Things to do in Dallas
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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.
reviewed
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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 …
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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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Dream Café
Imagine a healthy, organic diner – one with quirky decor, a huge patio, a serene fountain and a playground for kids.
reviewed
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Yutaka
Industrial loft meets minimalism at tiny Yutaka, where you can get some of the freshest sushi in town.
reviewed
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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…
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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).
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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.
reviewed
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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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Campisi’s Egyptian Lounge
Just off Upper Greenville, this Dallas institution has a throwback mafia vibe and good, thin pizza. But more interesting are the legends and conspiracies that surrounds this place: one, that the original Campisi had ties to Jack Ruby, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald. Two, that the two ate here together the night before Kennedy was assassinated.
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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.
reviewed
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Zodiac
For more than 50 years, the classic downtown lunch spot for Dallas ladies who shop – and anyone else who wants to experience the tradition. Attentive waiters bustle about, soothing and pampering diners with hot consommé, popovers with strawberry butter and elegant salads. This is legit old-school Dallas, and it doesn’t need to put on airs.
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Wyly Theatre
The vertically stacked, 12-story Wyly Theatre broke the architectural mold by challenging traditional theater designs. Worth seeing just for the building, it’s the headquarters of the Dallas Theater Center. This is a major American regional theatre, producing classic dramas, musicals and edgy new works.
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Stoneleigh P
Stoneleigh P channels the spirit of its original building with black-and-white photographs of medicinal items stocking the antique pharmacy cabinets, Texas memorabilia and two working jukeboxes. As the sun goes down, this restaurant becomes more of a bar, serving 'drugstore drinks', beers and hard liquor at the converted soda counter.
reviewed
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Double Wide
Are these rednecks pretending to be hipsters or hipsters pretending to be rednecks? In any case, everyone and their mom seems to be coming to Deep Ellum to drink PBRs on toilet seats and gaze at naked-lady paintings while they revel in being ‘trailer trash,’ if only for an hour. Live music keeps the irony from killing the fun.
reviewed
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Wild Bill’s Western Store
Bill’s motto is ‘from the affordable to the extravagant,’ and we like that you can grab a $15 T-shirt or blow your bonus on a pair of handmade and measured snakeskin boots just like Eric Clapton’s – he is but one of the many celebrities who’ve made their feet happy here. While you’re here, enjoy a cold beer while you shop.
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Bread Winners
If sipping a peach Bellini in a lush courtyard atrium is the reward for the agony of choosing what to order for brunch, then bring on the pain. Veggie Benedict or breakfast casserole? Bananas Foster waffle or raspberry cream-cheese-stuffed French toast? Lunch and dinner offer similar, though less tortuous, conundrums.
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Tillman’s Roadhouse
A mod hunting lodge for stylish cowboys features shotguns for door handles, faux stag heads, antler chandeliers and a gorgeous log bar. With all this offbeat charm, the wink-wink comfort food – chicken-fried hanger steak, white-cheddar mac ’n’ cheese, tableside s’mores – is surprisingly good.
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Hunky’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers
Reclaim your innocence (or at least get a damn good malt) in this throwback diner that’s a far cry from those themed places where waitresses named ‘Trixie’ snap their gum. No, it’s just an authentic neighborhood hangout with great burgers that make us nostalgic for good times in general.
reviewed
