Sights in Dallas
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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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B
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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C
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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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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D
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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E
Fair Park
Created for the Texas Independence–themed 1936 Centennial Exposition, the art-deco buildings of Fair Park today contain several interesting museums. While the grounds themselves are safe, the surrounding area – particularly to the east and south – is best avoided due to high crime. Outside of the State Fair, on-site parking is plentiful and free.
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Museum of History and Architecture
This 13-acre museum of history and architecture, set on a wooded property south of downtown, shows what it was like to live in North Texas from about 1840 to 1910. The modern skyline makes for a striking backdrop for the living history exhibits, comprised of 38 historic structures including a tepee and a Civil War–era farm.
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Pioneer Plaza
For a Texas-sized photo op or just a sight of the largest bronze monument on earth, head to Pioneer Plaza near the Convention Center: its showpiece is a collection of 40 bronze larger-than-life longhorns, amassed as if they were on a cattle drive.
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Dallas World Aquarium
After the recession killed off several attractions here, one of the only survivors remains the kid-favorite Dallas World Aquarium, where the flora and fauna of 14 countries (think the watery Mayan cenote swimming with sharks and rays) come alive.
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Meadows Museum
Located on the Southern Methodist University campus, the Meadows Museum exhibits perhaps the best and most comprehensive collection of Spanish art outside of Spain, including masterpieces by Velázquez, El Greco, Goya, Picasso and Miró.
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Women’s Museum
Fascinating exhibits that share the accomplishments of famous and little-known women throughout history and across cultures are the focus of this museum. Don’t miss the ‘Funny Women’ video, or the poetry and music listening room.
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African American Museum
This museum has exhibits of more than 1000 objects that richly detail the art and history of African American people from precolonial Africa through the present. Its black folk-art collection is one of the best nationwide.
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G
Old Red Museum
The 1892 Old Red Courthouse that houses the Old Red Museum is almost as interesting as the museum’s interactive exhibits on Dallas county history. Entry includes the free building tour (daily, call for times).
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H
Museum of Nature & Science
This educational, hands-on museum includes a children’s museum, a paleontology lab, an interactive DNA exhibit and fossils from the Ice Age. High marks for the planetarium and the IMAX theater.
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Dallas Arboretum
On the shores of White Rock Lake, the gorgeous Dallas Arboretum showcases plants and flowers in theme gardens such as the Sunken Garden and the Woman’s Garden.
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Texas Discovery Gardens
These pretty indoor-outdoor gardens include a tropical conservatory, a fragrance garden and a butterfly garden. Don’t miss the native Texas plants.
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Southern Methodist University
This is the city’s best known four-year school, with more than 10,000 students attending classes on a pretty campus in tony Highland Park.
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