Texas Visitors Information

Texas Christian University's entrance to the Big 12 brings about all things big: A brand-new big stadium, sold-out stands and big matchups. The TCU Horned Frogs kicked off the season in the newly renovated Amon G. Carter stadium, with a sold-out game against Grambling State. Highlights from the game included the opening which featured "Rocket Man" landing on the field, and the halftime show where the TCU band and showgirls performed along with the famed Grambling State marching band. Attracting students, season ticket holders and visitors alike, the game finished a TCU victory, 56-0.

In addition to moving from the Mountain West to the Big 12,TCU Football has a new home at the stadium after a $164-million dollar renovation. It now features additional seats, club lounge and suites, along with new escalators and elevators.

 

As a graduating senior, I have gotten to watch as TCU transforms and grows each year. From the Fiesta Bowl, to the impressive Rose Bowl victory, and now the entrance to the Big 12, TCU Football is always exciting. Check out WelcomeBig12.com for the home game schedule and all the big 12 weekends information for things to do and events in Fort Worth. Go Frogs!

 

Starting this Sunday, you can view ten paintings (the second-largest U.S. display ever) by one of the most influential figures in the history of art in the Kimbell Art Museum's new exhibition, Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome. This exhibit which opens to public explores the profound impact of his work on the wide range of painters of Italian, French, Dutch, Flemish and Spanish origin who resided in Rome during the late 1500s. 

We received a sneak peak of the exhibit today with a guided tour by the exhibit curator, and were blown away by the wonderful details provided by the Kimbell Art Museum and of course, the exquisite paintings by Caravaggio himself and his many followers. One of the most fascinating parts of the exhibit is the origin and location of the paintings. Many paintings were lended from such famous museums as the Louvre (Paris), the Vatican Museums (Rome), the Uffizi (Florence), the Prado Museum (Madrid) the Museum of Modern Art (New York), and many more! This spectacular exhibit shows how lucky we are in Fort Worth to have such an amazing museum, The Kimbell Art, in Fort Worth's Cultural District!  

When you view the exhibit, you will find over sixty paintings, each categorized by theme. From, music to gambling and gypsies to the saints and biblical stories, you will view many inspirational works of art! For more information on the exhibit, Click Here.  Bring the entire family to the opening and enter tickets Win tickets to many popular Fort Worth attractions including Casa Manana, Texas Ballet Theater OR you could WIN a Kimbell Family Membership! The First 101 visitors receive free admission. From 1-3pm Enjoy live performances by Fort Worth Opera Studio Artists (2pm) and Orchestra of New Spain (1-3pm).

Attention shoppers! The weekend of August 19-21, 2011 is Tax Free in Texas! Whether you are a Texas resident or a visitor, keep in mind this great opportunity to SAVE in Fort Worth! Of course, stores will be packed and the lines will be long, but hopefully worth your while!

Most items under $100 are tax-free including most shoes, clothing, backpacks and school supplies. For the full list, visit our Tax Free Weekend event page. There are so many shops, boutiques and stores to explore in Fort Worth. Head to Sundance Square for great buys at Leddy's Ranch or Pappagallo Classiques. For Western gear, make sure to check out The Maverick in the Stockyards National Historic District! Don't forget the West 7th area, Hulen and Ridgemar mall!

So make a day of it and enjoy some retail therapy, tax FREE! For more information about shopping in Fort Worth, Click Here.

Yes, we all know it's hot out there, but great news! Fort Worth has so many ways to stay cool this summer whether you head to 1 of the 5 world-class museums in the Fort Worth Cultural District, check out BRIT's new digs or take a dip in Burger Lake, there is something for everyone.

The kids and the whole family will love "ASCENT...When Dreams Defy Gravity" the locally-ffocused aviation exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. You will find 8,500 square feet of exciting, interactive as well as educational content celebrating the science and technology of flight. Kids will get a kick out of gliding through a  communications tube of a B-36 Peacemaker bomber, just like crew members do. Your inner engineer might surface when you interact with the video-game-like interface that allows you to make modifications to a giant cargo jet, an unmanned aerial vehicle or a home-built kit plane. For more info on ASCENT...Click Here.


