It's short, but oh, so, sweet to see a herd of more than a hundred Texas Longhorn cattle moseying along 17th Street, reminding this city of its not-so-long-ago days as a cowtown. The annual kickoff to the National Western Stock Show on the first or second Thursday in January includes marching bands, chuckwagons, old cars, cowboys, cowgirls and maybe even a few llamas heading from Union Station down to Broadway. There's a barbecue lunch that benefits the 4-H International Youth Group, but you don't need to ante up for that in order to kick up your cowboy-booted heels. The city's National Western Complex may be undergoing a billion-dollar transformation, but this time-honored, free tradition shows how the West was fun!
Readers' Choice: Levitt Pavilion