Which To Visit Fort Worth Or Dallas Texas (Everything To Consider)

Thinking About Visiting North Texas And Wondering Which Is Better To Visit, Fort Worth Or Dallas?

As a Texas native with long family ties to the North Texas region and having spent 3+ years living in the Dallas area myself, I’ve spent plenty of time in both Dallas and Forth Worth, and though I think Fort Worth has a few more interesting things to do over Dallas, they’re both so close together that I would suggest spending a little bit of your visit in each of these North Texas cities.

🌃 Are Dallas And Fort Worth The Same City

Although they are located very close together, they are technically two separate cities.

When talking about the greater metropolitan area of North Texas, most refer to the major city as Dallas-Fort Worth, but although they’re typically lumped together, they are technically two separate cities that sort of merge together.

↔️ How Far Apart Is Fort Worth From Dallas?

The overall city areas of Dallas and Fort Worth sort of begin to blend together because they are located so close to each other, but from the center of each city, the distance between Dallas and Fort Worth is only about a 40-45 minute drive.

If you’re staying in Dallas, since Fort Worth has the famous Stockyards, it’s actually pretty easy to get to because it’s such a popular place to visit.

👉 Differences Between Dallas And Fort Worth

While some may want to choose one city over the other, since Dallas and Fort Worth are located so close together and they each have a few interesting sites to see, I think it’s worth checking them both out on a visit to the North Texas area, but here are some differences between the two to help you plan your trip:

What Is Dallas, Texas Known For?

One of Dallas' best known features is that it was the site of the tragic Kennedy assassination back in the 60s.

There isn’t a ton of stuff to do in the Dallas area while visiting North Texas (a day or two is plenty in my opinion), but some can’t miss sites that Dallas is known for include:

JFK Assassination sites (here’s a video I made of some)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (photo from the museum pictured above)
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The AT&T Stadium (Cowboys Stadium)
Gravesites of Bonnie + Clyde (here’s a video I made)
Reunion Tower
Healthier/Organic Restaurants (Hugo’s Invitados, Pizzana, True Food Kitchen)
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
The Los Colinas area
The Highland Park neighborhood + Highland Park Village
nearby parks like Cedar Hill State Park and White Rock Lake Park
the nearby Southfork Ranch from the TV show Dallas
a little closer to day trip destinations like Canton, Tyler, or other East Texas towns

Is Fort Worth A Cowboy City?

If you have to choose between one or the other for a visit to North Texas, I think Fort Worth is better than Dallas for the cowboy culture.

When choosing which city to visit, Dallas or Fort Worth, I think that Fort Worth is the better option because of it’s unique cowboy culture and famous stockyards (pictured above). Here are some of the top things to see or do in Fort Worth, the stockyards, or nearby the city:

stockyards cattle drive
rodeos, bull riding, or other events at the Cowtown Coliseum
Billy Bob’s Texas
John Wayne: An American Experience Museum
train ride from the stockyards to the cute, nearby town of Grapevine (famous for it’s Christmas festivities)
Gravesites of Ben Hogan + Lee Harvey Oswald
Fort Worth Water Gardens
JFK Tribute in Fort Worth
the Fort Worth Zoo
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame
a little closer to awesome day trip park destinations like Dinosaur Valley State Park, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, or Fort Richardson State Park

Is Fort Worth As Big As Dallas?

They're both pretty large, especially since they kind of merge together but Dallas is probably bigger.

Since both Fort Worth and Dallas start to merge together it can be hard to tell when one starts and the other stops, but technically Dallas is quite a bit bigger than Fort Worth in terms of size and population, though the difference won’t be that noticeable when you visit.

Is Fort Worth Cheaper Than Dallas?

Fort Worth is typically cheaper and they even have quite a few free activities at the Stockyards.

If you choose to stay in Downtown Dallas, Fort Worth will seem quite a bit cheaper in comparison, plus some Fort Worth sites or activities are free (like the stockyards cattle drive), which is nice for a budget-friendly visit.

As far as accommodations go, I would personally choose to stay in Fort Worth or other smaller cities/towns outside of the main downtown Dallas area.

Is Fort Worth Or Dallas Safer To Visit?

Both Dallas and Fort Worth are large metropolitan areas with big populations so neither is completely safe, though Dallas is probably a little less safe to visit compared.

With Dallas being a bit bigger and more of a main downtown kind of city, I would say that Fort Worth is a little bit safer to visit, but as long as you stay out of the bad neighborhoods and remain aware of your surroundings, it shouldn’t be bad in either.

Dallas definitely has more neighborhoods, streets, or smaller towns/cities that are recommended to stay out of, so just stick to the main tourist areas, especially at night here.

➡️ The entire Dallas-Fort Worth area is not super safe when it comes to driving, lots of bad or confusing road conditions and reckless drivers, so it’s important to be a defensive and aware driver.

🔁 Sum Up: Fort Worth Or Dallas To Visit

If you only have time to visit one of these cities on a visit to North Texas, I would recommend Fort Worth over Dallas for the cowboy culture, fun stockyard events, and closer location to other interesting sites, but they’re both located so close together that I think also spending at least a day in Dallas is worth it if you like history (particularly JFK), museums (especially the Perot Museum), or professional sports.