Hi there! Today we are going to talk about the Fort Worth Stockyards.

 

 

Say what? I thought this article was supposed to be Oklahoma based?

 

Well, it is, and it will continue to be. But I had the pleasure of breaking away with my beautiful wife Dawna for my 45th birthday weekend.

 

Of the list of places to choose from that was considered a reasonable drive from Norman, Oklahoma, I wanted to choose a place that was close enough for us and give us both a chance at a kid-free weekend.

 

So, I chose Fort Worth.

 

 

With that being said, I am going to give you a free itinerary to cattle town. Nonetheless, it will at least be from my perspective anyways.

 

Without further ado, let’s jump into the article!

 

 

 

 

The Fort Worth Stockyards: The Perfect Weekend Getaway

 

 

 

 

Firstly, this might make a few people upset, but I really don’t care.

 

I prefer Fort Worth over Dallas any day of the week. And here’s why.

 

The people are friendlier.

 

As far as I’m concerned, Fort Worth rivals Oklahoma City in a lot of ways. The stockyards are very similar, as is the culture and the people are polite.

 

Not to say Dallas people are rude, but there is definitely an attitude that seems to be different. Fort Worth is now considered the 12th largest city in the country, but make no mistake, the people carry Southern Charm.

 

As someone who worked several years in the restaurant business, I am a foodie at heart. And Fort Worth has some incredible places that are worth trying out. But we will get into that in a minute. In addition to the great food and culture, I like the traffic a little bit better too. We left on a Friday night and were in Fort Worth in 3 hours. That’s not bad at all.

 

 

Sweetzy’s Snow cones

 

I have said this before, and I will say it again. EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS!

 

This includes the snow cones.

 

Meanwhile it was really hot in Fort Worth. Not to state the obvious with-it being summertime, but you get a lot of 80-degree midnight temps in the lone star state. There is no such thing as relief.

 

A few days from arriving in Fort Worth, a Tik Tok caught my wife’s and I attention. The reel we saw grabbed our attention in the delightfulness of a huge ass snow cone.

 

But not just any snow cone. One that was filled inside a half-cut watermelon. Again, being the foodies that we are, we just had to try one.

 

 

After waiting in line for nearly 20 minutes mid-afternoon, this was the perfect cool down treat for both of us. We elected to try the pineapple version. The thing was gigantic as everything is in the lone star state is. I chose Wild cherry, and had it filled with all of our favorite sour candy such as sour patch kids and the worms.

 

The place is located in the heart of Fort Worth, and I highly recommend this place during the hot summer months.

 

 

 

Joe T’s Garcia

 

 

 

Didn’t I mention earlier that we were on a kid-free weekend?

 

I did.

 

I had heard about Joe T’s Garcia from a friend at work. He had mentioned to me earlier in the month that you go for the food, but the experience is what it hangs its hat on.

 

The best way I can describe this place is the Disneyland of Mexican Food. We waited for over an hour to get a table. Not the ideal place to bring a small child by any means. But it was just us this time. We ran into some nice folks that were from Oregon if that says anything. At Billy Bob’s a famous place for drinks and live music was hosting the band, Midland. They were completely sold out at not surprise by us. But the Saturday night crowd at Joe Ts was bringing in people from all over the country.

 

 

 

When we finally got to our table, we were sat in an enormous patio. A patio that could seat two average size restaurants in Oklahoma. Like I said everything is bigger in Texas.

 

The menu is simple. Enchiladas or Fajitas. They do have a small nacho that comes with the enchiladas and also have a small quesadilla that you can pair with any of these items. We chose the fajitas, and they came with all of the trimmings that a typical Mexican restaurant would come with.

 

 

 

For more information on Joe Ts, you can find their menu here.

 

 

 

 

Hutchins BBQ

 

Last but not least, after feasting for over a day on great food, it was time to head back home.

 

But we had to stop somewhere famous on the way out.

 

Enter Hutchins BBQ.

 

This place has 3 locations in the DFW area and let me tell you- It was the best BBQ I have ever had. This includes the outstanding BBQ I have tried in Kansas City and Memphis.

 

The Texas Twinkie-which was my favorite, was a smoked jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese, smoked brisket and wrapped in applewood bacon and then polished off with a BBQ brush.

 

 

 

I met my friend Mark who lives in Dallas and is finishing up Law School. He met us at the Frisco location and we all 3 were blown away from the quality of food and sides.

 

And to top things off, Hutchins offers complimentary banana pudding and peach cobbler. That alone set this place apart. But the brisket and beef rib were out of this world good, and we have told several people about our experience.

 

 

Thoughts & Takeaways

And that will wrap things up for today. The Fort Worth Stockyards is full of history and charm. It is also got some of the friendliest people around. The food and ambiance mixed with old-time cattle vibes makes this one of our favorite getaways. I hope you enjoyed this article. Please share your experiences that you have with the Fort Worth Stockyards in the comment section below.

 

 

-CT