Best Day Trips From Fort Worth For Adventure & History Lovers

Traveling To Fort Worth, Texas And Looking For Fun, Historic, And Adventurous Ideas For Day Trips In The Surrounding Area?

When I was living in the North Texas region, I tried to visit all of the interesting surrounding areas on little day trips (some of which are quite a bit closer to Fort Worth than Dallas), and although it’s not the absolute best place for nature in my opinion, I visited some very interesting historical and wildlife spots that I would definitely recommend.

🥾 Best Adventurous Day Trips From Fort Worth, Texas

The Fort Richardson State Park in Jacksboro, Tx isn't the most naturally exciting when it comes to hiking.

North Texas (which includes the whole Dallas-Fort Worth area) isn’t the most stunning natural area in my opinion, but there are still some very interesting places you can visit on day trips that are pretty adventurous.

1. Dinosaur Valley State Park

I've visited just about every natural area around Dallas and this park is my top recommendation.

One of the coolest and most adventurous day trips to make from the Dallas or Fort Worth areas (it’s closer to Fort Worth though) is the Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas.

It’s got better uphill hiking trails compared to most of the North Texas area, and the best part is all of the prehistoric dinosaur footprints left behind here.

2. Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (one of my favorite day trips from the Dallas-Fort Worth area)

The Wichita Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite day trips to make from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

While Dinosaur Valley State Park is one of the best close-by day trips to make from Fort Worth, my absolute favorite day trip that I made from where I lived in Plano (which would be a little further than Fort Worth) was to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Indiahoma, Oklahoma.

It is a long day trip to make, but I thought it was totally worth it with all of the wild bison, elk, and longhorns you can see here (plus other typical Oklahoma wildlife).

When I went, I was lucky enough to see an elk while driving in, a few longhorns off in the distance while hiking, and the entire wild bison herd of about 40-50 while hiking.

3. Lake Mineral Wells State Park

Located west of Fort Worth in Mineral Wells, Texas, the Lake Mineral Wells State Park is an easy day trip to make. It’s a popular spot for hiking, biking, and camping, plus there are some cool rock formations and views of the lake.

➡️ If you plan to spend a lot of time outdoors during your North Texas trip, there are better times to visit because of the bipolar and sometimes dangerous weather in this area

📜 Best Historic Day Trips From Fort Worth, Texas

Grapevine is located a little northwest of Dallas, but there is a cool train you can take here.

Because there is so much history (modern and prehistoric) in the North Texas region, there are quite a few interesting historical sites you can visit on day trips from the Dallas and Fort Worth areas.

4. JFK

The history and fame of the JFK assassination is on of the top reasons I think Dallas is worth visiting, at least on a short trip.

The number one thing that makes the Dallas area worth visiting in my opinion is all of the JFK assassination-related history that you can see here, and it’s a super easy day trip to make from the Fort Worth area.

Although Dallas and Fort Worth are basically like one large city, the two city centers are still about 40-45 minutes apart. If you don’t have a car, there are plenty of JFK tours available, but most don’t pick up in Fort Worth, so you’d have to get over to Dallas on your own.

5. Grapevine

There are actually a lot of places around the state that have big events, lights, or decorations for the season.

Grapevine is a small historic town within the larger Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, and it’s really easy to get to from Fort Worth because they even have a vintage train that runs between the town and the Fort Worth Stockyards.

It’s one of the most popular places to visit during the holiday season, as they claim the title of the Christmas Capital of Texas, plus it’s also the hometown of singer Post Malone.

6. Southfork Ranch

Southfork ranch is a fun day trip from Fort Worth for those that watched the old tv show, Dallas.

If you ever watched the 1970’s tv show Dallas, the actual Southfork ranch where the show was based and really did film outside of is located in Parker, Texas, just a little northeast of Dallas.

It’s a little further from the Fort Worth area, but there are quite a few combination tours that will take you out here.

7. Eisenhower Birthplace & State Park

It's not the most beautiful, but this this state park is still interesting and historical.

Although it’s not quite as interesting as parks like the Dinosaur Valley State Park, if you head straight north from Dallas towards Oklahoma, you’ll find both the Eisenhower State Park and the Eisenhower Birthplace Home in Denison, Texas.

This former president’s birth home can be toured, and the state park just a few miles northwest has nice views of Lake Texoma, the border of Texas and Oklahoma, some decent hiking trails, and even some prehistoric fossils.

8. Fort Richardson State Park

The civil war history here is pretty interesting.

Fort Richardson State Park and Historic Site is a unique and interesting state park if you like history, especially civil war era history. It’s located in Jacksboro, Texas so it’s quite a bit closer to Fort Worth and really easy to do on a day trip.

Aside from a few trails and some campgrounds, the most interesting thing here is the ranger led historic tour, showing and explaining all of the civil war era history that took place here (the hospital building pictured above).

9. Canton Trade Days

It's a little bit further from Fort Worth, but it's still one of the doable day trips from here.

Although it’s a bit further from Fort Worth than it is from Dallas, Canton, Texas is home to the historic and monumentally large “First Monday Trade Days”.

If you like flea markets and garage sale-type shopping, then this is a must see for you. You can literally spend the entire day here and not even see half of the stuff they have available.

Despite the name, the trade days are not open on Mondays, but rather the weekend (Thursday through Sunday) before the first Monday of each month, so plan ahead if you want to add this into your itinerary.

📆 How Many Days Do You Need In Fort Worth?

It depends on how many of these day trips you want to add in to your itinerary to determine how many days you need in Fort Worth, but for the city of Fort Worth itself, I think a day is plenty to explore it and the main Stockyards area.

To add in a few day trips and some of the popular Dallas sites, I think you’d need at least four days here.

➡️ If you’re trying to decide between staying in Fort Worth or Dallas, here is a guide to help you out

🔁 Sum Up: Best Day Trips From Fort Worth, Texas

Although North Texas isn’t the most beautiful natural area in my opinion, there are still some very interesting parks, historical sites, and wildlife spots that are definitely worth visiting on some day trips from the Dallas and Fort Worth areas. My favorites would be the JFK historical sites, Dinosaur Valley State Park, and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.