Things to do in Dallas–Fort Worth
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Joe T Garcia’s
The most famous restaurant in Fort Worth, this fourth-generation place takes up a city block. Dinners (choose between fajitas or a family-style combo plate) in the candlelit walled courtyard are magical, as Mexican-tile fountains bubble among the acres of tropical foliage. On weekends the line (no reservations!) often stretches around the block.
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Angry Dog
Workers crowd in at lunchtime for the unbeatable burgers at this saloon, whose pedigree includes best wings, hot dogs, bar food and hangover therapy for several years running.
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Sixth Floor Museum
President John F Kennedy’s downtown assassination sent the city reeling in November 1963. The shooting was followed by a chaotic manhunt and gunman Lee Harvey Oswald’s eventual assassination. The fascinating and highly audiovisual Sixth Floor Museum narrates in excruciating, minute-by-minute detail what happened and where. Eyewitness photos, video and audio clips add a vivid depth to the experience. Even the myriad twisted assassin conspiracy theories are succinctly summarized. From Dealey Plaza, walk along Elm St beside the infamous grassy knoll, and look for the white ‘X’ in the road that marks the exact spot where the president was shot. Turn around and look up at …
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Kimbell Art Museum
Some art aficionados say this is the country’s best ‘small’ art museum while some say it’s one of the unqualified best. Take your time perusing: the stunning architecture lets in natural light that allows visitors to see paintings from antiquity to the 20th century the way the artists originally intended. European masterpieces include works by Caravaggio, El Greco and Cézanne, and Michelangelo’s first painting, The Torment of St Anthony.
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Bishop Arts District
For quirky and one-of-a-kind, like vintage Fiestaware plates, funky chandeliers and DIY crafts, head to the Bishop Arts District. Check the website for periodic festivals where local artists showcase their wares, such as the Oak Cliff Art Crawl held in April.
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La Duni Latin Café
- Dallas, USA
- Restaurants › Café
Fried plantains topped with black beans and beef are just the beginning. All the dishes at this upmarket, modern eatery have a Spanish accent, if not a specific country of origin. La Duni blends European traditions with Latin American soul.
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Esperanza's Panaderia y Café
Breakfasts here are real Mexican - pulled chicken tops the breakfast migas (eggs scrambled with tortilla strips) or you could have machacado (spiced dried beef) with those sunny side ups.
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Stockyards
Western-wear stores and knickknack shops, saloons and steak houses occupy the Old West–era buildings of the Stockyards.
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Dream Café
Imagine a healthy, organic diner – one with quirky decor, a huge patio, a serene fountain and a playground for kids.
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Yutaka
Industrial loft meets minimalism at tiny Yutaka, where you can get some of the freshest sushi in town.
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Conspiracy Museum
Do you want more proof that Oswald didn't act alone? The Conspiracy Museum looks a bit like a student's history project, but raises enough questions to make you think. Across N Market St is the Kennedy Memorial, a simple but profound sculpture by architect Phillip Johnson.
Through its amateurish displays, the Conspiracy Museum posits that Kennedy's assassination was a coup d'état to shore up the military-industrial complex that had been gaining strength in the US since WWII. It also suggests that the same people and forces that killed Kennedy were later responsible for the deaths of Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick friend Mary Jo Kopechn…
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Southfork Ranch
Who shot JR? Locals certainly no longer care (the TV drama Dallas was cancelled in 1992), but that doesn't stop interstate and international visitors from driving 20 miles north from Dallas to Southfork Ranch. If you are expecting to see Miss Ellie's kitchen or JR's bedroom, don't. The ranch was used for exterior filming only; interior shots were filmed on a Hollywood set. The family who owned the ranch during the TV-show era lived there fulltime - until the show became so popular that they woke up to fans camped around their pool. The house is now an event center. You have to take a tour to see it and the tiny museum, including props like Lucy's wedding dress.
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Bureau of Engraving and Printing
- Fort Worth, USA
- Sights › Other
No, those billions of dollars being printed in front of your very eyes are not the work of counterfeiters living on the lam, Bonnie-and-Clyde style, in Texas. You’ve just stumbled upon one of two places in the nation where ‘In God We Trust’ and Ben Franklin’s face are legally printed on oh-so-hard-to-find paper: the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. This US Treasury facility produces that notorious green stuff over which wars are fought, with which engagement rings purchased, narcotics snorted, bets wagered, waiters tipped and babysitters paid. The bureau suggests allowing 30 minutes to clear security, which lets you know this place is the real deal.
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Modern Museum of Fort Worth
Entering this museum, you round a corner from womblike, concrete galleries to be confronted by a two-story wall of glass looking out at the city skyline. One of the largest gallery spaces for modern art in the world, it houses an incredible number of provocative and mind-expanding works by luminaries such as Mark Rothko and Picasso. Can’t-miss pieces include Anselm Kiefer’s Book with Wings, Martin Puryear’s Ladder for Booker T Washington and Andy Warhol’s eponymous Twenty-Five Colored Marilyns. The museum restaurant, Café Modern, is drop-dead gorgeous, seeming to float on the water of the surrounding reflecting pools.
