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Published: April 14th 2016
Who Says Uncle Larry Doesn’t Like Art
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History - Fort Worth TXOn a Wednesday, my normal travel day, I violated one of the tenets of traveldom, “Don’t visit field-trip-friendly attractions on a school day” and set out for the
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in, youbetya, Fort Worth. My research indicated there were three institutions linked in some fashion, but I really wasn’t able to decipher the exact relationship so I selected what seemed to be the Grand Mother Bear of the lot as identified above. After exiting the freeway, I began to see blue signs touting “Tourist Information.” Plan B – stop there to get informed. I missed the turn because, for no apparent reason, the blue signs became brown (or green or red, but they appeared brown). I backtracked but could find no other signage – blue or brown. On to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.
The foyer houses a large remnant of the steel structure salvaged from the Twin Towers after the 911 collapse. When I purchased my ticket, I inquired about the Omni IMAX presentations of the day and was told
National Parks Adventure (1:35 PM),
Jerusalem (2:40 PM) and
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (3:45 and 7:00 PM) were scheduled. Perhaps the powers to be know
something I don’t – only one show all day! ASIDE – The facility also is home to Noble Planetarium which offers
Texas Sky Tonight at 2 PM and
Design a Mission at 3 PM and 4 PM. Somebody please help me understand the scheduling of these presentations! I paid my admission and got a pass for the
National Parks Adventure presentation which was awesome and took me to places this old codger will never see firsthand. I learned later, the Omni IMAX theater is accessible apart from the museum via a separate entrance. I guess the brain trust and the locals know the adults will come AFTER the children have departed.
As soon as I looked at the facility map, it became obvious that the
Cattle Raisers Museum was housed in a wing of the facility and was not a separate entity. Since that museum was the primary reason for my interest in this zip code, that’s where I started. As I alluded to in the Week 1 episode of this DFW blog, the story of cattle is the story of Texas and this facility tells it well – the genesis of cattle in the southwest, cowboys, cattle drives, railroads and
Learning The Language Of The Brand
Cattle Raisers Museum - Fort Worth TX cattle brands. One learns about the major cattle drive trails – Chisholm, Shawnee, Goodnight-Loving and Western – and cattle rustling, then and now. One sees and learns about cowboy equipment – saddles, spurs, branding irons and cowboy hats. The history of the Fort Worth Stockyards and meat processing in Fort Worth are outlined before the impact of trucking on both those industries is discussed. Aside from the cattle industry, there are several sculptures and a collection of photographs taken by Bill Wittliff, an award winning American screenwriter, author and photographer, who wrote several screenplays in addition to screenplays for the
Lonesome Dove mini-series. These photographs were taken during the shooting of that mini-series. For me, this wing of the museum is worth the price of admission, but it’s too bad it is not a stand-alone museum that is history-oriented and more geared to an adult audience.
There is an interesting series of placards tracing the history of IBM from the days when it was known as C-T-R (Computer-Tabulating-Recording Company). There is an interesting exhibit that explains the various types of light waves, wavelength and period and another that explains how seismology is used to find oil deposits. There are
There Is Significant Symbolism In This Memorial
Vietnam War Memorial - Fort Worth Botanic Garden - Fort Worth TX areas of interest for adults, but make no mistake, this is a kids’ museum. Oh, yes, about the third attraction that appeared to have been a part of the bundle – I learned from an attendant that
Fire Station No. 1 has been dismantled.
My next stop was the
Vietnam War Memorial in Fort Worth Botanic Garden. My resource told me, “This monument is actually a thank you from members of Charlie Company for the support of the City of Fort Worth during the Vietnam War.” I kept my expectations low; however, I occasionally have been shocked by a diamond I have found in the roughest of roughs. I must admit my expectation level was spot on, but there is an interesting, heart-warming story behind the memorial and the interpretation of its symbolism at the hyperlink above. If one has occasion to visit the botanic garden, then seek out the memorial.
