Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Dallas-Fort Worth

Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum is second only in size to it's counterpart in New York, and is the oldest art museum in Texas, having been chartered in 1892. The museum is housed in an eye-catching building, consisting of five long flat-roofed pavilions atop a 1.5-acre pond, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The museum's permanent collection of modern and contemporary paintings includes works by Picasso, Andy Warhol, Rauschenberg and Pollock. The museum also hosts visiting exhibitions and features a large sculpture collection.

Opening Times:
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm (8pm Fridays, and 7pm on Tuesdays between September and November). Closed on Mondays and major holidays.

Admission:
$10 (ages 13 and over); $4 (students with ID cards and seniors aged 65+); free for children under 12. Free admission on the first Sunday of every month, and half price on Wednesdays.

Fort Worth Stockyards, Dallas-Fort Worth

Fort Worth is THE place to experience the romance and mystique of the American Wild West, and the Stockyards National Historic District is the ideal place to start. The district encompasses 15 blocks packed full of exciting 'Cowtown' attractions, from rodeos to cattle drives, country music shows, shops selling genuine cowboy gear, saloons and Texan diners, and the 'Tarantula Train' steam railway on which regular re-enactments of a train robbery are performed. The Stockyard District is also the venue for several annual festivals and western events and home to the world-famous Billy Bob's Honky Tonk.

Opening Times:
Daily cattle drives at 11am and 4.30pm. Various other events at different times

Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas-Fort Worth

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy is commemorated in the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza where the 1963 shooting took place. Most chilling of the exhibits is the window area in the former Texas School Book Depository building from where sniper Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired the fatal shots at the 35th President's motorcade. The museum also documents Kennedy's life and legacy, featuring more than 20,000 artefacts and a large amount of archival material. A granite marker at the corner of Houston and Main Streets outside shows where Kennedy was assassinated and a memorial stands in nearby John F. Kennedy Plaza. Visitors to the museum can also view the Zapruder film of the assassination.

Getting There:
DART light rail and the Trinity Railway Express serve Union Station and West End Station, both of which are a short walk from the musuem.

Opening Times:
Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm; Monday 12pm to 6pm. Closed on Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Admission:
$13.50 (adults), $12.50 (children 6-18 and seniors aged 65+). Free for children under 6 years of age. Audio tours are available for an additional $3.50

Dallas Heritage Village, Dallas-Fort Worth

The city of Dallas' history is preserved in a living museum nestled in 13 wooded acres just south of downtown, known as Old City Park. This historical village consists of 38 buildings and houses, including a working farm, elegant Victorian homes, a school, church and a bank that is alleged to have been robbed by Bonnie and Clyde, all dating from between 1840 and 1910. All the structures in this recreated turn-of-the-century village have been collected from various locations in and around Dallas, and restored and re-assembled here.

Opening Times:
Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm; closed in January and August, and on major holidays

Admission:
$7 (adults), $5 (seniors aged 65 and older); $4 (children aged 4-12)

Six Flags Over Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth

The first of the Six Flags theme parks, Six Flags Over Texas has been a consistently-popular family attraction for over 50 years. Situated in the small town of Arlington, just 20 miles (about 32km) from Fort Worth, the amusement park is an ideal family day-trip destination. The park offers something for everyone, from 'thrill rides' (including the award-winning Texas Giant), to kids rides, to rides that can be enjoyed by the entire family at once. Six Flags Over Texas also stages events and festivals throughout the year - such as Spring Break Out, and Fright Fest (held over Halloween). With over a million annual visitors, Six Flags Over Texas has earned its reputation as one of the premier theme parks in America, and visitors to Fort Worth - and especially those travelling with kids in tow - would be ill-advised to miss it.

Opening Times:
Opening times vary, but are mainly from 10am to 10pm. Consult the website for up-to-date information

Admission:
$54.99 (adults); $34.99 (children under 48 inches); free for children under two years of age. If you book online, everyone pays $34.99

Dallas Holocaust Museum, Dallas-Fort Worth

The Dallas Holocaust Museum, Centre for Education and Tolerance, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and memorialising its victims. It provides guided tours for groups, audio tours for individuals, public lectures and exhibits. Originally situated in the Jewish Community Center, the museum has relocated to a larger premises in the centre of Dallas' historical district, adjacent to the Sixth Floor Museum, due to lack of space and having to turn away thousands of visitors each year. But even this is a temporary measure as an even larger museum is planned, which will be a powerfully symbolic structure to support its profound educational message.

Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Closed on major US and Jewish holidays.

Admission:
$8 (adults); $6 (seniors and students between 10-18); $4 (military personnel); other group concessions also available.

Fort Worth Zoo, Dallas-Fort Worth

Fort Worth's Zoo is ranked as one of the top five in the United States and is home to more than 5,000 animals living in natural habitat settings like Raptor Canyon, the Koala Outback and Asian Falls. A recently opened new eight-acre section called Texas Wild takes visitors on a journey through the state to see indigenous animals like swift foxes, ocelots and white-tailed deer, including some endangered species. This section includes a mock-up of a Texas town with a restaurant, store, saloon and jailhouse. Another popular diversion here is the chance to try managing a computer-simulated ranch.

Opening Times:
10am to 5pm daily (February 19 to March 25); 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 6pm on weekends (March 26 to September 18); 10am to 5pm daily (September 19 to October 28); 10am to 4pm daily (October 29 to February 17, 2012). Special holiday hours also apply.

Admission:
$13 (adults); $9 (children 3-12 and seniors 65+); free admission for toddlers (under 2 years of age). Half price admission on Wednesdays

Cattle Raisers Museum, Dallas-Fort Worth

The museum is dedicated to telling the story of the cowboy and cattle ranching industry of the southwest. Use has been made of talking mannequins, interactive exhibits, authentic artefacts and theatre presentations to bring alive the legends and lore of the Wild West, from Texas Rangers to rustlers. The museum also contains the largest collection of branding irons in the world.

Opening Times:
Daily from 10am to 5pm.

Admission:
$14 (adults), $10 (children and seniors)