Have you been to the Botanical Research Institute of Texas' new building? It is architecturally amazing and even neater on the inside! Bring the whole crew for Science Saturdays where they are open 10am-2pm. Every Saturday, BRIT research and educational staff members will be on hand to welcome visitors and to answer questions.  Visitors will be able to take public or self-guided tours of the campus (10:30am and 12:30pm); view BRIT’s current exhibit, “Green from the Ground Up”; and participate in a number of botanical and educational events based on the season. For more information on BRIT, Click Here.

Air-conditioning is great, but when it's summer, sometimes you just want to get outside! A great place to escape the heat and take a dip, is Burger's Lake located right here, in Fort Worth! Burger's Lake offers summer fun for everyone including a 30-acre park featuring a one-acre spring-fed lake for swimming. With two sandy beaches and big, shady trees, it's the closets you'll get to a tropical paradise! For more info on Burger's Lake, Click Here.

Start your engines and get ready...it is race time again at Texas Motor Speedway!

Here's what happening June 9 - 11, 2011:

Thursday, June 9 is NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying Night at 6:00 p.m. 

Friday, June 10 is IZOD Indycar Series Qualifying 3:00 p.m. and WinStar World Casino 400 Camping World Truck Series race 8:00 p.m. 

Saturday, June 11 is Firestone Twin 275s IZOD Indycar Series race at 8:00 p.m.

For more information on Texas Motor Speedway and Things to Do in Fort Worth visit
http://www.fortworth.com/visitors/calendar-of-events/firestonetwin275sweekend/

It’s not everyday an Indy 500 champion stops in to your local downtown sports bar to say hello to sports fans during a free to–the-public lunch and press conference. Dan Wheldon arrived at Frankie’s Sports Bar & Grill in Sundance Square in style: He waved to fans from a milk truck aimed at promoting the upcoming Firestone Twin 275s at Teas Motor Speedway.

Wheldon and Eddie Gossage, President of Texas Motor Speedway, even completed the toast of milk to promote the upcoming Firestone Twin 275s at TMS.

Check out http://www.fortworth.com/visitors/calendar-of-events/firestonetwin275sweekend/ for more information on the Firestone Twin 275s Weekend. 

 

No Limits is the attitude you’ll find at Texas Motor Speedway…and No Limits kind of experiences are what you will find at the Speedway Children’s Charities’ No Limit Live Auction. The auction will take place on Friday, April 8 at 4 p.m. in the 9th floor Grand Ballroom of The Speedway Club. These are some of the most unique experiences you can find at any NASCAR race.

•    Serve as an honorary pit crew member for Kurt Busch’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil/AAA Dodge during the Samsung Mobile 500.
•    THE 2010 Turnbull Manufacturing Victory Lane Revolvers with race winner Denny Hamlin’s autograph engraved on them.
•    Celebrate with the Samsung Mobile 500 winner in Victory Lane and during the post-race champagne toast in The Speedway Club.
•    Watch the Samsung Mobile 500 from high atop the spotters’ stand at Texas Motor Speedway with a Performance Racing Network reporter.
•    Get the VIP treatment in the SPEED green room and enjoy a meet-and-greet with the “Trackside Live” hosts and driver guests.
•    Attend the Sprint Cup Series drivers meeting prior to the Samsung Mobile 500.
•    Enjoy the Nov. 3-6 AAA Texas 500 race weekend in a luxury RV in Hot Rod’s Campground.
•    Ride in the pre-race parade lap with the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart, among others, prior to the Samsung Mobile 500.
•    Plus so much more!

Admission to the auction is FREE, and you do not have to be a member of The Speedway Club to gain access to this event.

For more information, visit www.scctexas.org or call the Speedway Children’s Charities office at (817) 215-8421.

For more information on places to stay and things to do during race week, visit www.FortWorth.com/visitors/samsungmobile500weekend. 

John Force, one of drag racing’s most legendary figures, will add yet another racing accomplishment to his illustrious career resume when he becomes just the fourth NHRA racer inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Force, a 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion (1990-‘91, ‘93-2002, ’04, ’06, ’10), will be honored Thursday, April 7, at the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala held in the Speedway Club’s Grand Ballroom at Texas Motor Speedway during the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader race weekend.

