Kersten Rettig: Enjoy Christmastime in Cowtown
Travel during the holidays is sometimes motivated by guilt: “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go,” and all that.
Our To-Do Lists are filled with holiday-related errands and tasks, so the fun kind of travel, the day trips and staycations, don’t happen like they do the other 47 weeks of the year.
Let me fix that by giving you oodles of reasons to celebrate Christmastime in Cowtown.
Yes, I know not all our readers celebrate Christmas, but I like the alliteration in the title. Maybe next year, I’ll write about Hanukkah in Houston. The point is there are lots of fabulous things to enjoy in Fort Worth in December, and I encourage you to plan a day, night, or long weekend there.
Stay
Fort Worth has a few newer hotels to choose from, but the Kimpton Harper, located near Sundance Square, has my vote. Housed in a 1920s bank building, it has a sophisticated and energetic vibe with a rooftop bar, and a Champagne Hotline installed in each room so guests can have a bottle of Veuve Clicquot delivered at a moment’s notice.
Eat
Cowtown is on the national radar screen for dining. La Onda, an elegant Mexican/South American restaurant, was recently recognized by Bon Appetit magazine as one of America’s best new restaurants. Other excellent options include Magdalena’s, Wishbone & Flynt, and Tre Mogli in the bustling Near Southside. If you want sweet souvenirs, visit the Swiss Pastry Shop for a piece of its world-famous Black Forest Cake or Loft 22 Cakes for Butterscotch Banana Pudding or slabs of cake in myriad flavors.
Drink
Both the Sinclair Hotel and the Harper have rooftop bars from which to view the twinkling lights below. If you’re afraid of heights, check out Locust Cider Taproom for refreshing ciders or Lockwood Distillery on Magnolia, both in the Near Southside.
Shop
Fort Worth is gaining on Dallas’ shopping scene, with The Shops at Clearfork brimming with luxury stores and boutiques like Katie Kime, known for darling Dallas and Nashville-themed toile-printed jammies and robes. For foodies, the Best Maid Pickle Emporium and Pendery’s Spices are must-stop shops. If you’re in the Stockyards, go to M.L. Leddy’s, the quintessential Texas outfitter and custom boot shop, which is beautifully decorated for the holidays and always has the best people watching in town.
Do
Visit the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, which hosts Lightscape, a magical display of more than a million twinkling lights, including fields of bluebonnets as you’ve never seen them before. You can also go ice skating in the Stockyards Rodeo Rink or go to the WCRA Christmas Cowtown Championship Rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum. There’s so much to do, you might even want to stay the week.
Though it’s only 30 miles west of us, Fort Worth has an entirely different vibe from Dallas. It’s got western grit but in a sophisticated, authentic way. As a Fort Worth girl, I love being its ambassador and hope you visit.
