There’s more to Dallas than JR. This Texas boomtown has reworked right into a thriving metropolitan city that’s slowly turning into a vacation spot in its own right. If you happen to’ve by no means considered Dallas as a leisure spot, it’s time to reconsider—you are sure to be stunned by the variety of outside activities, worldly cuisine, Fifth Avenue-worthy shopping, and award-successful arts scene.
Thanks to a sprawling international airport, an abundance of luxurious and welcoming hotels, and activities for visitors young and old, there’s by no means been a greater time to book a ticket to the Big D.
Planning Your Journey
Best Time to Visit: Fall is one of the best time to visit Dallas. Summertime heat has subsided, football season is in full swing, and Texas State Fair, one of many largest in the country, is held.
Language: You’ll mostly hear English, however the city’s rising Latino affect signifies that Spanish is widespread, too. Dallas additionally has large pockets of Vietnamese and Chinese speakers.
Getting Round: You may need a automobile—while public transit has improved in recent years, the Metroplex is sprawling (Dallas city alone covers 340 square miles)1. Pockets of downtown are serviced by a quaint trolley line, while North Dallas is linked to downtown by DART, Dallas Area Fast Transit.
Travel Tip: Did we mention Dallas is big? Plan your days properly around specific neighborhoods or parts of town; in any other case, you’ll spend time sitting in visitors instead of exploring.
Things to Do
Whether or not you are a football fan or foodie, a shopaholic or a sage, Dallas has something for you. The city is residence to world-class museums (don’t miss Southern Methodist University’s Meadows Museum, home to one of the largest Spanish artwork collection outside of Spain), department stores (it’s the birthplace of Neiman Marcus, in any case), and arguably, Tex-Mex. Like to get outdoors? Go horseback using along the Trinity River or run the paths round White Rock Lake.
Go catch a show at Granada Theater. Originally a cinema, the Nineteen Forties venue now hosts the top touring acts after they pass by the Big D.
The Dallas Museum of Artwork turned the primary museum in the country to supply free admission and free membership in 2013.2 The collection contains by Rothko, Monet, Pollock, and other inventive visionaries.
While many think of barbecue once they think of Texas, few meals are more symbolic of Dallas than fajitas and frozen margaritas. Attempt the former at El Fenix, a Tex-Mex stalwart, and the latter at Mi Cocina.
After all, there isn’t any scarcity of things to do in this worldly city, whether you are with kids or traveling on a budget.
What to Eat and Drink
Befitting of a city its measurement, Dallas’ culinary scene goes well beyond the Tex-Mex and barbecue mentioned above. While you’d be remiss to skip margaritas, brisket, or enchiladas on your visit, focusing solely on those meals imply you’d miss out on the opposite cuisines the city excels at. From Vietnamese to Italian, there’s actually a restaurant in Dallas for every taste—literally.
Don’t forget about beverages, either. While the summertime heat can make it tempting to just crack open a cold one, the craft cocktail and wine scene in Dallas is buzzy. Some of the country’s finest bartenders are slinging drinks in Dallas, riffing on everything from high-end classics to wild and wacky tiki creations. (In fact, for those who do want that beer, the Dallas brewery scene has expanded massively up to now decade.)
Whatever you do, there are some foods you just cannot miss in Dallas.
The place to Stay
Most visitors to Dallas are coming for enterprise, and thus stay downtown—but it’s not a bad idea. Once a ghost town outside of the 9-5 office crowd, downtown is hip and happening. It is home to high museums, nice restaurants, and the city’s landmark Klyde Warren Park. For old-school luxurious, check out The Adolphus, while youthful partygoers will love the Joule, a chic hideaway made Insta-famous for its cantilevered pool.
For a quieter, more suburban feel, check out the Oak Lawn/Turtle Creek area—it’s residence to the iconic Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, the grassy Turtle Creek Park, and a thriving LGBTQ nightlife scene.
Learn more about the different neighborhoods of Dallas and check out the most effective hotels in town.
Getting There
Dallas is house to two major airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Discipline Airport (DAL). The previous is among the largest airports in the country, welcoming as many as sixty five million passengers annually,3 and is served by all main carriers. In addition to connections to smaller cities all through the Midwest and Southwest, DFW also has ample flights to Europe, the Middle East, and zagrebie01 Asia. Dallas Love Field is a a lot smaller, city-owned airport that’s primarily served by Southwest Airlines.