EMS 2010 Annual Meeting

This year join EMS in Fort Worth, a city with a distinct blend of cowboys and culture. No other city boast such an unmistakable mix of preserved Western heritage and unrivaled artistic offerings, a city where you can study a Rembrandt masterpiece and see the world’s only daily cattle drive.

Located blocks from the Omni Fort Worth Hotel is Sundance Square–a 35 block entertainment district that includes shops, theaters, the Bass Performance Hall, restaurants, night life, museums, galleries and more. In the Stockyard National Historical District you can visit the world’s largest honky-tonk, take in a rodeo, and experience the old west. The nearby Culture District is home to the five world-class museums and well as the Forth Worth Botanic Gardens and the top-ranked Fort Worth Zoo.

Things to Do

Fort Worth enjoys the benefits of being the number one tourist destination in Texas with no shortage of things to do and see. Whether you are looking for ways to spend your downtime, activities for your family or planning to extend your stay, you are sure to find plenty to do. Here are some of the attractions that may be interest, for more information about visiting Fort Worth, please visit the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site.

Cowboy’s Stadium—Opened in 2009, Cowboy’s Stadium a domed stadium with a retractable roof, which serves as the home to the Dallas Cowboy’s Football team. The stadium is located in Arlington, TX, approximately 15 miles from the Omni Fort Worth.

VIP Guided Tour; $22.50–$27.50
Self Guided Tour or VIP Tour with no field access; $14.50–$17.50
Daily Tours—1 to 1½ hours
Cowboys Home Games:

Monday, October 25; 7:30 PM vs NY Giants
Sunday, October 31; vs Jacksonville

Bureau of Engraving—You’ll see millions of dollars being printed during a tour of the Bureau of Engraving. The tour features the various steps of currency production, beginning with large, blank sheets of paper, and ending with wallet-ready bills!

Public Tours Monday–Friday 9:00 AM–2:00 PM; 45–60 minute tours

Fort Worth Zoo—The oldest zoo in Texas, the Fort Worth Zoo was founded in 1909 with one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits. From these humble beginnings, the Zoo has grown into a nationally ranked facility, housing more than 5,000 native and exotic animals.

Open 10:00 AM–4:00 PM daily; $9–$12

Six Flags over Texas—Everyone can be a kid again at Six Flags! The oldest of the Six Flags theme parks, Six Flags over Texas boasts nearly 50 rides and attractions for all ages!

Friday, October 22—6:00 PM–11:00 PM
Saturday, October 23—10:00 AM–10:00 PM
Sunday, October 24—11:00 AM–8:00 PM
$31–$50; approximately 15 miles from Fort Worth

Fort Worth Stockyard—The last standing Stockyards in the United States, the Fort Worth Stockyards celebrates the city’s long tradition as a part of the cattle industry and was designated as a historical district in 1976.

Forth Worth Herd—Twice daily cattle drives; Free(11:30 AM and 4:00 PM)
Cowtown Cattlepen Maze—$5 per person
Stockyard Museums—Free/$2 donation (Monday–Saturday)
Cowtown Coliseum—Monday–Friday
Stockyard Station—Shop, Dine, Open Daily
Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame—$3–$5
Old Time Photos

Red Steagall’s 20th Anniversary Cowboy Gathering & Western Swing Festival—In place of the standard Rodeo, exciting event is headed into Fort Worth October 22–24, 2010. Full weekend and daily tickets available. Enjoy trail rides, ranch rodeo action, Chuck Wagon Camp and Competition, Horsemanship Clinics, Trappings Show, Cowboy Poetry, and Cowboy Music, Fiddle Contests, and Chuck Wagon Cook-offs!

Ticket Information

Stockyards Championship Rodeo—Live Rodeo Action, October 22–23, 2010, starting at 8:00 PM

Ticket Information

Sundance Square—The Downtown area of Forth Worth includes numerous hotels, restaurants, condos, lofts, shops, museums, bars, clubs, movie theatres, performing arts, concerts, and festivals throughout the year. Free, Open Daily.

