Take a 360° Tour

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Annual Meeting Report

FORT WORTH: THE UNEXPECTED CITY 
 

Fast Facts  

  • 11th-largest city in the United States, larger than San Francisco, Boston and Nashville   

  • One of the fastest growing cities in the U.S.  

  • Population: 1,008,106 (as of July 1, 2024) 

  • Settled in 1849 as an army outpost on the Trinity River  

  • Only 20 minutes from DFW International Airport, the world’s third busiest airport  

  • Fly to any city in the continental U.S. in four hours or less 

  

Reasons to Visit  

  • Top 50 place to visit in the U.S. (Travel + Leisure, 2024)  

  • Fort Worth Botanic Garden selected one of the South’s most beautiful gardens (Southern Living, 2024)  

  • The Birthplace of Cowboy Core (Vogue, 2025) 

  • Fort Worth Stockyards ranked in best things to do in Texas (Lonely Planet, 2025) 

  • One of the 4 hottest BBQ cities worth planning a trip for (Southern Living, 2025) 

  • Fort Worth Zoo ranked #1 zoo in Texas (Texas Travel Awards, 2025)  

 

Top 5 Tourist Attractions  

  • Stockyards National Historic District features Fort Worth’s western heritage, including the world’s only twice-daily cattle drive and year-round rodeo. Mule Alley is a collection of restaurants, venues and heritage brands, reviving 108-year-old original mule barns into an iconic destination loved by locals and visitors. It is anchored by Hotel Drover, a Marriott Autograph Collection resort and MICHELIN One Key hotel, and features upscale shopping, live music and a variety of restaurants  

  • Five world-class museums designed by renowned architects line the park-like setting of the Cultural District. The Kimbell Art Museum is home to the only Michelangelo in the Americas, which happens to be his first painting. The Kimbell was designed by Louis Kahn with a Pavilion by Renzo Piano. The Modern Art Museum, the oldest museum in Texas, was recognized as the best-designed building in Texas by Architectural Digest. The Amon Carter, opened as a Western Art museum, was designed by architect Philip Johnson and later changed its name to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art 

  • The top-rated Fort Worth Zoo opened in 1909, making it the first zoo in Texas. It was ranked the No. 2 zoo in America by USA Today in 2021 and continues to receive recognition as one of the best zoos in the nation 

  • Vibrant, walkable Downtown Fort Worth features Sundance Square Plaza, Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth Convention Center, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, JFK Memorial, Burnett Park, and dozens of restaurants, bars and event venues for a dynamic nightlife 

  • Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky-tonk, features 120,000 square feet of entertainment space, 30 bar stations, a dance floor perfect for two-stepping and performances from country music’s biggest and emerging stars  

  

Tourism 

  • Number of out-of-town visitors to Fort Worth in 2024: 11.5 million  

  • Total hotel rooms: 16,000 citywide, with 4,200 downtown  

  • The Fort Worth culinary scene blends the flavors of contemporary western fare, fine dining and diverse styles. In 2024, MICHELIN recognized 3 restaurants in Fort Worth including Panther City BBQ and Birrieria y Taqueria Cortez and Goldee’s BBQ as Bib Gourmand 

  • Don Artemio was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant: Texas 2023   

  • MICHELIN recognized Bowie House as a Two Key hotel, 1 of only 3 hotels in Texas to receive this acknowledgment and the only hotel in DFW with Two Keys. Hotel Drover also received One Key and Kimpton Harper was MICHELIN selected 

  • Goldee’s has continuously been ranked in the Top 3 Best BBQ in Texas by Texas Monthly 

  • Voted one of the top 15 cities in the US (Travel & Leisure, 2024)  
      

Sports 

  • Fort Worth was named the #1 city for hosting sporting events in the ‘cities without a big 5 team’ category by Sports Business Journal in 2024   

  • The city hosts some of the most exciting athletic competitions in the nation. In 2025-2026, Fort Worth will host the NCAA National Women’s Gymnastics Championships, FEI World Cup, NCAA Women’s Basketball Regionals and Professional Bull Riding World Finals elimination events, to name a few  

  • Home to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, National Cutting Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association and Professional Bull Riding team Texas Rattlers 

  • Top venues for sporting events: Dickies Arena, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth Convention Center and Cowtown Coliseum  

  

Film 

  • The Fort Worth Film Commission has worked with more than 1,000 projects to drive over $700 million in economic impact and support over 30,000 jobs in Tarrant County since it was established in 2015 

  • Fort Worth is home to the largest studio and virtual production stage in the state of Texas 

  • The Fort Worth Film Commission launched a Premiere Package program in 2025, designed to support filmmakers on their path towards consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Dallas-Fort Worth is one of only six Oscar-qualifying regions in the U.S. 

