1. It is free. Sort of.There is no admission fee to stroll the streets or view the cattle drive but be prepared to pay... for parking, for the maze, the petting zoo, the mechanical bull and pretty much everything else. Granted, nothing was extremely overpriced, but it all adds up. This brings me to my next tip.
2. Bring Cash. I made the mistake of having no cash. None of the parking attendants accepted credit cards, although one said he would take a check. (Who takes checks these days?) So I spent a good 15 minutes driving around trying to park or find an ATM.
3. Parking. There is free parking located on the last lot on the street. However, expect it to be full. Parking is $2- $5 but you will need cash. There are several ATM's located on the street but there is no parking unless you are in one of the lots. If you pull over to the next street, you can park near Coopers Pit BBQ at no charge. You will have to walk but it will save you some money.
4. The cattle heard, is really a mini heard. Don't expect a lot of cows. There were 10-15 in the herd. The street was lined with people and the little herd only lasted a few minutes. Lot's of people were a little disappointed about that. I recommend getting a spot near the beginning or middle of the street. We were at the end, which is where it started. So what we saw was a flash of long horns and a lot of cattle rears.
5. Do the Cattle Pen Maze. It is fun, but plan for at least 20 minutes. If you want more information on our experience with it, see the full post about it.
6. Allow yourself plenty of time. We ended up arriving later than expected and we did not get to do a lot of the things available but I did take some photos of some things we did not get to do. There are stagecoach rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, a mini train, photo opps on longhorns and horses, Billy Bobs, a rodeo, and so much more. Oh, well just another reason to go again!