In the 1930s, one of the most famous men in America was a Texan who traveled the world catching wild animals and swore he’d bring ’em back alive. Frank Buck was born in Gainesville in 1884, and today his hometown’s zoo carries his name.
Add a striking 1912 courthouse, a small museum in an old city hall and a downtown square with coffee and shops, and you’ve got a laid-back day trip just off I-35, about an hour north of Fort Worth and about an hour and 15 minutes from Dallas.
Who was Frank Buck?
Buck grew up in Gainesville and went on to become a hunter, author and filmmaker who collected animals in Asia, Africa and South America for zoos and circuses. His book and 1932 film, both titled Bring ’Em Back Alive, made him a household name. When Gainesville’s small zoo was getting started in the 1950s with animals from the town’s disbanded community circus, the city named it for him in 1954.
Visiting the Frank Buck Zoo
The Frank Buck Zoo sits inside Leonard Park at 1000 W. California St. It’s a manageable size for little ones and grandparents alike, so you can see it all in a couple of hours without anybody melting down.
A few things worth knowing before you go:
- The city lists fall hours of 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, with the last tickets sold at 3 p.m.
- Admission is $9 for ages 13–54 and $7.50 for kids 2–12, seniors 55 and up and military with ID. Babies under 2 are free. You buy tickets at the window; no advance purchase needed.
- The zoo lists a giraffe encounter most mornings at 10:30, weather permitting, plus flamingo and capybara encounters that require a reservation.
- Leonard Park itself has shade, picnic tables and a playground, so pack a lunch.
The Cooke County Courthouse
Downtown is built around the Cooke County Courthouse, a domed Beaux-Arts beauty completed in 1912 and designed by the Fort Worth firm Lang & Witchell. It was named a Texas Historic Landmark in 1988 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It’s still a working courthouse, so the best way to enjoy it is from the square, where the dome and columns are easy to admire from just about any corner.
The Morton Museum and the old depot
A block or so off the square, the Morton Museum of Cooke County at 210 S. Dixon St. is housed in an 1884 building that served as Gainesville’s city hall, fire station and jail. It was nearly torn down in the 1960s before local folks rallied to save it, and it opened as a museum in 1968. Look up when you go in: the stained-glass skylight came from a historic local home. The museum lists hours of Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it runs on donations.
The museum also oversees exhibits in the historic Santa Fe Depot, with railroad, Harvey Girls, Coca-Cola and community circus memorabilia. Those are currently by appointment only, so call the museum at 940-668-8900 if you’d like to see them.
Around the square
The streets around the courthouse are lined with brick storefronts holding coffee shops, cafes, boutiques and antique stores. Downtown Gainesville has a reputation for its fried pies, and a sweet treat on a bench by the courthouse is about as small-town Texas as it gets. Businesses come and go, so walk the square and see what’s open.
If you’re making a weekend of it, Cooke County’s wineries around Muenster, St. Jo and Valley View are a short drive away, though many keep weekend-only hours.
Good to Know
- Where: Gainesville, Cooke County, on I-35 about 7 miles south of the Red River; roughly 1 hour north of Fort Worth and 1 hour 15 minutes north of Dallas.
- Frank Buck Zoo: 1000 W. California St. in Leonard Park; 940-668-4539; fall hours 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m. daily, last entry 3 p.m.; $7.50–$9.
- Morton Museum: 210 S. Dixon St.; Tue–Fri 9 a.m.–3 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; donations welcome.
- Santa Fe Depot exhibits: By appointment through the Morton Museum.
- Good pairing: Combine the zoo in the morning with lunch and a stroll around the courthouse square.
Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the Frank Buck Zoo’s visitor page before you head out.
Gainesville doesn’t try too hard, and that’s what makes it easy to like. Let the kids see the giraffes, take a slow lap around that courthouse, and grab a fried pie for the road. Frank Buck would approve.