Force’s induction will highlight an evening that recognizes the accomplishments of some of the biggest names in motorsports, all while benefitting Speedway Children’s Charities at Texas Motor Speedway. Others being recognized are seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty; defending race winner of Texas Motor Speedway’s Samsung Mobile 500 and AAA Texas 500 Denny Hamlin; five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson; four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon; and veteran motorsports reporter Terry Blount.

The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame, located in the outdoor atrium adjacent to The Speedway Club, is open year round and free to the public. The Hall of Fame atrium features pedestals of the inductees, including their career highlights.

A VIP reception hosted by previous Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees will take place prior to the awards ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT on the ninth floor in the Grand Ballroom. The Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will begin at approximately 8 p.m. CT.

Table sponsorships, beginning at $1,200, and individual tickets for $150 are available by calling the Speedway Children’s Charities office at (817) 215-8421 or visiting www.scctexas.org

For more information on places to stay and things to do during race week, visit www.FortWorth.com/visitors/samsungmobile500weekend. 

Several NASCAR superstars and their cars will be on view around the Metroplex this weekend.  Below is a list of where the drivers and show cars will be on display. 

And if you can’t see these drivers around town, don’t miss a moment of all the racing action this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Wednesday, April 6:

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge (NNS), Discount Tire, Grapevine, Texas, 4 – 6 p.m.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge (NSCS), Wal-Mart, Roanoke, Texas, 7 – 9 p.m.

Thursday, April 7:

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s/Interstate Batteries/Doublemint/Snickers/Pedigree/Combos Toyota (NSCS), Wal-Mart, Saginaw, Texas, Busch will sign 300 autographs starting at 10 a.m.

Bobby Labonte, driver of the No. 47 Kleenex Toyota (NSCS), Tom Thumb, Trophy Club, Texas, Line forms at 6 p.m. and wristbands given to the first 150 people in line

Saturday, April 9:

Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota (NSCS), Red Bull Merchandise trailer, Texas Motor Speedway Midway, 2:30 p.m., Tickets for autographs to be given out at 9 a.m.
Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet (NSCS), Chevrolet display, Texas Motor Speedway Midway, 3:30 p.m.

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet (NSCS), Chevrolet display, Texas Motor Speedway Midway, 3:45 p.m.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet (NSCS), Chevrolet display, Texas Motor Speedway Midway, 4 p.m.

For more information on places to stay in a Downtown Fort Worth Hotel and Things to Do in Fort Worth during race week, visit www.FortWorth.com/visitors/samsungmobile500weekend. 

Feel the need for speed this week at Texas Motor Speedway!  The Samsung Mobile 500 returns to Texas Motor Speedway and the City of Cowboys and Culture.

Race week kicks off on Thursday, April 7 with the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series stars on the practice track.  Friday, April 8 is Dallas Morning News Qualifying Day for both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series.  And on Saturday, April 9, experienced the first-ever nighttime Samsung Mobile 500 under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway.

So what’s a race fan to do before and after the race events?  See Fort Worth’s authentic Western Heritage in the Stockyards National Historic District.  Enjoy Sundance Square, downtown’s 35-block dazzling entertainment district.  Experience the cultural masterpieces of the Fort Worth Cultural District.

Make a vacation out of race week and stay in one of Fort Worth’s hotels. You can select a complete Fort Worth vacation package by visiting www.FortWorth.com.

For more information on places to stay and things to do during race week, visit www.FortWorth.com/visitors/samsungmobile500weekend. 

Billy Bob's Texas will kick of their 30 Year Anniversary Celebration on April 1 with Gary Allan Live in Concert.

The World's Largest Honky Tonk opened on April 1, 1981. Entertainers that opening month in 1981 included the likes of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Alabama and Hank Williams Jr. An All-Star lineup in April 2011 also features George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, George Thorogood, and The Josh Abbott Band.

The building now known as Billy Bob's Texas has a prominent place in the history of the Stockyards National Historic District. It was built as an open-air cattle barn in 1910, and in the 1950's was a department store so large that the stock boys wore roller skates. Today, this one-of-a-kind 100,000 square foot family entertainment center boasts 32 bar stations, a Texas-sized dance floor, a REAL bull riding arena and a capacity for more than
6,000 fun loving folks of all ages to enjoy the biggest names in entertainment.

