How can a city nicknamed the City of Cowboys and Culture not be family-friendly? Fort Worth Texas has got something for everyone and even better – there are quite a few free things to do in Fort Worth with kids. Why not save your money for some of the delicious steak (or an upgrade on your hotel room!), and check out activities for kids in Fort Worth that won’t cost you anything. In this list of things to do in Fort Worth for free, you can find things to do in Fort Worth for kids that includes both cowboys and culture (as well as the occasional panther – the other nickname for Fort Worth).
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Where To Stay for Family Fun in Fort Worth
Like most major cities, Fort Worth has several distinct neighbourhoods, such as Downtown, Cultural District and the TCM/University area. To enjoy these kid things to do in Fort Worth, we suggest staying in Downtown Fort Worth or the Stockyards district.
To find the best hotel deals in Fort Worth in the right neighbourhood for you, check out Hotels.com!
Free Things To Do in Fort Worth For Kids
Free things to do in Fort Worth include checking out the amazing street murals, free museums, public gardens and activities that bring the Old West to life.
Check out the street art!
Just like Houston, there is a burgeoning mural and street art scene in Fort Worth Texas.
Hunting for street art in downtown is one of the best kid things to do in Fort Worth! It’s so much fun to find street art tucked away on the side of buildings (like hide and seek in the city!). Even more fun for older kids is to take selfies in front of the street art.
The twin themes of cowboys and culture present many opportunities for things to do with kids in Fort Worth
Street Murals can refer to both the old and new Fort Worth. For example the Chisolm Trail Mural on Sundance Square shows off the cattle drives from the mid 19th century. There’s also just cool and colourful street art and murals that give inspirational messages and nods to the current Fort Worth culture.
Note: Sundance Square itself is a shopping and entertainment area that covers some 20 blocks. You should/will definitely find yourself in Sundance Square at some point on your trip!
Although strictly public art and not street art, kids will love the colourful steel LOVE sculpture by Laura Kimpton. It’s a totally different take on the word LOVE as a sculpture than the ones that everyone is used to from Robert Indiana. Plus, this LOVE sculpture lights up at night in different colors.
Some free art not to miss:
- Chisolm Trail Mural, Sundance Square at Main and 3rd
- The Tunnel, Fort Works Art, 2100 Montgomery St
- Love The Fort Worth Love, 801 W. Magnolia Ave
- I’m Going To Be Something One Of These Days, The Dry Bar, 1653 River Run
- Love Sculpture, Westbend, 1701 River Run
Release your inner cowboy/cowgirl!
Relive the drama of the Old West with the Fort Worth Herd cattle drive which happens every day. On Sundays, Cowtown Opry brings Western music to live in a free concert at the Livestock Exchange Building.
Twice a day, cowboys in traditional Western gear drive Texas Longhorn cattle through the Fort Worth Stockyards just like they used to do in historical times. Before the cattle drive, you can view the herd and the cowhands are on hand to answer questions.
Visiting the historic Fort Worth Stockyards is one of the family friendly things to do in Fort Worth
If you are visiting during the summer months, on the weekends you can get a behind the scenes visit with the cattle herd. At “Cow Camp”, you’ll get to participate in such traditional activities as roping and branding. Both adults and kids can participate in these family things to do in Fort Worth that will bring the Old West to life for you.
Hours: Cattle Drive, every day at 11:30 AM and 4 PM; Cow Camp in the summer from 1:30—2:30 PM)
The Cowtown Opry is an organisation dedicated to keeping the music associated with the American Cowboy alive! A part of the musical heritage of Fort Worth, they play both vintage and modern cowboy music (not be confused with country music!).
Hours: Free concert, every Sunday at 2 PM
Indulge in some water fun!
Like most children, my kids have never met a water fountain they did not want to jump in!
