Seeing a Dallas rodeo is a sure-fire way to let your inner cowboy loose. (Photo: Westend61 GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo)

Dallas

How to Live Like a Cowboy for a Day in Dallas

Folks in Dallas pride themselves on their cowboy and cowgirl roots, even if they’ve taken to more urban pursuits. But that doesn’t mean there still aren’t plenty of places to let your inner cowboy loose, even for just a day. Try these three ideas on for size.

Attend a Real Dallas Rodeo

Head to the Cowtown Coliseum, home to the world’s first indoor rodeo since 1918, at Fort Worth Stockyards. This is guaranteed to be an entertaining time as you watch professional bull riders get tossed up and around the stadium. Learn the ropes as you watch these cowboys and cowgirls practice their aim and try their hand at tie-down and breakaway roping. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be in town in time to catch a show of the original Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show, featuring trick roping, trick shootings, cowboy songs and other events and stunts that occurred at the first Wild West Show 90 years ago.

Tip your hat to this: Carve out some extra time before the show and explore the street the Cowtown Coliseum is located on. Enjoy some vintage cowboy thoroughfare, complete with salons, restaurants and shops selling unique cowboy hats and other accessories.

Root for the Cowboys at a Dallas Football Game

Nothing screams “Texas” more than attending a Dallas Cowboys football game. These guys sure are passionate about their team. Sure, they’re not “real” cowboys, but fans are known to throw on their best pairs of boots and favorite cowboy hat before heading to a game. So grab a few tickets online and take in what is bound to be a spirited game at AT&T Stadium.

Tip your hat to this: If you can’t catch the game in person, there are plenty of Dallas Cowboy themed restaurants, like the “Dallas Cowboy Club” in DFW airport, where you can stop by for a drink and to see a glimpse of the big game before your flight.

Grab Some Grub at a Cowboy-Themed Restaurant

Ready for the chicest cowboy restaurant in Dallas? Stampede 66 is the place to go for great food and even better drinks; we’re talking margaritas made tableside with liquid nitrogen. Yeah, it’s as exceptional as it sounds. As for a food order? You seriously can’t go wrong with the buffalo steak, the meat is tender and flavorful and the dish comes with greens, mashed potatoes and a queso gravy you’ll dream about for days after.

Tip your hat to this: Get there early and try their drink menu before settling into one of their cozy booths for dinner. Order the brisket taco, you won’t regret it.