For the past three decades, Billy Bob's has hosted the biggest stars in country and classic rock. The list of performers is practically endless, including Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Merle Haggard, Toby Keith, Shania Twain, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley and many more. Among the non-country entertainers are: Bob Hope, Kenny Loggins, Bret Michaels, STYX, Cheap Trick, Ringo Starr, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Ted Nugent and Pat Benetar.

Billy Bob's has received 11 Country Music Club of the Year Awards (8 from the Academy of Country Music ACM and 3 from the Country Music Association CMA). Billy Bob's has REAL Bull Riding performances, with professional bull riders, every Friday and Saturday night, and has bucked almost 50,000 in their indoor arena.

Each entertainer at Billy Bob's leaves an impression of their hands in concrete on the Wall of Fame, and visitors can see how their hands measure up to the hands of their favorite stars. Seeing handprints of departed stars like Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings and Chris LeDoux gives country music fans a great photo opportunity and they leave with a memorable experience.

In 1998, Billy Bob's partnered with Smith Music Group recording some of the great concerts Live at Billy Bob's. Currently, there are 39 artists recorded on the Live at Billy Bob's label. A commemorative, two disc, 30th Anniversary CD will be released, featuring 30 songs to highlight the journey of Billy Bob's Texas.

A 30th Anniversary Book "A Texas Legend" will outline the stars on stage, the stories backstage, and the legend of The World's Largest Honky Tonk. A documentary is also in the works with interviews from music icons Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Toby Keith, Dwight Yoakam and more. The CD, Book, and documentary will be available in Billy Bob's gift store, online at billybobstexas.com and at various retail outlets.

35 million beers
17 million visitors
46,000 bucking bulls
7,800 stars on stage
53 Willie Nelson Concerts
11 Country Music Club of the Year awards
1 WORLD'S LARGEST HONKY TONK

Billy Bob's Texas In addition to great concerts, here are highlights from the past 30 Years!
1981:
April 1 Billy Bob's Opens with Larry Gatlin, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings
December 28 ZZ Top
New Years Eve Bob Hope and Johnny Cash

1982
April Billy Bob's wins the first of 8 Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM)
May George Strait opens for Billy Jo Shaver

1983
March 21 Merle Haggard makes the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest round of drinks

1984
April Ray Charles performs
December First of 6 CBS-TV "Happy New Year America" TV Specials filmed

1986
Hank Williams Jr. concert sets the record for most beer bottle sales at 16,000 bottles

1987
Roy Orbison's last appearance at Billy Bob's Texas

1989
Garth Brooks first concert at Billy Bob's Texas

1990
Alan Jackson performed as an opening act and wrote the song "Dallas" on his bus backstage

1991
Tanya Tucker's baby shower for her son Beau Grayson is held at Billy Bob's Texas

1993
Toby Keith and Shania Twain performed together as a showcase for Mercury Records
Tim McGraw opened for Joe Diffie

1994
World premier party for the movie "8 Seconds" starring Luke Perry and Stephen Baldwin

1995
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. attends NASCAR Gala at Billy Bob's Texas

1998
Billy Bob's forms "Live at Billy Bob's" record label and records Pat Green, first of 40 Live CD's

2001
Comedian Rodney Carrington performs

2003
Colonial Golf Tournament holds the first of 9 sponsor/player parties at Billy Bob's Texas

2004
Breeder's Cup Gala, starring Willie Nelson, is held at Billy Bob's Texas

2005
Ted Nugent performs for the first time
Richard Petty Nascar Luncheon

2006 25th Anniversary
The Beach Boys Return

2008
Darius Rucker performs for the first time at Billy Bob's without Hootie & the Blowfish

2009
ZZ Top opens for Billy Bob Thornton

2010
Bret Michaels performs days before becoming diagnosed with a brain hemorage

2011
February NFL Super Bowl Parties held at Billy Bob's Texas
April 1 Billy Bob's 30th Anniversary Celebration

Fort Worth Nightlife combines with Fort Worth Western Heritage at Billy Bob's! For more information on Fort Worth Events visit www.FortWorth.com/Visitors/Calendar-of-Events.

 

 

For more information on Free in Fort Worth Events visit www.FortWorth.com/Visitors/Things-to-do/Free-in-Fort-Worth.