I devoted an entire day to visit several attractions I had discovered in the Weatherford TX area. My first stop was at the restored 1909 Santa Fe Depot which is now home to the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center. This all-brick structure was one of the first in the area to be built with concrete floors.
I told the attendant of my planned visits – one of which was the Peter Pan statue. The Peter Pan character was played by Weatherford native
Mary Martin. After Martin’s divorce, her career physically took her from her son,
Larry Hagman. Hagman bounced around among relatives as a youngster but eventually graduated from Weatherford High School. The relationship between Martin and Hagman is interesting to say the least. The helpful attendant told me of a statue of J.R. Ewing, as portrayed by Hagman, of which I was unaware and advised me of a couple of local “ma and pa” restaurants. As it turned out, I didn’t see the J.R. Ewing statue or patronize either of the restaurants.
Back when I first learned that Weatherford was home to the
National Vietnam War Museum, I was cautiously excited – cautiously since I had never heard of the institution from any of my compadres or from the magazines of any of the veterans’ service organizations. As with the Vietnam War Memorial just noted, I kept my expectations low. The web site main page clearly states, “Now, a national museum is envisioned to help us remember and understand;” however, envisioned is the operative word. AT THIS TIME, I
reluctantly must say that my low expectations were not low enough, and, for the average tourist, this attraction is not worth a stop even if passing directly in front of the institution. I made my donation and wish them well in their efforts but, unfortunately, don’t expect to see the finished product in my lifetime.
I continued on to the eight-building
Old Jail Museum in Palo Pinto TX which includes four cabins, the Old Jail and Fort Black Springs. Only the jail building is original to the site with all the other buildings having been relocated from other locales in the county. The curator was quite proud of the fact that nothing in the property has been purchased and that the generous donations by the citizens of the county demonstrates their pride in their community. I must say that her pride is well-founded. Not only the structures but the dismantling, the transportation and the reassembly were donated. Most of the buildings are well adorned with artifacts from the 1800s. I found several interesting placards including “Story of the Maverick” and the origins of the cattle drives following the Civil War. I found an old ballot box I had never seen and
Quite An Interesting Landmark
Parker County Courthouse (1886) - Weatherford TX a refrigerator with the compressor mounted atop the box. I was told the refrigerator was from the second year of production making it one of the earliest advancements from the iceboxes of old. I believe most folks could spend an enjoyable hour or two perusing the artifacts.
I made my way back to Weatherford to the Peter Pan Statue which is located in front of the library and then to the 1886
Parker County Courthouse. The courthouse is located on a roundabout. By the time of my arrival, the folks in the courthouse were singing, “Just About Closin’ Time” and rush hour was at its peak. I, therefore, didn’t attempt to go inside and didn’t attempt to circumnavigate the structure, but the old gal is worth a pause to admire. Without question, the highlight of the day was the Old Jail Museum.
I decided to visit the
International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyd TX which the tourist might find listed as the International Exotic Feline Sanctuary. The change to “Animal” from “Feline” was made to more accurately reflect its collection. One also might find the city listed as Rhome while the facility actually is located in Boyd. For those with GPS, here are
the coordinates: 33° 4'7.85" N 97°31'27.53" W. I almost missed the tour looking for the facility in Rhome but a stop at the police station got me headed in the right direction. I am sure glad I was able to arrive before the tour began.
Of the dozen or so exotic critter sanctuaries I have seen, this sanctuary is among the top two or three. (Rarely can I select “the best” since the memory just ain’t what it used to be.) There is a nice variety of cats and bears primarily, but rescued animals also include lemur and coatis among others. The cats include lions, tigers (including two white tigers), bobcats, a cheetah and serval while the bear populace includes both black and brown (or grizzly) bears. The intern took us to the kitchen and explained the dietary needs of the animals. A map shows where former interns are today. The two-plus hour tour was top shelf. I was so impressed that I made an exit donation that matched the donation I had made at entry time. For all who are interested in learning about critters vs. walking through a zoo looking at them, this is a must see.
