WOW TOWN It isn’t often that you find world-famous museums down the street from a high school football stadium. But that’s Fort Worth—it has something for everyone. And from January 22 through 25, the offerings are especially fine, beginning Thursday night with a concert by progressive-country rocker Jerry Jeff Walker at the Bass Performance Hall (not the usual bill for an opera house, which, by the way, will impress architecture devotees). On Friday, kick back with a few koalas and other furry friends at the Fort Worth Zoo, home to one of the largest collections of animals in the Western Hemisphere. That night, take in a little culture and catch a preview of Jubilee Theatre’s Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting, a story about baseball and breaking through the color barrier. On Saturday, head to the Will Rogers Memorial Center, where the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo will be in full swing (things get rolling at seven in the morning); be there by two to see the Rodeo Spectacular (bull riding, trick rides, and more). Of course, no one should leave the grounds without a ride on the Ferris wheel. Just be sure to wait and eat your funnel cake after your turn on the Tilt-A-Whirl. You’ll need to freshen up before going back to Bass Hall to see the Fort Worth Symphony perform pieces by Mozart, Beethoven, and Takemitsu, a self-taught composer who incorporated the sounds of nature into his music. Afterward, stop for a nightcap at Michael’s, where all the Westsiders socialize. But don’t stay out too late, because you’ll want to get to the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth a little shy of eleven the next morning for the opening of “Painting, Sculpture, Photography, Video: The Permanent Collection,” an exhibit featuring some of the museum’s old favorites, including Pablo Picasso’s Femme couchée lisant (Reclining Woman Reading), as well as new acquisitions such as Kirk Hayes’s The Long Sigh and Martin Puryear’s Ladder for Booker T. Washington. It will definitely be worth your while. (See Fort Worth.)
