KEY Magazine Fort Worth

WEST SIDE STORIES
Adventure Awaits on Fort Worth's historic and modern west side.
by Don Patterson

Fort Worth was long ago dubbed the "place where the west begins", and the accolade is truer today than in the era of our early frontier settlers. Expansion and development has transformed the city's west side into a Mecca for those pursuing all that is truly "western." Here, the arts, fine dining, specialty shops, and nature in all its splendor flourish and give the community its distinct Cowtown flavor. Some of the southwest's finest museums and art galleries are nestled here in a sprawling cultural complex that can't seem to stop growing. The fabled Land of Oz had its yellow-brick road but Fort Worth boasts a thoroughfare that leads wayfarers to both the old west and the new.

The old fashioned red-bricked pavement of Camp Bowie Boulevard lures visitors and natives alike to the city's cultural district. Lining the roadway is an ever-expanding collection of art galleries, auditoriums, boutiques, museums, restaurants, shopping malls, and theaters.

At the doorway to the cultural district, Fort Worth's famed Casa Manana theatre commands the view. Popular live productions can be enjoyed under the theatre's distinctive geodesic dome. Casa Manana was originally heralded for its popular theater-in-the-round motif. Recent modernizing includes a modified thrust proscenium design, enlarging the stage and expanding and elevating seating to give play-goers a superior view.

Just to the north, additional cultural landmarks hold court, beginning with the newly expanded Amon Carter Museum, home to a premiere collection of American art and sculpture. Nearby is the Kimbell, widely regarded as one of America's best small art museums. The neighboring Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth is the oldest art museum in Texas, and is now housed in a brand new building, designed by the world-renowned Japanese architect, Tadao Ando.

The Fort Worth Museum of Science & History is home to over 100,000 artifacts, a planetarium and an Omni Max Theatre with its giant 3-story wraparound viewing screen.

The new National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame celebrates over 150 notable women who made history through grit, grace and gumption. Neighboring the Will Rogers Memorial Complex, this interactive museum pays homage to leading ladies like Dale Evans, famed rodeo riders like Flores Ladue, equestrian trailblazer Carol Rose, and many others. And the list goes on as new honorees are inducted yearly. A message perhaps for western cowboys? Hats off boys, as we salute these famous ladies!

Just next door, plans are being made for what will be the new home of the Cattle Raisers' Museum, a unique residence for countless artifacts and numerous automated talking mannequins that describe the legends, lore, and legacy of Cattledom, from its infancy to the present day. The museum is currently located not far from the cultural District at 1301 West Seventh Street.

If lengthy museum meanderings leave visitors with hunger pangs, they can be eased via two charming in-house dining establishments. The Kimbell Museum Restaurant offers indoor or patio lunch and a light evening buffet where diners can relax in the ambiance of one of the most beautiful modern buildings in America. Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum offers similar amenities from its 250-seat Café Modern and outdoor dining terrace overlooking a serene reflecting pond. The Café's full-service kitchen delivers superb cuisine for lunch, Sunday brunch, and scheduled seasonal dinners.

Neighboring the museum community is a sprawling attraction that shouts aloud in truly western language. The city's landmark Will Rogers Memorial Center is a multi-purpose entertainment complex under 45 acres of roof spread over 85 acres. It houses the Will Rogers Coliseum and auditorium crowned by an entryway Pioneer Tower erected in 1936, the year of the Texas Centennial. Largest of all the buildings, the coliseum is the first domed structure of its kind in the world. The 2,856-seat auditorium has hosted a montage of famous old and new entertainers including Jack Benny, Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, The Vienna Boys Choir, and the Rolling Stones. The complex also boasts an equestrian center and modern exhibit halls home to several annual horse shows, trade shows, and other special events. Each year almost a million people attend the three-week long Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, featuring the Lone Star State's largest and longest running championship rodeo.

Small art galleries compliment the cultural district, allowing visitors a more intimate view of western art and crafts. Galerie Kornye West features 19th and 20th century masterworks while William Campbell Contemporary Art spotlights artists of today. The Alpine Art and Edmund Craig galleries offer a mix of styles and the Carol Henderson Gallery features an eclectic collection of paintings, photographs, glass sculpture and jewelry.

