Forth Worth, Texas

Get in

By plane

All the major American carriers, and many international ones as well, provide scheduled passenger service into the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, located exactly 17 miles from downtown Fort Worth. This airport is one of three major hubs for American Airlines. American Airlines is also headquartered in Fort Worth.

By train

Amtrak's Texas Eagle provides daily service between Chicago, Illinois and San Antonio, Texas with stops in Fort Worth and Dallas. Also, Amtrak's Heartland Flyer provides daily service between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, and points in between. Woefully underfunded, passenger train service in the United States is a slow but scenic way to travel, if you aren't too concerned about arriving on time.

By car

Fort Worth may be easily reached via I-20 or I-30 from the east or west, or by I-35W from the north or south. I-35 splits into two branches north of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, the west branch going to Fort Worth and the east branch (I-35E) to Dallas. The branches rejoin to the south.

Car Rental Companies include:

• Alamo Rent A Car, Toll free: 1-800-462-5266.
• Avis Rent A Car, Toll free: 1-800-331-1212.
• Budget Rent A Car, Toll free: 1-800-527-0700.
• Dollar Rent A Car, Toll free: 1-800-800-3665.
• E-Z Rent-A-Car, Toll free: 1-800-277-5171.
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Toll free: 1-800-261-7331.
• Hertz Car Rental, Toll free: 1-800-654-3131.
• Thrifty, Toll free: 1-800-847-4389.

By bus

Greyhound serves as the national/regional bus carrier for this area. Also, subsidiaries of Greyhound, such as TNM&O serve as the regional carrier.

By boat

Get around

Buses and Train service link many areas of town. Trinity Rail Express has commuter train service between downtown Fort Worth, DFW Airport and downtwon Dallas. Service is Monday through Saturday. No scheduled services on Sundays and most major holidays.

See

• The National Cowboys of Color Museum at 3400 Mount Vernon Ave. (817)534-8801.

• C.R. Smith Aviation Museum 4601 Hwy. 360 (817)967-1560.

• Stockyards Museum 131 E. Exchange Ave (817) 625-5082.

• Kimball Art Museum 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd. (817)332-8451.

• Fort Worth Cats Baseball. For a unique baseball experience, catch a Cats game at LaGrave Field, located just west of downtown. Ticket prices and parking are substantially less expensive than those at a Texas Rangers game, and LaGrave Field is a quaint throwback to the small ballparks of the early to mid 20th century.

Do

• Sundance Square, is 20 blocks of shops, bars & restaurants, brick-paved sidewalks and historic buildings. Well lit and popular with tourists and locals, Sundance Square is frequently the center for outdoor events such as concerts and art festivals.
• Bass Performance Hall, is a state-of-the-art venue presenting concerts, musicals, and theatrical performances throughout the year.
• Fort Worth Stockyards, Just north of the downtown area is the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, where you'll find Texas style nightlife at bars like / Billy Bob's and even a rodeo.
• For baseball fans, catch a Fort Worth Cats game at New LaGrave Field, 817/226-2287. Opened in the summer of 2002, the $2.5 million ballpark seats 4,500 patrons and features a pavilion, boxed seating and excellent food. Admission. For schedule information and ticket prices.
• Vast green parks and surrounding network of major lakes offer abundant opportunities for water sports and outdoor recreation. Burnett Park at Lamar and Texas Sts., on land donated by cattle baron Samuel Burk Burnett, features sculptures, pools, and granite walkways.
• MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, ranked 8th in the country by the Art Fair Source Book and the Harris List, and number one in Texas, celebrates its 21st year on April 20 - 23, 2006. MAIN ST., presented by Coors Light and produced by Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., hosts tens of thousands of people annually during the four-day visual arts, entertainment and cultural event. MAIN ST. showcases a nationally recognized fine art and fine craft juried art fair, live concerts, performance artists and street performers on the streets of downtown Fort Worth-stretching nine blocks on Main Street from the Tarrant County Courthouse to the Fort Worth Convention Center. (Free)
• Sundance Square Parade of Lights, Late November. Watch colorful illuminated floats, beautiful antique cars, marching bands, equestrian units, horse-drawn carriages and a cast of delightful characters dressed in their holiday best. The unforgettable parade and an annual visit from Santa Claus and his elves will make the Sundance Square Parade of Lights a fun-filled holiday experience for the entire family! Free.
• The Fort Worth Zoo, 1989 Colonial Parkway, 817/759-7555, Open M-F 10AM-5PM and Sa,Su 10AM-6PM. Come see the animals and interactive exhibits. Admission: $7.00 to $10.50. (Wednesdays are half-price)
• The Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, 817/871-7686. Admission: $1, Japanese garden $2.50.

