Living in South Texas gives us the opportunity to travel to many different places in driving distance. Recently, me and my family traveled to Ft. Worth, Texas and had an amazing time. We wanted to go on a quick but fun trip over spring break, and landed on Ft. Worth. We visited the water gardens, the zoo, had delicious food, and loved the hotel. Check out some of the greatness that Ft. Worth has to offer.

First off, we stayed at Hampton Inn Ft. Worth Downtown. My husband found a great deal using the Military Star card website. He booked through the American Forces Travel website and got a great price on a nice, comfy hotel. They offer free breakfast in the morning, have a gym, a super cool pool with a splash pad, and great amenities. They are doing construction in this area so it can be a bit noisy in the morning, but we are early risers anyway. The best part is that this hotel is in walking distance to tons of restaurants, shops, and the Water Gardens. The Water Gardens are this great place with waterfalls, pools of water, and different springs. It was so beautiful!

We also got to walk to Sundance Square. This is a cute outdoor hangout surrounded by restaurants, bakeries, and goodies for the kiddos. During the warmer months they have a splash pad that the kiddos can play in and lots of seating to just sit and relax. We ate a late lunch/early dinner at Fort Brewery and Pizza. The pizza was delicious! We are big pizza people, so I would not be recommending any kind of pizza that was not great! 

Next, we got to explore the Ft. Worth Zoo. We have been to a lot of zoos and this has probably been one of the BEST! Wednesdays are half price and I will say it does get SUPER crowded. I would honestly use the ITT next time and get a smaller discount to go on a different day. However, even filled with people it was a great zoo. They are doing some construction and will have a new exhibit opening this summer. We want to go back and check that out.

One recommendation that I would give is to take the zoo train at the front of the park. It is $4 and not a scenic train, but it will place at the back of the zoo. This means that you can start from the back and work your way back to the front. I wish I had known this before, but now we know for next time. We didn’t eat there, but you are allowed to take in ice chest/coolers to eat at some of the various seating areas. They have a Kona ice (shaved ice) located inside and we took advantage of that! This is a must for those hot Texas days! Overall, this zoo was filled with a lot of animals, great exhibits, and fun shows. It is a must if you are bringing the kiddos to Ft. Worth. 

If the kiddos aren’t tired enough after the zoo, try out Dream Park.

It is located in close proximity to the zoo and is a huge gated playground. The kids played for about an hour before we went to eat dinner. By the time we got to the hotel they were done. Showers and bedtime happened quickly.

We also visited the Stockyards. Now if you know Texas, you know longhorns are a staple. At the Stockyards they have shows, longhorn walks, and tons of food and shopping. The Stockyards were busy while we were there, but we loved it! Heads up, it will smell like animals, but hey, that’s part of country life! We picked up a lot of souvenirs at the shops, ate an amazing steak dinner at H3 Steakhouse, and visited a candy store where I got my mom about 40 different types of salt water taffy.  Next time we go, we are going to plan more around the events at the Stockyard. I 100% recommend checking them out as well. 

Finally, anyone that knows me knows I love donuts. So no trip would be complete without finding a donut shop! We visited Funkytown Donuts and Drafts and picked up some tasty treats for me and the family.

We ate a quick breakfast at The Waffle House, and then had our donuts for a mid-ride snack! Oh speaking of breakfast, we also got to enjoy an AMAZING breakfast at The Ol’ South Pancake House. Y’all, they were probably the best pancakes I have ever had!! The breakfast there is totally worth it and this is a 100% must try!

Overall, we had a great time in Ft. Worth and will be going back to explore more. This was short trip, and I feel like there is so much more that we need to check out. So if you are in Texas or a surrounding area, check out the great city Ft. Worth because it has so much to offer! 

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