BAR WITH GAMES
Reader Pick: Barcadia
Cold beer. Vintage arcade games. Patio and Giant Jenga. Food. Are we missing anything on the inner-kid checklist? 816 Matisse Drive , Fort Worth, 817.348.8606, Website
Staff Pick: Landmark Bar and Kitchen
The new kid on the block opened last year with what it claims as West 7th's biggest patio and 29-degree beer. There are 15 vintage arcade games, lots of HDTVs, a mechanical bull and live music and DJs. Oh, water and treats on the patio for your pooch. 3008 Bledsoe St., Fort Worth, 817.984.1166, landmarkfw.com
BIRTHDAY PARTY
Reader Pick: Cowtown Cycle Party
Pick up to 15 best friends and use human power to pedal around town on a two-hour pub crawl or tour that is pretty much roll-your-own. There are five pedaling seats on each side. The company supplies the driver. 950 Calhoun St., Fort Worth, 682.422-9253, cowtowncycleparty.com
Staff Pick: Main Event
This place is an assault on the senses with lots of games and activities for kids of all ages - plus comfort food and a full bar for kids of legal age. 4801 Citylake Blvd. E., Fort Worth, 817.292.5555, Website
COCKTAILS
Reader Pick: Bird Café
Other than specialty drinks, bars are bars. Where they differ is in ambiance - and readers recognize that in this selection. Bird Café is a split-level restaurant with more than 6,400 square feet of indoor space and 2,300 square feet of patio space overlooking Sundance Square Plaza. 155 E. 4th Street, Fort Worth, 817.332.2473, birdinthe.net
Staff Pick: Ruth's Chris Steak House
Speaking of ambiance, Ruth's Chris has it in spades for a date or a celebration, or after work wind-down or before the theatre. 813 Main St., Fort Worth, 817.348.0080, Website
DOGFRIENDLY BAR
Reader Pick: Woodshed Smokehouse
The Trinity Trails location of Chef Tim Love's place makes it natural for you and your pets. You can just sit there and watch the world run, walk or cycle by. 3201 Riverfront Drive, Fort Worth, 817.877.4545, Website
Staff Pick: Fort Worth Food Park
This is a great way to sample among the variety of food trucks available in Fort Worth, with outdoor games, live music and other special events. There's an on-site cantina. Fido is welcome here, and we're sure a good time will be had by all regardless of the number of legs on the guest. 2509 Weisenberger St., Fort Worth, 972.850.8736, fwfoodpark.com
EVENTS VENUE
Reader Pick: Sedona Productions at Cendera Center
Often the venue for Fort Worth, Texas magazine events, this versatile events center can handle anything in more than 16,000 square feet of space for groups up to more than a thousand people. It is excellent adaptive reuse of what one was an ice skating rink. 3600 Benbrook Highway, Fort Worth, 817.984.6800, cenderacenter.com
Staff Pick: Pavilion at Sundance Square
Located on the northwest side of Fort Worth's version of Rome's Piazza del Popolo -Sundance Square Plaza - this venue provides for around 50 guests for a seated event and up to 150 for a cocktail-style reception. Movable glass doors open to an outdoor patio. Sundance Square Plaza
Downtown Fort Worth
sundancesquare.com
Reader Pick: The Capital Grille
You can create your own cocoon within this elegantly appointed dining location that surrounds you with reminders of icons of Texas and Fort Worth. 800 Main St., Fort Worth, 817.348.9200, tinyurl.com/capital-fw
Staff Pick: Grace
American classic food, an outdoor terrace and a front seat on Fort Worth's Main Street make this an outstanding experience for those first small steps in a relationship. 777 Main St., Fort Worth, 817.877.3388, gracefortworth.com
GIRLS" NIGHT OUT
Reader Pick: A Piece of Work
If you and your friends have a restless urge to paint, this interactive art lounge is the place for you. Bring your friends and favorite wine, and everything else is provided for an artistic evening. Best of all, no artistic experience is necessary. 5714 Locke Ave., Fort Worth, 817.737.7700, apieceofworkonline.com
Staff Pick: Winslow's Wine Café
Except for the other people in the room, you might think this is a gathering of friends in someone's home. It's a place for visiting and talking, and, of course, for eating and drinking. 4101 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817.546.6843, winslowswinecafe.com
Reader Pick: Whiskey and Rye
OK, you need some history here. This is located in the vicinity of Fort Worth's famed Hell's Half Acre - a raucous place for cowboys, outlaws and others of ill repute, if you get our drift. It's safer now - the city's last Western-style gunfight occurred nearby on Feb. 8, 1887. But a guy can fantasize while he's watching sports on HDTV, right? Omni Hotel, 1300 Houston St., Fort Worth, 817.535.6664, whiskeyandryefw.com
Staff Pick: Fire
Oak Grill
This traditional but also innovative restaurant on the square in Weatherford is well worth the drive. (Girls like it, too.) 114 Austin Ave., Weatherford, 817.598.0400, fireoakgrill.com
Reader Pick: Panther Island Pavilion
If you want to visit a waterfront stage in Texas, your choices are limited to here. In addition to music, there are a variety of other opportunities for celebrating the Trinity River. 395 Purcey St., Fort Worth, 817.698.0700, Website
Staff Pick: Live Oak Music Hall & Lounge
