(FORTUNE Magazine) – In photographs, some of them smile in a gentle way. They're the performing cowgirls, who sing "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" or "I Fall to Pieces." The weatherworn woman ranchers and rodeo performers, however, exhibit steelier smiles--sort of like Karen Hughes'. They could mop up the floor with you, if they gave a horse's ass about mopping the floor.

Fort Worth's new $21 million National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honors 159 of these tough-talking, trick-riding, herd-tending Western women. It's equipped with enough plasma screens, video projections, and rhinestone outfits to ensure that you "Catch the Cowgirl Spirit." Best of all is the mechanical bronco: Archival footage will be inserted behind you, and when you get home, you can download a video of yourself as a bouncy rodeo queen. --Joshua David

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame 1720 Gendy St., Fort Worth; 800-476-3263 or 817-336-4475; www.cowgirl.net