Visiting the Nasher Sculpture Center: This world-class collection of modern sculpture is in the downtown Dallas Arts District. Ray Nasher and his wife, Patsy, spent 4 decades assembling what has been called the finest private collection in the world (it includes superlative works by…
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Dallas Attractions
Dallas has long been better known for its business and banking instincts than its cultural treasures and must-see attractions -- in fact, Fort Worth still gallops ahead of it on the cultural radar (though the world-class Nasher Sculpture Center and other prominent local collectors donating valuable works to the city, as well as the stunning, $340-million Dallas Center for the Performing Arts, slated to open in fall 2009, ought to finally put Dallas on the arts map). Yet plenty of visitors simply come to Dallas and go native: Shop during the day, eat, drink, and attend big-time sporting events at night and on weekends. Big D, a young city, can certainly entertain visitors for a few days or more: It has its infamous Kennedy legacy (which it has reluctantly decided to embrace), revitalized state fairgrounds, a growing arts scene, and a handful of parks and enjoyable places for the kids. And, of course, the shopping.
The Arts District -- Art lovers will want to spend the better part of a morning or afternoon in the Arts District, though you could do a drive-by through a couple of the museums in a little over an hour. To get there via public transport, take DART Light Rail to Pearl or St. Paul station.
A Dollar Saved . . . -- Look for $1 and $2 coupons for museums and other attractions in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Visitors Guide and other tourism board publications (available free at the CVB office in the Old Red Courthouse as well as at some hotels and restaurants in Dallas).
At the Top of the Tower -- Dominating the Big D skyline is sphere-topped Reunion Tower (tel. 214/651-1234; DART Light Rail: Union), the top of which is lit up like a giant pincushion at night. The tower, located in Reunion Park at Reunion Boulevard, rises 50 stories, and the dome rotates very slowly (completing a single rotation in just under an hour), though imperceptibly to the naked eye. Take an exterior elevator to an observation deck for panoramic views of the city and surrounding plains, or have a drink at the Top of the Dome cocktail lounge, where you can blame your spinning head on something other than the libations in front of you.
Downtown Dallas's Outdoor Sculpture -- Fans of monumental contemporary sculpture should, after visiting the Nasher Center and the outdoor sculpture garden at the Dallas Museum of Art, pick up the Walking Sculpture brochure (available at the Visitors Center), which details 33 outdoor public sculptures in the downtown area. Along the way you'll find works by Richard Serra, Ellsworth Kelly, Mark di Suvero, and Henry Moore. On the first Saturday of each month, a guided walking tour is offered, departing from the Crow Collection of Asian Art at 10:30am. Call tel. 214/953-1977 for required reservations and more information.
13 Results
- Museum
Crow Collection of Asian Art
Dedicated to the arts of Asia, the Crow both dazzles the eye and tickles the brain. The constantly changing exhibits are culled from the 7000-piece collection of real estate moguls Trammel and Margaret Crow, two Texans who became enamored of the Orient midway through their lives and…Between Harwood and Olive Sts, The Arts District
- Historic Site
Dallas County Historical Plaza
Just a couple of blocks from the spot where JFK's motorcade slowly rolled by the Texas School Book Depository is the heart of historic downtown Dallas -- though nothing of permanence was built here until the 1890s. In the middle of the plaza is a reminder of Dallas's recent origins…Historic Downtown Dallas - Historic Site
Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park
Dallas's Old West heritage is on self-conscious display in this downtown 13-acre park of three dozen historic buildings. The complex re-creates a late-19th-century village, complete with a redbrick Main Street, Victorian homes, a log cabin dating from 1847, and Old West standards…The Outskirts of Downtown - Zoo/Aquarium
Dallas Zoo
Dallas Zoo [kds] -- If you're headed west to Fort Worth and one zoo trip will do, you'd be better off waiting (the Fort Worth Zoo and the one in San Antonio are the two best in Texas and two of the best in the country). Otherwise, if the kids are clamoring for some wild animals, the… - Cooking Class
Fair Park
Fair Park, a classic conglomeration of Art Deco buildings and spacious grounds built for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, is undergoing a renaissance. Built to commemorate the Republic of Texas's independence from Mexico, it is the only intact and unaltered, pre-1950s world's…The Outskirts of Downtown - Museum
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
Welcome to the world of presidential libraries, where the agenda is always the same: Prove that the figurehead in question was, without a doubt, one of the best U.S. Presidents to ever hold the office. Whether or not you agree with that assertion will definitively shape your…On the campus of Southern Methodist University - Museum
Meadows Museum of Art
When oil baron Algur Meadows (1899–1978) headed to Spain in search of black gold, he came up short. But he didn't come home empty-handed. Having fallen in love with Spanish art, Meadows went on a buying spree and collected what many consider to be the best collection of Spanish art…One block north of Mockingbird Lane, west of I-75 on the SMU campus - Museum
Nasher Sculpture Center
This exquisitely serene indoor/outdoor museum is the only facility in the United States exclusively devoted to sculpture. It was founded by the late Raymond and Patsy Nasher, private collectors and Dallas residents who housed some of their sculptures in the shopping mall that made…Dallas Arts District - Museum
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
As you'd expect from an exceptionally well-funded science museum that opened its doors in 2012, the Perot uses every contemporary trick in the book to engage its visitors. These range from light shows that visitors can manipulate to learn about the "emissions spectrum" to massive…Victory Park, near Downtown Dallas - Neighborhood
Swiss Avenue Historic District
Toward the turn of the 20th century, the Dallas elite began to abandon the area that now comprises the Arts District and move east (near the modestly funky Lakewood neighborhood). Sprawling, grand homes from the early 1900s -- English Tudor, Georgian, Spanish, you name it -- line a…On The Outskirts of Downtown - Park/Garden
The Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Dallas may not be celebrated for its cool green beauty, but the area around White Rock Lake, and more specifically the Arboretum and Botanical Garden, is a welcome oasis. Just 15 minutes from the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown Dallas are nearly 70 acres of carefully planted and…The Outskirts of Downtown - Zoo/Aquarium
The Dallas World Aquarium
Housed in a former warehouse in the West End district, the Dallas aquarium not at Fair Park is a good place to hide out from the sun downtown. My niece and nephew enjoy communing with the stingrays, sea turtles, sharks, and reef fish. Their favorite, though, is "Orinoco -- Secrets of… - Museum
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
In 2014, the Sixth Floor Museum marked its 25th anniversary. It opened to the public in 1989, 25 years after tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy in the very building, the Texas Book Depository, that most think was where Lee Harvey Oswald squeezed off the fatal shot.…Entrance on Houston Street, Historic Downtown Dallas
More About Dallas Attractions
Dallas Shopping
Uptown Dallas is the place to go for boutique shopping, including Cowboy Cool, known for its edgy rock 'n' roll meets Texas chic. Downtown is home to the Dallas Farmers Market and the flagship Neiman Marcus department store that put Texas on the fashion map. For those made-to-measure cowboy boots you've always wanted head to Fort Worth's Ponder Boot Co.. Most shops open Monday to Saturday 10am-6pm and are closed on Sunday.
Dallas Nightlife
A visit to Dallas isn't complete without a trip to Gilley's honky-tonk with mechanical bulls, beer and lots of country music. Deep Ellum has long been the centre of nightlife, but Uptown is quickly taking over. American Airlines Center hosts professional sporting events and headliner concerts. Fort Worth's huge honky tonk Billy Bob's Texas regularly attracts country music's biggest stars. Most bars close at 2am; some clubs are open later.