They call the Music Hall portion of the Live Oak a "listening room," in sharp contrast to other more noisy venues. Check the website for a schedule of performers - and hear them perform in what once was the Lion's Club building in the Historic Near Southside. 1311 Lipscomb St., Fort Worth, 817.926.0968, theliveoak.com
LOUNGE
Reader Pick: Scat Jazz Lounge
All the coolest clubs have been underground, and Scat carries that on in the basement of what once was the Woolworth building in Downtown Fort Worth. It's a club for adults - a place to enjoy music and have a cocktail. No neon beer signs here. 111 W. 4th Street, Ste. 11, Fort Worth, 817.870.9100, scatjazzlounge.com
Staff Pick: Wine Thief
This is a relaxed and lovely spot for a glass of wine and some appetizers at the start or the end of your evening in Downtown Fort Worth. And there is patio seating overlooking the Fort Worth Water Gardens. Omni Hotel, 1300 Houston St., Fort Worth, 817.535.6664, Website
MAKE-OUT SPOT
Reader Pick: Coyote Drive-In
The first drive-in in the United States opened on June 6, 1933, and the concept spread rapidly across the country. And then … there were only a handful left. But Coyote has reversed that, taking people of a certain age back to their teen years, and introducing a new generation to a rite-of-passage experience. Pet friendly. No outside food and drink allowed. 223 N.E. 4th St., Fort Worth, 817.717.7767, coyotedrive-in.com
This oasis is next to the Fort Worth Convention Center and was designed by Phillip Johnson, the architect for the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. It is a place to sit and talk and contemplate. But we might caution you that some of the make-out activities that might occur at the Reader Pick could land you in trouble here. 1502 Commerce St., Fort Worth
Reader Pick: PRoPER
Fans of the Near Southside were thrilled to see this place open to the east of the original redevelopment along Magnolia, and they are making it a favorite neighborhood bar. It's cozy and comfortable, with a patio. 409 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth, 817.984.1133, propermagnolia.com
Staff Pick: The Local
The Local is the latest launch by the owner of The Durty Crow, also in West 7th on Crockett, and Durty Murphy's,downtown on Houston. It's spacious inside with a separate outdoor patio with its own bar, which we'll predict is going to get a lot of traffic as the year wears on. 2800 Bledsoe St., Fort Worth, facebook.com/thelocalwest7th
Reader Pick: Billy Bob's Texas
Texas Two-Step, Fort Worth Shuffle, Swing, Waltz, line dances. What more can you be looking for? And if you don't know how, resident dance instructor Wendell Nelson has been teaching here for 20 years. Check the website under the Entertainment link for more information and schedules. 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth, 817.624.7117, billybobstexas.com
Staff Pick: Vee Lounge
If Country/Western isn't your thing, head over to this high-energy weekend nightclub with a state-of-the-art light and sound system and DJs playing the best in electro dance house music, Thursday through Sunday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. 500 Taylor St., Fort Worth, 817.332.4833, veelounge.com
Reader Pick: Oak Water Ranch in Granbury
This is on a 400-acre private ranch just seven minutes south of Granbury. Events are limited to one a day, so you'll have it to yourself. Oak Water can handle up to 300 guests and has recently added an outdoor dance floor so you can celebrate under the stars. 3001 Neri Road Granbury, 817.279.8223, theoakwaterranch.com
Staff Pick: Fort Worth Botanic Gardens
One of the truly most lovely and serene places in Fort Worth traces its history to 1912 and Rock Springs Park. There are a variety of venues on the grounds, and wedding packages are available.
3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.
Fort Worth, 817.392.5510, fwbg.org
SPORTS BAR
Reader Pick: Frankie's Sports Bar
If it's being broadcast, you can see it here. And in the quiet times - seldom, we'll admit - it's a neighborhood bar with music supplied by a digital jukebox with access to more than a quarter of a million songs. 425 W. 3rd St., Fort Worth, 817.870.9090, frankiesbar.com
Staff Pick: Reservoir
With 38 HDTVs and everything else that goes with a sports bar, Reservoir has rapidly developed into a destination for sports fans and many others. One major attraction is the patio open year around and facing Foch Street. 1001 Foch St., Fort Worth, 817.334.0560, bar-reservoir.com
TRIVIA NIGHT
Reader Pick: Baker St. Bar
Wednesday night is the night here, starting at 6:30 p.m. with a round of 10 questions, followed by a tiebreaker question if necessary. There's the potential of serious money - first prize is $50, either cash or gift card; second prize is a $50 gift card. Each week, Baker Street puts $50 in a cash box that accrues until someone wins it. The winner, the second-place winner and a wild card team get a shot at it each week. Teams are limited to six people. Crowd is good, managers say. 6333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817.377.9772, Website
Staff Pick: Ginger Man
Thursday, 7 p.m., is trivia night at Ginger Man, following Pint Night starting at 6. That ought to loosen up the brain cells for some deep and reasoned thinking while you compete. 3716 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817.886.2327, Website
