library. The library provides a broad spectrum of materials on American art, history, and photography dating from the early nineteenth century to present day. The Carter library also offers support to researchers wanting to deepen their understanding of America's artistic heritage. Among the library collection's 150,000 different items are some of the best examples of western Americana and illustrated books from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection also contains an extensive amount of exhibition catalogues and monographs of American art and photography.
An extensive collection of periodicals and journals covering American art, photography, and history can be found among the museum's library holdings. The library also possesses a large collection of catalogues raisonnés and dissertations, and an extensive collection of biographical files on American photographers and artists. Visitors to the library can also find newspapers from the nineteenth century on more than 5,000 reels of microfilm. Specialized databases of auction-prices, photography, and art, as well as expansive collection of auction catalogues, can also be found in the Carter Museum's library. The Amon Carter Museum uses the Google Art Project to provide an additional outlet for guests to explore the museum's art collection and to learn more about the various works of art.
Educators have the opportunity to participate in one the Amon Carter Museum's professional development programs. The museum provides interactive workshops that cover its collections, as well as programs tailored for preservice educators and training sessions designed for individual districts. In the museum's workshops, educators can learn how to make cross-curricular connections using art.
The Future Teacher Program offers future teachers an opportunity to learn how to teach with art prior to entering the classroom. The program introduces future educators to the museum's resources and trains them on how to teach with objects.
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3501 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76107, Phone: 817-738-1933
RV Parks in Fort Worth, TX
Located in Tarrant County, just to the west of Dallas, Fort Worth is the fifth biggest city in all of Texas and one of the best places to visit in the Lone Star State. Home to around 875,000 people, Fort Worth has a rich history dating all the way back to 1849. It was originally founded as a military installation on the Trinity River but has grown and evolved over time to become a vibrant, exciting city with many industries and lots of interesting landmarks.
Featuring many examples of traditional Western architecture, outstanding museums, excellent attractions, and so much more, Fort Worth is a must-visit location on any road trip or RV tour of Texas. One of the state's best theme parks, Six Flags Over Texas, can be found in Forth Worth, with the city also being home to the Fort Worth Zoo, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Stockyards Station historic district, and so much more.
If you're planning on visiting Fort Worth and enjoying all of the city's many sites of interest and attractions, read on to learn all about the best RV parks in Fort Worth, complete with detailed descriptions of the features and amenities you can find at each location, as well as addresses and contact details to help you book up your next trip.