Shoppers will find a broad selection of merchandise in cultural district specialty shops. European antiques and upholstery can be found at Domain XCIV. Strings, whose motto is "changing the ordinary into the extraordinary," features decorative objects from around the world. House of Tuscany offers lighting accents and unique accessories. And Backwoods provides sports clothing and equipment. The area also features common shopping and service outlets from grocery stores to print shops that readily serve both tourists and residents. If you're a visitor and have left medication at home, you can have a prescription filled at Daniel Drug, a community independently owned pharmacy. They will deliver prescriptions to a nearby residence or downtown hotels.

Southward off University Drive, visitors can experience nature in all its grandeur at Trinity Park, a pristine oasis bordered by a fork of the placid Trinity River. Here, picnic fans, joggers, and visitors looking for a rest break can explore its meandering pathways. Opposite the park, across University Drive, Fort Worth's Botanic Garden, beckons. This peaceful haven is the oldest botanic garden in Texas, a lush 109-acre tapestry of dappled shade and vibrant splashes of color. The Garden is home to over 2,500 species of native and exotic plants that flourish in its 21 specialty gardens. A short distance farther south, one can visit the City's illustrious Zoo, named one of the nation's best. Across from the zoo, Log Cabin Village offers history buffs another view of the city's rich frontier history. The village consists of seven authentic log homes dating from the mid-to-late 1800s. Each is decorated with museum quality antiques and artifacts, some of which belonged to the families that once lived in the homes. Period dressed interpreters greet visitors inside each cabin, telling the history of the home and answering questions.

Cultural addicts and nature fans won't go hungry anywhere on Fort Worth's west side. Appetites can be appeased via nearby restaurants featuring cuisines ranging from American to Asian, continental, and eclectic. Sardine's new restaurant location on University Drive continues it's family-owned tradition in offering consistently fine Italian cuisine. The eatery has earned an additional reputation as "the" romantic late-night jazz spot, where stellar pianist Johnny Case performs with his trio. Off University on White Settlement Road, a Texas dining tradition reigns. Angelo's restaurant offers 45 years of first class BBQ know-how in a casual setting and boasts the coldest beer in town. Michael's offers contemporary ranch dishes including the owner/chef's crusted tuna appetizer and his signature peppered beef tenderloin with Chile-bourbon sauce. Café Aspen serves elegant preparations that score high on looks and flavor. Hui Chuan asks diners to experience "origami food." Simpler fare like soup, sandwiches and subs can be found at the nearby Great Outdoors eatery. Hamburger purists can enjoy the traditional beef and bun at Kincaid's Burgers, another favorite west side spot. The Camp Bowie thoroughfare offers still another taste of BBQ and steak at Risky's, a family owned chain offering fine food and elite service. Nearby, El Fenix promises Mexican and Tex-Mex food "so good, if it were any better, it would be against the law." Go farther west on White Settlement Rd. to visit Cathy Mancuso's Italian Ristorante where cadres of famous guests, including singer icon Tony Bennett, have chosen to dine. Mancuso's delivers superb Yankee-styled Italian fare in a homey yet romantic atmosphere.

Beyond the cultural district, more shopping, dining and entertainment beckons. Southward, University Park Village, affords a delightful stroll through an open-air mall. The village is home to Uncommon Angles, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, Starbucks, Victoria's Secret, Blue Mesa and La Piazza Restaurants. Just outside the village, along University Drive, more dining choices abound, including the Hoffbrau and Silver Fox steak houses, Romano's Macaroni Grill, a favorite Italian eatery, and Panera bread, a popular bakery and coffee shop.

To the west, newly constructed Chapel Hill offers another outdoor complex with a pseudo-adobe southwestern décor. Restaurants include the delights of Mi Cocina and a homey diner labeled The Purple Cow. A new Asian eatery called Big Bowl offers sumptuous feasts from a variety of Asian lands. Specialty shops include World Market, a cornucopia of imported furnishings, wine, gourmet coffee, and gifts. Next door is Central Market, a grocery superstore that swallows visitors in a labyrinth of display cases. Rising to its south is Chapel Hill's namesake–crowned by the stunning Marty Leonard Community Chapel designed by
E. Fay Jones.

Farther west, lies Ridgmar, an indoor shopping complex recently renovated to the tune of $70 million. Ridgmar contains 3 levels of over 100 stores connected by paved brick and tile boulevards and escalators.

So whether you're in the mood for art, casual or elegant dining, dedicated shopping, surveying nature's beauty, or just looking for leisurely exploration, do what Fort Worth savvy natives and visitors do–Go West!

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