Learn

• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
• The College of Saint Thomas More
• Tarrant County College
• Texas Christian University
• University of North Texas Health Science Center
• Texas Wesleyan University
• Texas Wesleyan University School of Law

Work

Today Fort Worth is one of Texas's major cities with a wide range of industries, including the headquarters or regional hubs of corporations such as:

• RadioShack

• Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

• American Airlines

• Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad

• Pier1

• Bombay Company

• Carter & Burgess

• Uniden

• Motorola

• US Army Corps of Engineers District and Southwest Division Office

German

• Bavarian Bakery and Cafe - Authentic German Cuisine - 3000 Se Loop 820,Fort Worth, TX 76140, 817-551-1150

Budget

• Kincaid's - Texas's (perhaps America's) best burgers - 4901 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 817-732-2881 (Mon - Sat, 11:00A - 6:00P)

• Angelo's Bar-B-Que - Tie for the best BBQ in the southwest - 2533 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, TX 817-332-0357 (Mon - Sat, 11:00A - 10:00P)

• Railhead Smokehouse - Tie for the best BBQ in the southwest - 2900 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, TX 817-738-9808 (Mon - Sat, 11:00A - 9:00P)

Mid-range

• Uncle Julio's - Fine Tex-Mex food - 5301 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 817-377-2777 Excellent Tex-Mex food with friendly staff. Good happy hour drink pricing before 6pm. $8-$30

• Joe T. Garcia's - More fine Tex-Mex cuisine - 2201 N. Commerce St., Fort Worth, TX 817-626-4356 Their fajitas are good. They're known, however, for their muy strong margaritas [Note: this is a cash-only establishment]

Splurge

Drink

Two places you must go to: 8.0 and Flying Saucer

• 8.0 Restauant and Bar, 111 East 3rd Street, Phone: 817-336-0880. A great place with indoor/outdoor activities. Live music outside and live DJ inside. The place also serves food but it is typically for the ambiance that people go there.

• Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, 111 E 4th St., Phone: (817) 336-7468. The gameroom offers a place to play a game of pool, chess or darts. The shiny, faux-rock floor throughout is enhanced by the vast collection of vintage dinnerware adorning every wall. They have the largest selection of beer (225 varieties) around. Menu selections include Creamy Beer Cheese Soup, the Build-Your-Own Sausage and Cheese Plate, spicy sausage quesadillas and traditional bratwurst with German potato salad.

Sleep

Budget

Baymont Inn - S Fort Worth

Benison Inn and Suites - Fort Worth

Best Western - Fort Worth

Best Western - Lake Worth

Comfort Inn - Fort Worth

• Motel 6 Ft Worth East, 1236 Oakland Boulevard, +1 817 834-7361, Fax: +1 817 834-1573.
• Motel 6 Ft Worth North, 3271 I-35W, +1 817 625-4359, Fax: +1 817 625-8256.
• Motel 6 Ft Worth South, 6600 South Freeway, +1 817 293-8595, Fax: +1 817 293-8577.
• Motel 6 Ft Worth West, 8701 I-30 West, +1 817 244-9740, Fax: +1 817 244-1697.

Microtel Inns & Suites - Fort Worth North / Fossil Creek.

Microtel Inns & Suites - Ft. Worth South.

Super 8 - North Fort Worth.

Studioplus - Fort Worth.

Mid-range

• AmeriSuites Fort Worth, 5900 Cityview Blvd, (817) 361-9797, Located in southwest Fort Worth just nine miles south of downtown Fort Worth.

Splurge

The Ashton - Fort Worth

Hilton - Fort Worth

Renaissance Worthington - Fort Worth

Lockheed Martin Plant

Options ideal for travel to the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics plant: 200 N Grants Ln, Fort Worth, TX 76108, adjacent to the Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base (JRB, formerly Carswell Air Force Base):

• Hampton Inn, 2700 S Cherry Lane, phone: 817.560.4180, Clean, good breakfast buffet, located 2.0 miles from plant.
• Holiday Inn Express, 2730 Cherry Lane, phone: 817.560.4200, located 2.0 miles from plant.
• Courtyard by Marriott, 3150 Riverfront Dr., phone: 817.335.1300, Great location off University Drive adjacent to Trinity Park, adjacent to river front walking path, located approximately 7.2 miles from plant.
• Residence Inn by Marriott, 1701 S University Dr, phone: 817.870.1011, Great location off University Drive adjacent to Trinity Park, adjacent to river front walking path, located approximately 7.2 miles from plant.
• Spring Hill Suites, 3250 Lovell Ave, phone: 817.878.2554, Located off University Drive approximately 6.8 miles from plant.

Contact

Good Cellular phone coverage by all major providers throughout the city and all major roadways. Internet hot-spots available at most Starbucks Coffee locations, DFW Airport, and FedEx Kinko's offices.

• Starbucks Coffee 1612 S. University Dr.
• Starbucks Coffee 4849 Bryant Irvin Rd.
• Starbucks Coffee 3250 Hulen St.

Stay safe

As with any large city, it pays to be vigilant in Fort Worth. The city's central arts and entertainment district is well policed, however, and so long as you make sure you lock your car and hide any valuables inside, all you should need is a little extra awareness of your surroundings. The city's freeways can be quite dangerous if you are not accustomed to driving in such high volumes of rapidly moving traffic; keep this in mind when planning a trip.

Cope

Looking for a Gym workout?. 24 Hour Fitness' and Bally Total Fitness have many locations throughout the area. Day passes range from $10 - $20. Bring a lock and towel.