Dallas Attractions

Just minutes from downtown Dallas and major highways, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden sits on 66 acres along the southeast shore of White Rock Lake. The world-famous display gardens showcase seasonal flowers, ornamental shrubs, trees and plant collections. In addition, the Arboretum is home to seasonal outdoor festivals, concerts, art shows and education programs.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden was conceived in the early 1930's but did not become a reality until 1984 after significant fundraising efforts were completed. The home of Everett DeGolyer(1886-1956) and Nell Goodrich DeGolyer is located on the grounds of the complex. The home, built in 1939, is a massive structure with more than 21,000 square feet and is open to the public for tours. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Texas Register of Historic Places

The grounds of the botanical garden are a cornucopia of colors, sights and sounds. As the seasons change the gardens and grounds change with them. There are 14 different gardens throughout the grounds and each one has a particular theme and name. Fanciful names include Toad's Corner garden, Texas Town, Pecan Grove, and Nancy's garden.

Dallas's great landmark building is Reunion Tower. Reunion Tower was completed in 1978 and has a distinct look, appearing as a geodesic ball perched atop 5 cylindrical concrete poles. It rises 560 feet above the Dallas skyline, and at night it is lit up by 260 lights on its exterior. A nightly light show is provided for the citizens and visitors to enjoy.

Reunion Tower underwent a 23 million dollar renovation in 2011 and today boasts of a gourmet revolving restaurant providing 360 degree views out over the Dallas skyline. It revolves once every 55 minutes so every seat in the restaurant is an excellent one. One of the most notable Dallas landmarks visible from the tower is the First Republic Bank Plaza standing proudly at an impressive 70 storeys high.

White Rock Lake Park is a city lake that offers easy access to some popular recreational activities. There are nearly 10 miles of trails for hiking and biking. Bird watching is also good in the area with over 200 different types spotted. There are 19 species of fish in the lake include catfish, sunfish, crappie, and bass. Sailing is a popular pastime and pleasure craft can often be seen enjoying the afternoon breezes. The park has an assortment of wildlife including red foxes, raccoons, rabbits, possums, minks, and even bobcats among others.

The lake was originally created in the late 1920's to provide drinking water to the city. Several years later the park was established and became a popular city attraction. Although the it did suffer from significant deterioration and lack of attention by city officials in the 1980's & 1990's, today White Rock Lake is restored and rejuvenated. The park encompasses an area of 2115 acres and boast of over 200 picnic tables and 6 playgrounds.

The Age of Steam Railroad Museum contains one of the oldest and largest collections of heavyweight passenger car collections in the country. The collection also features the largest steam, diesel, and electric locomotives ever used.

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Permanent exhibits include dollhouses, a miniature toy shop, a porcelain shop, a bordello and militaria (with replicas of toy soldiers dating from 300 B.C. to the current day).

Bahama Beach is a family waterpark, offering an opportunity to escape from the heat of the summer. The park is only open during the summer, while kids are out of school.

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum covers a total area of 50,000 square feet throughout four hangars. The museum displays an impressive collection which includes aircraft dating back to WWI, as well as related artifacts and art work.

The museum is located just north of Dallas in Addison.

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The museum deals with the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Kennedy.

The Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Located north of Dallas / Fort Worth, it is approximately a 35 to 45 minute drive to the airport from the city center areas.

On Dallas County Historical Plaza is the log cabin (restored) in which John Neely Bryan is said to have lived.

Nearby is the John F. Kennedy Memorial.

The Dallas Firefighters Museum is located in the Old No. 5 Hook and Ladder Company Station, built in 1907. The collection includes old fire trucks and equipment, and an 1884 horse-drawn steam pumper.

Dallas Heritage Village is spread out on 20-acres with numerous historic buildings, which consist of homes and commercial buildings. The structures, all from teh 19th C, were moved here from other parts of the state but are in fact original historic structures.

The Dallas Holocaust Museum / Center for Education and Tolerance serves to educated people about the Holocaust in an attempt to reduce prejudice. The museum is in transition and hoping for a new building in the near future.

The Dallas Museum of Art has been a long standing institution in the city. Since it began in 1903 the museum has put together a strong collection of works from the Americas around the globe. The collection includes everything from ancient artifacts to contemporary art.