From Row 59, I Had A Great View, But That Is A L-O-N-G Climb
NASCAR’s Xfinity Series Race at Texas Motor Speedway - Fort Worth TX From the sanctuary, I made a stop at the
Canteen in Boyd per the recommendation of our intern. The Canteen is operated by the same folks who operate "
gogo gumbo which, unfortunately, does not open until 4 PM. I plan to make the drive the next time I’m in Fort Worth to get some gumbo and some seafood. I had a nice salad and sandwich combo plate at the Canteen before heading to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for the
NASCAR Xfinity Series race. There’s not much to say – either you’re into NASCAR or you’re not, but I will say that my seat in the FIFTY-NINTH row was a great seat with an excellent view of the entire track; but it was a L-O-N-G way to and from the potty!
“Schoolless Saturday” (and “workless Saturday” as well, since traffic is lighter and parking is more available) found me heading to downtown Dallas to visit the
Dallas Firefighters Museum. The museum is housed in the former fire station at Fair Park which was an active firehouse from its erection in 1907 until May 2, 1975. Since that time it has served as the Dallas Firefighters Museum. The museum has a nice collection
of fire artifacts, a couple of which I have never seen, and a handful of fire apparatus from the horse-drawn era to the motorized. There are areas devoted to the children and to the civilian adults who visit. My tour was conducted by a retired captain of 27 years with Dallas Fire Department. He pointed out some features that would not be of interest to the general public and skipped some of the topics I would find mundane. It was time well spent for me. I think most would find it interesting, but I cannot place it on the must see list for the average tourist.
It is nice that there is a
Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial (located in Fair Park in Dallas), but I wholeheartedly expected a L-O-T more. This is T-E-X-A-S. Big, patriotic T-E-X-A-S. There are four granite panels about 7 feet high etched on both sides with the name, rank, branch of service, date of birth and date of death of Texas’ fallen with four columns to a panel side. A fifth panel with the names of Texas’ POW/MIAs sets to one side. According to
The Wall-USA, The Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial web site, some 3,415 Texas veterans were killed in
the Vietnam War. That’s a lot of young men. That’s a lot of grieving families. I expected they would have gotten more. There aren’t even benches between the panels where former compadres or loved ones can sit and remember or grieve. I suppose I should just be grateful that the fallen are remembered at all.
My next stop was at the
Hall of State at Fair Park also in, ta-dah, Dallas. I will quote from the Dallas Historical Society web site, “About the Hall of State – Built by the State of Texas for the 1936 Centennial Exposition, the Hall of State has hosted events honoring presidents, royalty, heads of state, and other dignitaries for over sixty years. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas, the Hall of State can be rented for private functions ranging from corporate dinners or meetings to weddings or gala social events.” The Hall of State is less about history and more about drinking tea with pinkies extended. I will concede that there are a couple of beautiful murals and the architecture of the building is nice, but don’t go there like I did, expecting a Texas history lesson at the home of the Dallas Historical Society.
I saw
the Ferris wheel in the distance and expected the Fair Park Carousel (1923) would be in the vicinity, so I made my way to what I discovered to be the State Fair Midway which was secured. That’s no problem since I already was in the zip code and, like Columbus, took a chance. My next stop was a return visit to
Pioneer Plaza. Those who read my Week 1 blog might remember that Irene, my GPS, took me to a location about two block from the actual site. I’m slowly learning to utilize GPS coordinates more than the street address, particularly where the attraction never receives any mail – monuments, waterfalls, covered bridges, etc. – but haven’t got to the point that I remember to use coordinates all the time.