Fort Worth Cultural District—The Cultural District is only minutes from the hustle and bustle of daily commerce in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Bordered by a tree lined boulevard paved with bricks and surrounded by manicured grounds, the area is alive with charming shops and restaurants. The Cultural District is home to Old World and New World art masterpieces, exotic science and cultural exhibits, exciting performance art theaters, and the beloved Will Rogers Memorial Center.

Science & History—Open Daily; $10–$14
Modern—Tuesday to Sunday; $4–$10
Amon Carter (Art)—Tuesday–Sunday; Free for permanent exhibit
Kimball (Art)—Tuesday–Sunday; Free Admission
Cattle Raisers—Open Daily (no fee noted)
Cowgirl—Open Daily; $8–$10

Trinity Park—The largest of the Fort Worth parks. Stretched out down the banks of the Trinity River and nestled next to the Fort Worth Zoo, Trinity Park is home to a duck pond, a miniature train, several playgrounds and Trinity River Trails, the best hike and bike trail in town. The park hosts large annual events such as Shakespeare in the Park and May Fest. The fishing pier is a convenient place to do a little fishing, and periodically fish are released into the Trinity River, increasing your odds of catching something to brag about. The Japanese Garden is a pocket of tranquility in the park. Picnic pavilions, restrooms, and water fountains are scattered throughout the park.

Bass Performance Hall—Serves as a permanent home to major performing arts organizations of Fort Worth and as a premiere venue for other attractions so as to enhance the range, quality, and accessibility of cultural fare available to the public; to promulgate arts education; and to contribute to the cultural life of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, and the region

Botanic Gardens—The Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the oldest botanic garden in Texas, is a lush 109-acre tapestry of dappled shade and vibrant splashes of color. A peaceful haven nestled in the heart of Fort Worth's Cultural District, the Garden is home to over 2,500 species of native and exotic plants that flourish in its 23 specialty gardens.

Open Daily. Cost ranges from $0.50 up to $4.50 per person.
Fall festival at Japanese Garden October 23–24 and Orchid Sale & Show

Texas Motor Speedway—Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines! Take the green flag for a high-speed visit to one of the world’s largest and most modern sports and entertainment facilities, Texas Motor Speedway. Speedway tours include a stop on the luxury suite level. Get a high-level birds-eye view of more than 150,000 seats and the 1,500 acres that make up Texas Motor Speedway. Bring your camera for numerous photo opportunities. Finally, imagine yourself getting ready to negotiate one of the Speedway’s 24-degree, high-banked corners that allow racecars to exceed 200 mph! Laps of the racing oval, in our tour van, produce the same hold-your-breath sensations experienced by the greatest race drivers in America.

Tours offered daily. Laps around the Speedway are subject to availability at the time of each tour.
Cost is $6–$8 per person

Texas Rangers Ballpark—Stadium home to the Texas Rangers. Tours available where you can see the most exciting behind-the-scenes areas of the ballpark including Rangers clubhouse, batting cages, press box, City of Arlington Suite, dugouts, and much more. Games in October will vary based on post-season play.

Located approximately 15 miles outside of Fort Worth.
$5–$10 per person (tours)

Grapevine Vintage Railroad—The Grapevine Vintage Railroad travels along the historic Cotton Belt Route between Grapevine and the Fort Worth Stockyards. The Railroad is serviced by two vintage locomotives—“Puffy” the 1896 steam locomotive, which is the oldest continuously operating steam engine in the South, and a 1953 GP-7 diesel locomotive. Passengers enjoy riding in authentic 1920s and 1930s Victorian-style coaches as they take a step back in time and experience train travel as it was in the glory days of the expanding west.

The Trinity River Run departs from the Fort Worth Stockyards at 3:30 PM and returns at 4:30 PM
The cost is $6–$10 per person