The museum has done a good job of reaching out to the community through various programs and unique ways of offering interactive experiences for visitors.

The Dallas Theater Center offers a full season of performances. It is a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center but does offer performances at other venues. Check the DTC calendar to see about up coming performances.

The Dallas Zoo is a 95 acre park housing thousands of exotic animals and a variety of habitats. This is a popular attraction with families. In summer temperatures can be a bit hot for strolling through the park. The landscape is one of slightly rolling hills, meaning there is some elevation to negotiate.

The exhibits feature items from the 1920's and 1930's - the Golden Age of Flight as well as more than 200 aircraft models representing nations involved in this conflict along with the uniforms of the men and women who flew them.

Dioramas offer a glimpse of areas such as Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific, and jungle dwellers in Ecuador and Peru. This anthropology museum is a great way to see and compare world cultures from around the world, some of which are very remote. The museum is broken out into various exhibits according to region or category.

Immediately adjoining, on Kennedy Plaza, is the John F. Kennedy Memorial, a monumental open granite cube commemorating the murder of President Kennedy here on November 22nd 1963.

The Meadows Museum began when Algur Hurtle Meadows donated his personal collection of Spanish art to the Southern Methodist University in 1962, to be set up in memory of his late wife. The collection has since grown into one of the most comprehensive Spanish art collections in the world, outside of Spain.

Visit a replica 11th century castle, enjoy a 4 course dinner without cutlery and watch jousting matches by knights on horseback. Visitors become part of the show at Medieval Times.

The Mesquite Championship Rodeo is a permanent rodeo venue which functions throughout the spring and summer. Home cooked barbeques, Texas music, bull riding, bronco riding, and calf roping are all part of the show. This is a very popular attraction and a good way to experience this western tradition.

The Dallas Opera puts on a variety of productions each year. It now performs in the Margot & Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

On Pioneer Plaza near the City Hall stands a huge bronze sculpture. The work of Robert Summer in 1995, it depicts 70 Texas longhorn cattle and three cowboys.

The museum portrays the evolution of the telephone.

Enjoy the wide variety of trees and flowers or take in a game of tennis on one of the 20 lighted courts. Samuell-Grand Park is home to the Samuell Grand Amphitheatre which hosts "Shakespeare in the Park" during the summer and fall.

Southfork Ranch, home of the Ewing family in the television soap opera "Dallas", has been reopened as a tourist attraction. It lies in Plano, 6 mi. east of U.S. 75 by way of Parker and Hogge Roads.

Visitors can take a tour of the mansion. It also hosts special events.

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Texas Stadium was home of the Dallas Cowboys. The stadium was demolished on April 11, 2010.

The Center for World Thanksgiving at Thanks-Giving Square is a worldwide resource. The square features waterfalls, reflecting pools, a chapel, bell tower, and meditation gardens.

The Museum of Biblical Art is a state-of-the-art facility; a fine art museum focusing on art with a Biblical theme. There are 11 gallery exhibits highlighting European and American art, Jewish and Israeli art, rare Bibles, and Biblical Archaeology; works include bronze sculpture, drawings, fine prints, and oil paintings. The Michelangelo Exhibit includes an exact bronze of the Pieta. European Art includes a fresco from 1300s, a Veronese drawing, and an altarpiece from the School of Boticelli. Jewish Ceremonial Art includes objects for Shabbat and Holidays: Torah Shields, Seder Plates, and Menorahs. Some of the featured Jewish artists include Jacques Lipchitz, Leonard Baskin, William Gropper, Jack Levine, Max Weber, and Ben Shah. American works by Albert Pinkham Ryder, John Singer Sargent, and Andy Warhol are on display.

The Movie Studios at Las Colinas is a functioning studio that has produced numerous well know television shows and motion films. It has been responsible for such famous productions as: "Robocop," "Silkwood," "Problem Child," "Leap of Faith" and "JFK."

The Reves villa was re-created to house the 1,400 piece collection of Impressionist paintings, works on paper, Spanish and Middle Eastern carpets, Venetian glass, rare Chinese export porcelain, silver pieces, European iron and woodwork, and early Renaissance and 17th century European furniture.