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Days and Nights By Brandon Ortiz For students looking for something more entertaining than sitting alone in their dorm room on a Saturday night watching “Cops,” the Dallas/Fort Worth area offers plenty to do. Students can roam with cowboys in the Stockyards in Fort Worth, cheer on the Texas Rangers at The Ballpark in Arlington or listen to live music at the West End in Dallas. Here are some suggestions for students new to the area looking for something entertaining to do: Daytime Its 2 p.m. Friday. You’re finished with your last class and need something to do before you go out tonight. You have a car and a full tank of gas but you’re empty on ideas. The Stockyards is a good place to walk around and take in the sites and sounds of the Old West. There are several unique shops, restaurants and museums to visit that are distinctly Texan. Stockyards Station, where hogs and sheep were once held before going to auction, offers walking tours that cover most of the Stockyards for just $6. For anyone not in the mood for walking but still seeking to take a tour
of Fort Worth, the Tarantula is an air-conditioned alternative. The 1896
steam train travels all over Fort Worth and beats walking in the Texas
heat. If the Old West isn’t what you had in mind, Sundance Square is a more modern alternative. Right in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, Sundance Square is brimming with restaurants, stores and clubs. Students can grab a bite to eat at the USA Cafe, read a book and sip coffee at Barnes and Noble or catch a movie at the AMC Palace 9 or Sundance 11. “I usually go downtown (to Sundance Square),” said sophomore nursing major Brittany Crook. “I like the movie theaters down there. They have a lot of nice restaurants too.” For anyone trying to get away from Fort Worth, the West End in Dallas would be an excellent choice. Like Sundance Square, there are plenty of places to eat and shop, as well as live music performances. For students with some cash on hand, the Dallas/Fort Worth area has several malls and places to shop. Hulen Mall and Ridgmar Mall are both just a few minutes away from the university. Both are traditional malls with most of the major department stores regular mall-goers are accustomed to. The Fort Worth Outlet Square, located in Sundance Square, is also close by. But none of these malls compare to Grapevine Mills in sheer size. For students who lack the funds to go wild shopping, there is still plenty to do elsewhere. Visiting a museum or the zoo and learning something new can be worthwhile. For art lovers, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Modern Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum are must-sees. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is great for anyone interested in science. Museum visitors can catch movies at the OMNI Theatre or gaze at the Noble Planetarium after checking out the museum’s various exhibits. Conspiracy theorists will love the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, located in the book depository where Lee Harvey Oswald is believed to have shot President John F. Kennedy. If students are looking for something a bit more interesting than a museum, the zoo is always a viable option. Just down the street from the university is the Fort Worth Zoo, one of the nation’s best zoos. Tickets are just $7 and are half price on Wednesdays. Of course, students can always find a nice place to study or just relax. The Water Gardens, located down the street from Sundance Square on Commerce and 15th, is spectacular. It’s also free. The Botanic Research Institute of Texas (commonly referred to as the Botanic Gardens), a few miles down the street from the university, is also a good place to relax. Strolling through the exotic plants and flowers can be soothing after a tough exam. Nighttime It’s been a long, hard week. Your mind is aching and your are ready to get out and dance your buns off. But where? The biggest, most daunting honky-tonk in the area (and maybe the world), Billy Bobs is the answer for country lovers. Billy Bobs has everything from big-name country stars performing on a semi-regular basis to live-indoor bull riding. If Billy Bobs is a little too much for some students, the Dallas/Fort Worth area has several clubs to go to. Blind Lemon, Club Clearview and the Curtain Club, all located in Dallas, are popular clubs. Sundance Square also has several clubs, the most notable among them being the Caravan of Dreams. Cowboy Cats and Longhorns are both popular clubs in the Stockyards. “(Longhorns) is a great place to meet people,” sophomore nursing major Sara Martin said. “You can do karaokee and have fun.” For students who are more interested in the arts than embarrassing themselves at karaoke, they can always catch a performance at Stage West, Casa Manana or Bass Performance Hall. The newly built and highly acclaimed Bass Performance Hall received high marks from Jose Vivanco, who is seeking a Masters in business administration. Vivanco came to Bass Performance Hall to see the performance of an orchestra from his native Mexico. “The interior was nice,” Vivanco said. “I would like to go again.” For sports fans who like to get loud and rowdy (and couldn’t sit still for 10 minutes in a quiet theater), the Dallas/Fort Worth area has a team for all four of the major sports leagues. The Rangers still have a month left in the sea-son and the Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks are about to start their seasons in a few months. If students are looking for realistic combat, Medieval Times in Dallas is as close as it gets. If none of these suggestions are for you, there is still plenty to do. Your dorm room can always use a good cleaning. Brandon Ortiz
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