  • Fort Worth was ranked among the Top Places to Live and Work as a Filmmaker by MovieMaker Magazine (2025)  

  • Paramount+ hit series 1883, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Landman, Lioness and upcoming The Madison and The Road were filmed in Fort Worth  

  • The annual Lone Star Film Festival is a premier destination for filmmakers, producers, industry professionals and film enthusiasts  

  • The Fort Worth Film Collaborative is a film workforce development certification program to address the growing need for trained film industry crew in the greater Fort Worth area. The Fort Worth Film Commission and Tarrant County College, in partnership with 101 Studios production company and local film industry experts, developed a curriculum to provide students with a pathway to employment in the film industry. It is the first of its kind in Texas, fostering local talent and building a robust film workforce in Fort Worth and Tarrant County  

  

Music 

  • Hear Fort Worth, an initiative of Visit Fort Worth and the local music community, exists to build awareness and cultivate the local Fort Worth music scene. Hear Fort Worth advocates for businesses, bands, groups and individuals that highlight Fort Worth as a nationally celebrated music town 

  • Fort Worth has dozens of live music venues ranging from the expansive (Dickies Arena and Panther Island Pavilion) to the more intimate (Tulips FTW and Scat Jazz Lounge)  

  • Dickies Arena is a premier concert venue, sporting event venue and home of the annual Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. In addition to hosting world-famous musicians and athletes, its multi-functional facility can accommodate conventions, exhibit events, business meetings and private receptions. Dickies Arena was voted number one venue of its kind in the world by Billboard Magazine in 2024 

  • The Fort Worth Music Festival & Conference is a music festival and networking conference for aspiring agents, managers, promoters and emerging Texas-based artists 

  • Fort Worth was designated the first music-friendly city in Texas by the Texas Music Office in the Office of the Governor in 2017  

  • Leon Bridges, Van Cliburn, Townes Van Zandt, Ornette Coleman and T Bone Burnett all call Fort Worth home. They are the leaders of a growing music renaissance taking place in the city  

  

Education  

  • Fort Worth is home to more than five impactful universities: Texas Christian University, Texas A&M School of Law, Texas Wesleyan University, University of North Texas Health, University of Arlington West, Tarleton State University and Tarrant County College 

  

Meetings and Conventions 

  

Fort Worth Convention Center 

  • In the heart of downtown, a short walk to restaurants, bars, hotels and venues 

  • The Fort Worth Convention Center is undergoing a major expansion, with Phase 1 set to be completed in 2026 and Phase 2 starting soon after. By 2030, the expanded facility will feature increased contiguous exhibit space, additional loading docks and new ballroom and meeting spaces at the north end of the building, making it an even better venue for hosting conventions 

  • More than 230,000 square feet of exhibit space, nearly 60,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 28,160 square foot ballroom and 38 breakout rooms  

  • 55,000 square foot Events Plaza that connects to the Fort Worth Water Gardens  

  

Will Rogers Memorial Center 

  • Less than three miles from downtown and in the heart of the Cultural District, Will Rogers Memorial Center is 120 acres of multi-purpose facilities 

  • Named in memory of Will Rogers, the well-known American cowboy, humorist, actor, author and pundit, the Center has been open since 1936. Will Rogers Memorial Center features art deco architecture designed by Wyatt C. Hedrick for the Texas Centennial. The coliseum, auditorium and Pioneer Tower are on the National Register of Historic Places 

  • 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, 5,652-seat coliseum, 2,856-seat auditorium and 1,100 premium stalls 

  

Cowtown Coliseum 

  • Constructed in 1908 and site of world’s first indoor rodeo in 1918 

  • 2,300-seat arena located in Stockyards National Historic District that features year-round rodeo and PBR bull-riding 

  

Dickies Arena 

  • 14,000-seat arena with event and exhibit space  

  • Home to concerts, sporting events and the annual, month-long Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo 

  

Top New Projects  

  • Expansion and renovation of the Fort Worth Convention Center (through 2029)   

  • $1.5 billion Texas A&M tier-1 research campus and law school development in Downtown Fort Worth  

  • National Juneteenth Museum (opening date TBA) in the city’s Historic Southside neighborhood will have a 250-seat theater for performances and lectures, community programming, and a food hall 

  

Corporations that make their home in Fort Worth:  

  • American Airlines Corporate HQ  

  • ​BNSF Railway 

  • Ben E. Keith  

  • Justin Brands  

  • Lockheed Martin  

  • Professional Bull Riders 

  • American Paint Horse Association  

  • National Cutting Horse Association