The megasculpture in Pioneer Plaza commemorates the nineteenth century cattle drives that took place along the Shawnee Trail – the easternmost route by which Texas longhorns were taken north. The trail passed through Austin, Waco and Dallas. The 52 bronze sculptures, 49 steers and 3 drovers, were created by Robert Summers of Glen Rose TX. Each steer, at six feet high, is larger-than-life, and the work is the largest bronze
monument of its kind in the world. This monument is phenomenal, incredible, awesome and any other superlative you’d care to add. Pioneer Plaza is the largest public open space in the central business district and is second only to Dealey Plaza as the most-visited landmark in downtown Dallas. Connected to Pioneer Plaza is Pioneer Cemetery where a very large Civil War Memorial honors Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis; however, since I was parked in a location that was not marked as “No Parking” with anything more than good old-fashion common sense, I chose to limit my visit to the sculpture and depart in my citationless truck vs. pressing my luck (and my wallet). Perhaps on my next visit, I’ll arrive at 7 AM, obtain one of the few “legal” parking spaces and take some peopleless photographs!
I made my way to
Maple & Motor Burgers & Beer also in Dallas. They serve ½-pound hamburgers that can have cheese, bacon or jalapenos added and French fries or onion rings. The burgers are cooked with pink or without pink. One stands in line, orders AND THEN is ushered to a seat. There are four stools at the counter, but all were full so
Look Out Arteries, Here It Comes!
Maple & Motor Burgers & Beer - Dallas TX I was seated at another counter near the windows with the understanding that if a seat opened before my order arrived, I would be repositioned. It did, I was and my order arrived. The menu variety is almost non-existent and the joint is nothing special but the burgers sure are. Highly recommended but solely because of the food and the uniqueness of the atmosphere. Fuddy-duddies stay home!
I took a heavily overcast Sunday with no rain in the forecast to visit the
Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie. I really enjoy these faires for the accent of the participants as much as for the food, the interesting entertainment and the carnival atmosphere. I have been to a handful of renaissance festivals over the years, including the greater Phoenix event last spring, but can think of no other as grand as the Texas event. Indeed, my events resource cites the Scarborough Renaissance Festival as one of the Top 10 Renaissance Festivals in the U.S. with an average attendance of 200,000 people over the eight weekends of the festival run (this festival, like most, only runs on Saturdays and Sundays).
The fare at this faire is not fair but exceptional – I just
My Now Unionized Lunch Time Entertainment
Scarborough Renaissance Festival - Waxahachie TX couldn’t help myself, and if it’s not fun, why do it? Now just imagine, I was sitting at one of the numerous picnic tables by myself having a bite to eat when a trio of pirate-looking performers paused as they were walking past. One asked if I was lonely and asked his companions if they thought I looked lonely. They agreed they should sit for a spell and cheer me – to say nothing of taking a load off their feet for a few minutes. They soon learned about me, wanted to receive a pension and decided to form a union. What great fun for ten minutes!
There are rides for the children that are people-powered. There are acts one doesn’t see at your average nightclub – jugglers, sword swallowers, unicyclists, belly dancers and acrobats along with falconry demonstrations, precision whipping (as in with a bull whip), jousting, knife throwing and maypole dancing. There is a harpist, a dulcimerist (ya think?) and several comedy stages – some for the adults. Strolling the grounds one might encounter Ember Rosenflame, Fireflicker the Dragon, Ralphie the Ragpicker, Rhianna the Troll or The Beggar Queens. Artisans are scattered through the grounds plying their
trade – glassblowers, blacksmiths, leather carvers, book binders, sculptors, soapmakers and papermakers. Of course, there is the Grande Parade. If you happen to be in the area during the run of the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, go the extra mile to attend. Oh, yes, I unknowingly came on seniors’/youngsters’ weekend and admission was half off (or half on, as the case might be).
Well, I’m down to my last week in Fort Worth/Dallas, and there are still a lot of attractions on my list. The extended weather forecast doesn’t look promising, but it is what it is and I’ll see what I see in the time that remains.
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