The National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame on Gendy Street has been closed since October 19. Most of the work has gone into the building's west side. The museum is adding a 16,000-square-foot wing, and the new main entrance faces the arena next door instead of the rest of the Cultural District. The museum's plans call it Dickies Arena. The Fort Worth Report reported that it took a new name, Ariat Arena, on October 26. Ariat is a Western and equestrian brand.
The museum reopens this Saturday, November 7. The new entrance is also the plan for opening week. The ribbon cutting is scheduled at the new door, the Hall of Fame inductions are scheduled at the arena, and the parade brings Saturday's crowd through the district. If you live in Fort Worth, the new wing changes how you get to the museum, what it has for children, and how it fits into a full day of exhibitions in the Cultural District this fall.
A museum that grew toward the arena
The Cowgirl has been at its current address since 2002. The museum's own expansion page describes the new wing as a westward extension with four new gallery spaces.
- A fashion gallery
- A personal collection gallery
- A photography gallery
- An 18-horse carousel, custom-made in San Francisco
The wing also includes an event venue for 250 guests and space for K-12 programs. Linbeck is back as the builder, Projectiles of Paris is the design architect once again, and Ewing Cole is the architect of record. In its report on the expansion, WFAA said the design adds bas-reliefs of running horses to the building.
The project cost $19 million, according to the museum's September 25 announcement, which American Horse Publications republished. The same release quotes Executive Director Patricia W. Riley: "As we celebrate more than 50 years of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, we are also looking forward to the next 50 and introducing generations of visitors to the women whose stories deserve to be told."
Opening week runs between the two buildings
The schedule follows the new building plan. Each event is set for the museum, the arena or the streets between them.
The official ribbon cutting was scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, November 4, at the new entrance. The 50th Annual National Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon and Ceremony is scheduled for today, Thursday, November 5, at the arena. The 2026 class is Cherie DeVaux, Laura Kraut, Kenda Lenseigne, Lela Rose, Lisa Sorrell and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker.
On Saturday, the museum opens to the public. The grand opening event page gives this timeline:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Members-only preview of the expansion |
| 10:30 a.m. | Streets close for the parade |
| 11:00 a.m. | Grand Cowgirl Parade through the Cultural District |
| Noon | Expansion opens to the public |
| 5:00 p.m. | Grand opening day ends |
The museum describes the parade as horses, Western groups and floats moving through the Cultural District. It is free to watch from anywhere along the route, and reserved seats are also available. The street closures begin at 10:30 a.m., so if you're driving in, plan to arrive before then. Check the museum's event page on Saturday morning for the latest times.
Public parking on Saturday is in the Western Heritage Garage and the Yellow Lot. The City of Fort Worth and Trail Drive Management will charge a parking fee. Museum members can get discounted parking at the concierge desk inside the museum.
What the new wing holds
There is a gap of an hour between the parade and the noon opening. The long-running exhibits remain. The release lists the Bucking Bronc Room, the Western Design Room and the Hermès scarf collection among the favorites still on view. The new wing opens with four experiences:
The 38. This exhibition covers the 38 women who formed the Girls Rodeo Association in 1948. It uses one-of-a-kind objects, photographs and oral histories. The museum presents this group as the reason a Cowgirl Hall of Fame came to exist.
Gravity Defied: Trick Riders of the Cowgirl. The first show in the new photography gallery has 27 photographs of some of the best trick riders in history.
Miranda Lambert: The Velvet Rodeo Collection. This gallery opens with wardrobe from the singer's "Velvet Rodeo" residency. Lambert was a Cowgirl Honoree in 2021. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Lambert worked with the museum on the gallery and that the wardrobe comes from her Las Vegas residency.
The Cowgirl Carousel. Barrango of San Francisco built this indoor carousel. It has 18 horses, a chariot and artwork by Fort Worth artist Catherine Cartie.
For families, the carousel is the biggest change. The museum now has a ride indoors, next to galleries about trick riders and rodeo founders, and you can visit it whatever the weather on the arena plaza.
Three photography shows in one district
The new photography gallery also links The Cowgirl to the larger museums nearby. This fall, photography is part of the main exhibitions at three Cultural District museums, and one of those shows opens on the same Saturday as The Cowgirl.
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art opens Lava Thomas's "In Our Own Regard" on November 7 as well. Thomas is taking over the Carter's sloping first-floor gallery with large-scale portraits and an artist-designed wallpaper that uses historic negatives from the Carter's Mary Everhard Collection. At the Kimbell Art Museum, "Photography's First Century" shows more than 170 photographs from the medium's first hundred years.
| Museum | Exhibition | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame | Gravity Defied: Trick Riders of the Cowgirl | Opens Nov. 7, 2026 |
| Amon Carter Museum of American Art | Lava Thomas: In Our Own Regard | Nov. 7, 2026, to November 2027 |
| Kimbell Art Museum | Photography's First Century | Oct. 4, 2026, to Jan. 17, 2027 |
| Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth | In the Making: Stories from the Collection | Oct. 31, 2026, to Aug. 15, 2027 |
| Fort Worth Museum of Science and History | Forces at Play | Through Feb. 28, 2027 |
The Kimbell show closes January 17, so it has the shortest run on the list. The trick-rider photographs, the Kimbell's historic prints and Thomas's portraits work well as one afternoon of photography. The Modern opened "In the Making" on October 31. The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History opens a Disney Archives exhibition, "Capturing Life, Creating Character," on November 14, a week after The Cowgirl reopens.
The rest of the season
The arena is busy that weekend too. Visit Fort Worth lists a John Summit show at Ariat Arena at 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 8, recommended for ages 18 and older. Because the museum's entrance now faces the arena, those event nights take place right outside The Cowgirl's main door.
For later visits, the museum's admission page lists these prices:
- Adults: $18
- Seniors, military and first responders: $15
- Ages 4 to 12: $12
- Age 3 and under: free
- Family package: $50
These prices were posted before the expansion, so check the ticket page before you go. On regular days, the museum's visitor page lists parking at $6 for up to 120 minutes, $12 for 121 to 180 minutes and $15 for more than 180 minutes. With the new galleries and the carousel, you may need the longer parking window.
After opening weekend, the next big date on The Cowgirl's calendar is Cowgirl Christmas on Saturday, December 5. The museum's 2026 event schedule, also republished by American Horse Publications, describes it as free and open to the public, with more vendors in the expanded museum. It will be the first holiday season with the carousel open.
At Cassidy Calman Gibson, we follow changes like this new entrance because they affect how a part of Fort Worth works day to day. If you'd like to talk through what the Cultural District's growth means for your plans in Fort Worth, Contact Us.
