Rodeo at Fort Worth

There were few more things to see at Fort Worth. So we dedicated one more weekend to visit the remaining attractions there.

We started with the down town and spent time till after noon roaming around the spacious and beautiful lanes and visiting some museums. Also, we enjoyed a nice lunch from there.

When we reached the Log Cabin Village which was bit far from city, where an old time village is preserved as it is, it was already closed. We saw it from outside and then returned to the Stockyards area by evening.

We spent some time watching the longhorns in the yards and then proceeded to see the rodeo show for the first time. Rodeo is a popular cowboy sport where they show off their skill at riding, roping and rounding up cattle. It was staged in the historic cowtown coliseum and the events included bull riding (where the bull will try to throw off the rider), horse riding (same on horseback), team roping (cowboys on horse back will catch a running bull with ropes), calf roping (same done on a calf) and women's barrel racing where horseback cowgirls will ride the horse around barrels without letting them fall. All the events were real timed competitions where different teams participated.

There were some fun items too like asking a gang of kids to get hold of a ribbon tied to the tale of a running calf. The scene of calf running away at seeing a whole bunch of kids chasing it down was funny but at the same time cruel.

On Tarantula from Grapevine to Fort Worth

Grapevine is a small city within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolis in Texas. It is around 10 miles from where I live (Irving) and we had a nice weekend getaway there.

We started with the small museum which tells about the history of the city. Like all other museums here, it showcased many items that were used by the people who lived here years ago.

Next to it was the Vetro Art Glass Company where their employees (artists) demonstrated how those beautiful art glasses were made. We spent a lot of time watching the colorful glass rods turning into excellent art works of glass.

The Main Street was the famous and the only major street in Grapevine with a variety of restaurants and shops on both sides. We tried chocolates from a beautiful chocolate shop and had a yummy lunch from an Italian restaurant.

By then it was time to board the Tarantula train. This train with its authentic Victorian style coaches travels through The Grapevine Vintage Railroad along the historic cotton belt route between Grapevine and Fort Worth Stockyards.

The trip recreated the excitement of old days train travel and we were attacked by train robbers who came on horseback and started shooting in the air with their guns. Those who didn’t know that it was a staged event were startled by this and most of the kids started crying.

The Stockyards station at For Worth was another delight to see with its completely wooden made stalls selling all kinds of cow boy stuffs. For Worth is known for its cow boy culture.

We roamed around the Stockyard cultural district watching the crowd and the fun.

There were lots of bikers with their vrooming Harley Davidsons along the Exchange Avenue.

Visitors were busy posing for photos with the popular Texas longhorns (Gigantic cattle with its characteristic horns) and persons dressed up as Red Indians.

We also visited a museum that showcased the cow boy culture of this historic town.

Before we left Fort Worth for Grapevine in Tarantula, we could watch the coveted cattle drive that showed how the cowboys herd down their cattle, with every detail being authentic.