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Nasher Sculpture Center
Modern-art installations shine both inside and out at the fabulous glass-and-steel Nasher Sculpture Center. The Nashers started collecting art in the 1950s and accumulated what might be one of the greatest privately held sculpture collections in the world, with works by Calder, de Kooning, Rodin, Serra and Miró. Enter the light-filled atrium and your senses will be intrigued by the shape, light and color. The divine sculpture garden is one of the best in the country: don’t miss the ethereal ‘sky frame’ in the garden. This is a wonderful place to while away an afternoon.
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Thanks-Giving Square
Dallas has a surprisingly quiet side where even credit cards are rendered powerless – a triangular piece of prime downtown real estate set aside for spiritual renewal and reflection. Thanks-Giving Square was established by the Thanks-Giving Foundation as a ‘place where people can use gratitude as a basis for dialogue, mutual understanding and healing.’ Designed by Philip Johnson, the tranquil center includes a meditation garden, a Wall of Praise, an interdenominational Chapel of Thanksgiving and a museum of gratitude.
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Highland Park Village
For an eye-rolling, gasp-inducing and credit card–maxing experience, head to Spanish Mission–style Highland Park Village in upper-crust Highland Park, which claims to be the oldest suburban shopping center in the world. If Jimmy Choo and Harry Winston are among your intimate acquaintances, you’ll feel at home. If they’re not, it’s still worth a look around to see Dallas money in action (or just to see who wins when an Escalade and a Jaguar face off for a prime parking spot).
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Reunion Tower
What’s 50 stories high, with a three-level spherical dome flashing with 260 lights? No, it’s not a spaceship, it’s Reunion Tower, the unofficial symbol of Dallas. Get a workout by taking the steps up to the observation deck, or enjoy the sky-high panoramic view from the stunning celebrity-chef restaurant and lounge Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck. An underground pedestrian tunnel connects Reunion Tower with Union Station.
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Hall of Heroes
Fair Park is full of superb 1930s art-deco architecture, none of it quite as inspired as this tribute to all things Texan. The Hall of Heroes pays homage to such luminaries as Stephen F Austin and Samuel Houston; the Great Hall of Texas features huge murals of Texas history from the 16th century on. As you leave the Hall of State, stop by the reflecting pool outside of the entrance: the golden Greek-inspired statues will thrill art-deco buffs.
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Dallas Museum of Art
This museum is a high-caliber world tour of decorative and fine art befitting a big city. Our faves include Edward Hopper’s enigmatic Lighthouse Hill and Rodin’s Sculptor and his Muse. The Spanish Colonial art section is extraordinary. Also, check out the stunning pair of jade screens from North India. Kids (and parents) will appreciate the Young Learners Gallery, with fun projects for young ’uns.
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Amon Carter Museum
Pre-1945 American art shines at this museum, including iconic works by John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer and Alexander Calder, and an impressive collection of Western artist Frederic Remington’s work. Walking through the exhibits is like taking a visual tour of the US – from Yosemite National Park with Albert Bierstadt to New Mexico with Georgia O’Keeffe. Don’t miss the amazing collection of photographs.
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Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
You definitely won’t go thirsty: the bar inside this old brick building is made for craft-beer-lovers (80 brews on tap). How can you not love a bar whose jam-packed patio is called ‘Half-Acre Hell?’ The waitresses slinging beers in Catholic-schoolgirl outfits are kinda weird, but hey, this is a funky old place that flips the bird to political correctness – if the old-fashioned cigarette machine is any indication.
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Sundance Square
One of the best pedestrian downtowns in the nation? Seriously…in Texas? The point is, it’s a passel of fun (and not much hassle) to hang out in the 14-block Sundance Square, near Main and 3rd Sts. Colorful architecture, art galleries and a host of bars and restaurants make this one supremely strollable, friendly ’hood. Bonus: parking garages are free after 5pm and on weekends.
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National Cowgirl Museum
The National Cowgirl Museum rides high with state-of-the-art exhibits. Mount a slow-mo electronic bucking bronc and video magic makes it look like you're in a fast-action rodeo. Four small theaters focus on different personalities - one is about Jessie in Pixar's Toy Story - but the museum overall is more rugged-frontiers-woman than about anything 'girly.'
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National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame
- Fort Worth, USA
- Sights › Other
Not just for girls, this airy, impressive museum explores the myth and the reality of cowgirls in American culture. From rhinestone costumes to rare film footage, this is a fun and educational ride: by the time you walk out, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for these tough and sassy ladies. If you’re cowgirl enough, film yourself riding the bucking bronc.
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