The Cowgirl Museum Reopens Nov. 7 With a Parade, a Carousel and a Front Door Facing the Arena

For more than two decades, the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame at 1720 Gendy Street has been a quiet presence on the west side of the Cultural District. It has drawn steady crowds, but it was never the reason streets closed. That changes Saturday. The museum has been closed to the public since Oct. 19. It reopens on Nov. 7 with a members-only preview at 10 a.m., the Grand Cowgirl Parade at 11 a.m. and a public opening at noon. Streets close for the parade at 10:30 a.m.

The bigger change is the building's direction. The expansion runs 16,000 square feet to the west. It adds a new entrance facing the arena on Montgomery Street, plus four galleries, an 18-horse carousel custom-made in San Francisco, a 250-guest event venue and dedicated space for K-12 programs. In practice, the museum's new front door looks toward the venue that fills the district's western edge on event nights. And the Cowgirl reopens in one of the heaviest months on the arena and Will Rogers calendars. For anyone who lives a few minutes away in Rivercrest, a November visit depends far more on timing than on distance.

What $19 Million Added on Gendy Street

Fort Worth Magazine puts the project at $19 million. Its list includes a newly designed entry, a fully working carousel and two new permanent galleries, one for Western fashion and one for photography. Linbeck returned as the construction team. Projectiles, a firm based in Paris, came back as design architect, with Ewing Cole as architect of record.

The new rooms open with three exhibitions:

• "Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo" is the first show in the new Icons Gallery. It displays the one-of-a-kind wardrobe Lambert wore during her Las Vegas residency. According to Fort Worth Magazine, the residency ran from September 2022 to April 2024, and the pieces will stay in the gallery for at least a year.
• "Gravity Defied: Trick Riders of The Cowgirl" opens the photography gallery. Fort Worth Magazine describes it as a history of trick and fancy riding.
• "The 38" is listed with the other two in the museum's September expansion announcement.

The Lambert show is connected to the museum's own collection. In remarks published by the Fort Worth Report, Lambert said a visit to the museum sent her to her stylist with photos of the Western pieces on display, which they mixed "with the heyday of Elvis." Curator Ashley Kowalski told the same outlet:

"Miranda's 'Velvet Rodeo' styling was inspired by historic garments from iconic western tailors which she saw on display at the Museum. We are honored to give her residency wardrobe a new stage where the collection can be appreciated in its entirety."

The costumes left the museum as inspiration and came back as exhibits, and they now hang in a wing built toward the arena where a Lambert-sized crowd would gather.

The Week the Door Opens

The reopening is the last event of a full week. The museum's schedule runs like this:

1. Wednesday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. The expansion ribbon cutting was scheduled for the new entrance.
2. Thursday, Nov. 5, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The 50th Annual Induction Luncheon and Ceremony is at the arena, 1911 Montgomery St. This year's six honorees are Cherie DeVaux, Laura Kraut, Kenda Lenseigne, Lela Rose, Lisa Sorrell and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
3. Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The members' preview starts at 10 a.m., street closures at 10:30 a.m., the parade at 11 a.m. and the public opening at noon. Watching the parade is free anywhere along the route, and the museum also sells reserved seats. Public parking is in the Western Heritage Garage and the Yellow Lot, with a fee collected by the City of Fort Worth and Trail Drive Management. Members get discounted parking at the concierge desk inside the museum.

The museum says the parade will bring "horses, Western groups, floats and more" into the district. The Visit Fort Worth listing gives the event time as noon. The museum's own page and its September announcement both say 11 a.m., which matters if you are trying to cross the district that morning.

Saturday Doesn't End at Noon

Nov. 7 is busy beyond the Cowgirl. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art opens "Lava Thomas: In Our Own Regard" the same day, and admission there is free. That night, John Summit begins a two-night run at the arena, which brands itself Ariat Arena on its own event calendar. So the same blocks see a morning parade, an afternoon museum opening and an evening arena crowd, and the John Summit crowd comes back Sunday.

The rest of the month keeps up that pace. Here is the west side of the district, as posted on venue calendars:

Hot Wheels has four shows: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Daytime traffic starts that weekend as well. The Futurity is the long one. It runs nearly four weeks at Will Rogers and continues into December.

The Quiet Window Is Nov. 9 Through 12

Laid out together, the calendars show one clear gap. Monday, Nov. 9 through Thursday, Nov. 12 has no Ariat Arena dates. It also falls after the ApHC show closes and before the Futurity starts on the Will Rogers calendar. If you'd like to see the Lambert wardrobe and the carousel without the opening-weekend crowds, that is the week the district is calmest. Check hours at thecowgirl.org before you go.

Posted admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and older and for military and first responders with ID, $4 for children 4 to 12, and free for children three and under. A family ticket for two adults and up to four children is $28, and members get in free. That price list came before the expansion, so confirm it at the ticket desk.

The same week works for nearby museums too. The Modern opens its collection show "In the Making: Stories from the Collection" on Oct. 31, and it runs through Aug. 15, 2027. Fridays at the Modern are free and Sundays are half-price. Visitors under 18 are always free. The Kimbell's "Photography's First Century: Masterworks from the Bibliothèque nationale de France" is on view through Jan. 17, 2027. Its timing ties into Camp Bowie's fall, which we covered in our Monticello post. For dinner after a weeknight visit, our look at Rivercrest's restaurant turnover covers the dining rooms closest to home.

December Brings the Free Day

The Cowgirl's first holiday season in the new building centers on Cowgirl Christmas, Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum admission is free that day. The listing includes vendor shopping, complimentary photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, crafts and games in a North Pole Village, live music, a food truck, and complimentary mimosas for guests 21 and older while supplies last.

Plan around the next day, too. On Sunday, Dec. 6, Texas plays TCU at the arena at noon as part of the LS² series. The Futurity is still running at Will Rogers that weekend. That makes Dec. 5 and 6 one more back-to-back weekend on Montgomery Street, and the Cowgirl's new entrance now faces it.

The Cowgirl's new wing opens to a full calendar right next to Rivercrest, and our team keeps track of how changes like this affect the homes nearby. To talk about what the Cultural District's growth means for your property, request a private consultation with the Fort Worth luxury specialists at Duwe-Olsen Group.