Texas Travel: Billy Bob's Texas

Billy Bob’s Texas, in Fort Worth, is the “World’s Largest Honkey Tonk". This hot spot has been named “Club of the Year” eight times, and it can hold more than 6,000 revelers at once. It features some of country music’s top performers on its stage, live bull riding in an indoor arena, an immense (Texas size) dance floor, line-dancing lessons, pool tables, video games, a Wall of Fame (featuring celebrity handprints), and a plethora of bars (with 32 bar stations).

World's Largest Honkey Tonk

To try to come to grips with just how large this place is, it’s twice the size of Houston’s renowned Gilley’s. Billy Bob’s has about 127,000 square feet of space inside, which is about 3 acres – and it has about 20 acres of parking. Performer Merle Haggard once set a record by buying a round of drinks for all the patrons in the club. And the present record for the most bottles of beer consumed here in one night is 16,000 (during a Hank Williams Jr. concert).

Located in the Stockyards National Historic District

Billy Bob’s Texas is a great introduction to the “Wild West” – and not just because of the western outfits and loud noises associated with this place - for it’s located right in the renowned Stockyards National Historic District, where cowboys used to pen the cattle; then they’d often "hoot and holler" along "Hell’s Half Acre" (a saloon and brothel-infested area in what’s now a part of downtown Fort Worth) before continuing the cattle drive along the Chisholm Trail (and re-enactments of the longhorn cattle drive are still held twice daily on nearby East Exchange Avenue).

Bull Riding in Billy Bob's Texas

Bull riding is a very dangerous sport, and it’s only for the experienced (only pro or semi-pro riders are allowed to try their luck in the ring – and the list of riders has included former World Champions, such as Tuff Hedeman and Ty Murray). However, any patron can watch this incredible spectacle at Billy Bob’s on Friday and Saturday evenings (at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.) for an admission fee - and anyone can get their picture taken on a phoney/fake bull (if one wishes to "pretend" to be riding here!).

The History

Billy Bob’s Texas (built in 1910) was once a barn for prize cattle during stock shows, and its bull riding area was an auction ring. The sloping floor that is now so convenient for concert seating was originally constructed to allow easy run-off from the cattle pens!

Getting There:

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (phone: 972-574-8888); Amtrak (phone: 1-800-872-7245); Trinity Railway Express (phone: 817-215-8600).

While in the Fort Worth Stockyards

• Seeing a longhorn cattle drive (at Stockyards Station)
• Visiting the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame (located in the Stockyards’ original mule barns) and the Cowtown Coliseum (home of the world’s original indoor rodeo)
• Joining the stampede to Joe T. Garcia’s restaurant for fajitas and margaritas
• Enjoying a "refreshment" in the Stockyards Hotel or the White Elephant Saloon
• Shopping for western wear at Fincher’s White Front Western Store, Maverick Fine Western Wear, or M.I. Leddy’s Boot and Saddlery.

While in Fort Worth:

Check out Sundance Square (20 square blocks in Fort Worth’s heralded shopping and entertainment district), the Texas Motor Speedway (which hosts NASCAR and Indy racing), and the Cultural District (including the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Kimbell Art Museum, and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame).

A Mixture of Cowboys and Culture:

Fort Worth is a wonderful mixture of cowboys and culture. It’s the headquarters of some of the nation’s most prestigious companies, including American Airlines, Pier 1 Imports, and Radio Shack. The population has surpassed 600,000 – and it’s growing.

For More Information:

Billy Bob’s Texas web site: www.billybobstexas.com

Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, phone: 1-800-433-5747; web site: www.fortworth.com.