Cattle drives and rodeos

FORT WORTH, Texas —-Eau du cow wafts across the Stockyards district just before 11:30 a.m., and that can mean only one thing: It’s time for the daily morning livestock drive down Exchange Street.

Cows and cowboys, both exhibiting a touch of ennui, meander slowly down the street, passing in front of the Fort Worth Stock Exchange building, which houses not Dow-traders but people who actually exchange livestock.

This is the city with the slogan “Where the West begins,” and it’s the perfect place to start a cowboy tour of Texas.

The Stockyards in the 1800s was the last major stop on the Chisholm Trail before herds headed across the Red River into Indian country.

Today it is a mix of real cattle trade and tourist trade. It’s at the north end of Fort Worth, and locals still call it the North Side.

At 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, the cows come out for the short trail drives. Inside the Stock Exchange is a little Fort Worth Stockyards Museum (131 E. Exchange Ave. $2 suggested donation) with Comanche and cattlemen’s artifacts, including displays of different kinds of barbed wire, saddles, arrow points and pottery.

Across the street, check out the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame (128 E. Exchange Ave. $5 adult), filled with old carriages, saddles and a vast collection of horse bits. There’s a row of stalls, each dedicated to the history of a famous Texas rodeo cowboy.

In the same block, at 130 E. Exchange Ave., is a Fort Worth Visitors Center where you can pick up a $15 GPS tour that will take you 45 minutes, hit the area’s high spots and tell you all about the history of the Stockyards.

You’ll want to drop by the White Elephant Saloon (106 E. Exchange Ave.) for a beer amid some real cowboys, then later at night check out the live rodeo at Billy Bob’s Texas (2025 Rodeo Plaza), where you also can learn to two-step.

One more cowboy, or more appropriately “cowgirl,” attraction is outside the Stockyards: The National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, in the museum district at 1720 Gendy St. (adult admission $8) profiles famous cowgirls through the ages.

Beyond Fort Worth, other destinations offer tastes of cowboy lore and rodeos.

Mesquite

The Mesquite Championship Rodeo (1818 Rodeo Drive) in this Dallas suburb is in its 52nd season as a major place to see watch the bulls and broncos buck.

The rodeo runs every Friday and Saturday night through Aug. 29. Ticket prices have decreased this year; they start at $11 for adults. Go to www.mesquiterodeo.com to find out more.

Bandera

In the picturesque Hill Country, Bandera calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World, claiming it was the first place where ranches took on dudes to help with the cattle in the 1930s.

The historic town on the banks of the Medina River has a plethora of dude ranches where you can be a cowboy or cowgirl. For example, Mayan Dude Ranch (350 Mayan Ranch Road. www.mayanranch.com. Adult rates start at $150 a day) treats its dudes to three meals a day, two horseback rides a day and free beer, wine and sodas. The ranch even has real dinosaur tracks. You also can tour area ranches, dance or sip a cold one in authentic honky-tonks (with live music most nights), watch roundups and parades or simply stroll the streets that many National Rodeo Champions call home. For a list of dude ranches and other activities, call 800-364-3833 or visit www.banderacowboy capital.com.

Amarillo

This town became central to the cattle-moving business when the rails moved in during the 1880s. You can still find many real ranch cowboys walking around.

Cowboy Roundup USA, is moving to October (no dates yet) from summer this year. A highlight is the World Champion Chuck Wagon Cook-off.

Amarillo also hosts a three-state Will Rogers Range Riders Rodeo July 2-4 at the arena at Washington Avenue and Loop 335 on the south side of town. And the city is home to the American Quarter Horse Museum (2601 E. Interstate 40. Adult admission $6).

Pleasanton

Pleasanton, a little town on U.S. 281 about 30 miles south of San Antonio, calls itself Birthplace of the Cowboy, apparently because it was a gathering place for cowboys in the early 1900s while they were driving their cattle to Kansas.

Its big event is the Cowboy Homecoming the third weekend in August, when bulls will be ridden, horseshoes pitched and Texas Hold ‘Em played.

Kingsville

While you’re in Texas, drop by the famous King Ranch (Texas 141 off U.S. 77), the 825,000-acre spread founded in 1852 by Capt. Richard King.

One of the world’s largest ranches, it’s now home to 60,000 cattle and 300 quarter horses.

You can take a 1 1/2-hour tour of it (adult admission, $8) and learn the history. No, you won’t cover all 825,000 acres.

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