In downtown Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Water Gardens is not only a fun family experience but also an architectural and engineering feat. This 4 acre urban park was built in 1974 by famous New York architect, Philip Johnson. The main pool is two feet deep with water running down in terraces to it. The Fort Worth Water Gardens are one of the best free things to do in Fort Worth.
Address: 1502 Commerce Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Hours: Every day from 7 AM to 10 PM
The Water Gardens in Fort Worth, Texas are among the fun things to do in Fort Worth for kids
In Downtown Forth, Sundance Square also has jetted fountains where children will love to play. For everyone’s enjoyment though, Sundance Square has allocated times where you are allowed to enter the fountains.
PlaytimeHours: Weekdays 2-6 PM, Weekends 1-6pm
Located far away from coastal Texas, you don’t expect to find a beach in this city. Yet, this is Texas! You will find Panther Island Pavilion. Texans specialise in surprising you.
Panther Island Pavilion is a pedestrianised outdoor urban area located on the Trinity River. You get to view wildlife along the river like turtles and birds. There is also a public beach that kids can enjoy splashing around in.
Fun Fact! Why the love of Panthers in Fort Worth? It goes back to the mid-19th century when Dallas made fun of Fort Worth for its lack of money. Fort Worth was supposedly so quiet that a panther could walk through it and no one would be around to scare it away.
Them be fighting words? No. Fort Worth embraced the panther trash talk and adopted “Panther City” as a nickname.
Address: 395 Purcey Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Take a walk!
The Texas Trail of Fame was set up in 2006 and goes through Sundance Square.
As you walk through downtown Fort Worth, 20+ bronze plaques tell you about historic events starting with the early 19th century days of Fort Worth. There is information about lots of things to do with Fort Worth, such as learning about the early women settlers, the city’s Hispanic Heritage and African-American citizens. And, a sleeping panther statue.
Summer things to do in Fort Worth for free include attending ‘Cow Camp” to learn about Longhorn steer
As well as being fun kid things to do in Fort Worth, finding the markers makes it a fun way to explore downtown as well tiring the kids out!
You can pick up a free map at the vistors center or download your map before you leave.
Go Museum Hopping!
With over 20 museums, Fort Worth definitely can live up to its reputation for culture!
Museum hopping with kids can be fun. No, really! We know what we are doing recommending these activities for kids in Fort Worth. Especially if a museum is free like these two museums in Fort Worth Texas that we recommend, you have nothing to lose by seeing if you can introduce your children to a bit of science and culture.
The downtown city area offers many things to do in Fort Worth for free
Children who are fascinated with outer space will love the Monnig Meteorite Gallery based at Texas Christian University. At this museum, you can learn all about meteors, see thousands of samples of space rocks and even touch an actual meteorite.
The Monnig Meterite Museum Address: 2950 West Bowie Street, Fort Worth TX 76109
Hours: Monday-Friday 1-4pm, Saturday 12-4 pm
If you are travelling with older kids, have a wander around The Kimbell Art Museum. Not only does this fantastic museum have a substantial collection of European masterpieces, the museum itself is an architectural marvel.
The original building was designed by renowned architect Louis I. Kahn in 1972 in concrete, stone and wood. A pavilion of concrete, glass and wood is a later addition from 2013 and was designed by Renzo Piano (the starchitect of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, The Shard in London and Whitney Museum in New York City).
The Kimbell Art Museum Address: 3333 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth TX 76107
Hours: Closed Mondays, Tues-Thursday and Saturday 10-5, Friday Noon-8, Sunday Noon-5
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There are quite a few free things to do in Fort Worth with kids. In this list of things to do in Fort Worth for free, you can find things to do in Fort Worth for kids. #fortworth #texas #freethings #free #kidfriendlyTexas Travel Destinations Honeymoon Backpack Backpacking Vacation #travel #vacation #budgettravel #offthebeatenpath #bucketlist #wanderlust #USA #UnitedStates #America #exploreTexas #visitTexas #seeTexas #discoverTexas #travelTexas #TexasVacation #TexasTravel #TexasHoneymoon
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