When people think of West Texas the number one place people think about is Big Bend National Park! I don’t blame them, I mean that is the gem of West Texas. Fort Stockton is the perfect town to represent what I think of, when I think of West Texas.
This tiny little town is located in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desert and mesquite bushes. As you drive through you will see the oldest of buildings still barely standing, a giant courthouse, and all the Mexican food you could ever dream of. Faded murals are on the old brick walls, colorful antique shops line make up the downtown area, and everything gives you a small town vibe! This is what I see in my mind when I think West Texas!
So next time you are driving down to visit the grandest landmark we have in West Texas, Big Bend National Park; you will drive through this tiny middle of nowhere town and not even know you are there…..BUT….I hope you can stop and explore this town that truly represents the true West Texas culture!
Itinerary For The Perfect Day In Fort Stockton, Texas
Walk Around The Gardens At The Visitor Center
One of the cutest parts about Fort Stockton is visiting the Visitor Center! I walked in and the young lady who was working the desk was so excited to tell us all about the town! It was too cute!
The visitor center is small and doesn’t have much inside, but if you walk around the outside there are a couple things to do.
You can climb on an old train car and look through the windows.
A lily pond! We visited in the month of July and the lily’s were in full bloom!
Historical Silhouettes of cowboys, Indians, and pioneers.
Location: 1000 E Railroad Ave, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, CLOSED SUNDAY
Admission: FREE
Get Your Picture With The World’s Largest Roadrunner
You CAN NOT visit Fort Stockton and not get a picture with Pasiano Pete, the world’s largest roadrunner! He is pretty much the icon of the town and you will find pictures of him throughout the town buildings. I wouldn’t be surprised if you even saw some real roadrunners running across the road while you are here, we saw 2!
There is no parking lot by Pasiano Pete, but there is a dirt/gravel lot on the southeast side of him that you can pull over and park at so you can get closer to this giant roadrunner.
Location: East Dickinson Boulevard & North Main Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Hours: all day, everyday
Admission: FREE
Go Inside The Buildings Of Historic Fort Stockton
Obviously Fort Stockton has an actual historic fort in town, so of course you have to visit it! This historic fort starts out on the south side at the museum. It is a small one room museum with just a few artifacts in it. My kids were super excited to look at the swords!
Next you can walk around to the different buildings and walk in. When we went they only had 3 buildings open that day. We got to walk into an old jail, which my kids thought was so fun when I shut the barred door on them. The other 2 buildings were the kitchen building and an old restored barracks.
The kitchen was pretty empty, but the barracks had quite a bit in it. The walls were lined with beautiful artwork of soldiers. Above the fireplace was a buffalo head overlooking all of the cots covered in boots and old gear. It was just a cool way to get a glimpse at history.
Location: 301 E 3rd St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, CLOSED SUNDAY
Admission: $3 adult, ages 6-12 $2, ages 5 and under FREE, Veterans FREE, Seniors ages 65+ $2.50
Drive Through Town On The Driving History Tour
I guess I should have mentioned it earlier, but be sure while you are in the visitor center you grab a brochure to show you the map to do the driving tour around town. Or if you are at the Historic Fort Stockton you can also scan the QR code to give you the same map on your phone!
The town of Fort Stockton is pretty much a museum made into a town. There is so much history in this town and a lot of it is still standing today. The town went ahead and decided to preserve this history and made a tour out of it.
Luckily with how hot West Texas is, you don’t have to walk around town, you can drive! Some of the things you will see on this drive is the oldest house in Fort Stockton, an old church, the old jailhouse, and so much more. You will not be able to walk through most of the buildings, but some of them you can.
Look At Old Pictures Through An Antique Stereoscope At Annie Riggs Museum
Annie Riggs Museum is one of those old houses I was telling you about. So while you are on your historic driving tour, this is one of the stops that you can get out and actually walk through the house. This house has the cutest wrap around porch. As you walk around this porch there are several screen doors you can open to walk through rooms filled with antiques.
It was fun to listen to my kids guess what things were, like they couldn’t figure out what a telephone booth was for or what a type writer does. Haha!
They did love the old antique stereoscope though! This is an old wooden device that had almost like binoculars on one side and a picture on the other. You then could move the picture closer and farther from your face to give it a almost 3 dimensional look. My kids LOVED it.
There also was an area with a bunch of checker boards!
Location: 301 S Main St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, CLOSED SUNDAY
Admission: $3 adult, ages 6-12 $2, ages 5 and under FREE, Seniors ages 65+ $2.50
Grab Some Ice Cream At Mesquite Tree Gifts And Ice Cream
If West Texas is anything, it is HOT! I literally can not travel anywhere in West Texas in the summer and not grab an ice cream! So of course when the thermometer read 108 degrees outside was headed downtown to the Mesquite Tree Gifts and Ice Cream.
This adorable little boutique has such a West Texas vibe! Outside are cactuses and as soon as you walk in the door you will see the walls painted with Pasiano Pete the famous roadrunner of Fort Stockton! The ice cream is just bluebell, but they load up your cup/cones with ice cream! Gotta love that!
They have a little room set up with a ton of colorful tables and tiny little chairs for kids to sit back and eat their ice cream. It is too cute!
Location: 111 N Main St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 4pm-8pm
Play At The Matthew Quiroz Heros Memorial Spray Park
The ice cream was obviously my kids favorite thing to do in Fort Stockton, but second was definitely the spray park! I mean who doesn’t want to run around in cold water in the 108 degree weather! The splash pad theme is pirates! It looks like a crashed pirate ship surrounded by sea creatures! So cute!
I highly recommend you have your kids wear water shoes though. They are running on turf, but because West Texas is so hot, if they run on anything not wet it will probably burn their feet.
Location: 540 S Everts St, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat-Sun 9am-9pm
Admission: FREE
Drive Through Town To Find Murals
I am a total art fan so of course I love looking for murals. Fort Stockton has just a few, so if you find more please let me know, but there were 2 that we found:
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Is Fort Stockton A Good Place For Kids?
If I am being 100 percent honest I would not recommend Fort Stockton with kids. Yes I did take my kids and they enjoyed their day there. I mean what kid wouldn’t love ice cream and a splash pad, but the rest of the stuff we did were not exactly thrilling for kids.
Due to the fact that the majority of the stuff to do in Fort Stockton involves old things and antiques, taking kids can be a little stressful. For instances, my 2 year old doesn’t understand barriers very well, so at the Historic Fort Stockton, he walked right past the barrier in the old barracks. Yikes! It was an adventure trying to get him back to.
Also the Annie Riggs museum has antiques all over so the entire time I spent telling my kids, “don’t touch!” There is just not a lot that kids can touch and most of the stuff is just to look at. Fort Stockton is not a very interactive town, so it is not very kid friendly.
Now saying all this, like I said, I went with my kids and we still had fun. So don’t let me discourage you from bringing your kids, just be aware of the stresses it involves.
My Final Thoughts On Fort Stockton:
I have never been to a more sentimental town than Fort Stockton, Texas! Most places with old buildings just let them rot or knock them down, Fort Stockton makes it a tourist attraction to preserve it. This is a very old town and not exactly the most interesting unless you love history.
We enjoyed our time visiting Fort Stockton, Texas; but to me it was a one and done deal. We saw everything in a day and nothing makes me want to come back. It is the perfect day trip or a great pit stop on your way to Big Bend National Park. It is the perfect example of what to expect in most towns of West Texas. Old, filled with antiques, and the most exciting part is the water and ice cream to beat the heat!
Other Fun Places Nearby:
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