Dallas General Attractions
Dealey Plaza, where President John F Kennedy was assassinated by conspirators; (c) Soul Of America
West End
DESCRIPTION: If you are looking for sports bars, restaurants, and nightclubs in Downtown, this area is your first stop. Although the cinema closed, you can still find Dallas Holocaust Museum, Dallas Segway Tours, Dallas World Aquarium, Y.O ranch Steakhouse, Dick’s Last Resort, Gator’s Croc-N-Roc, Hofbrau’s Steaks, Landry’s Seafood, and Spaghetti Warehouse and the The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: Bounded by Pacific, Record, McKinney & Laws Streets
RAPID TRANSIT: DART West End Station
PARKING: lots and garages nearby
PHONE: 214-741-7180
WEBSITE: https://dallaswestend.org
Dealey Plaza & Sixth Floor Museum
DESCRIPTION: The National Historic Landmark District with preserved, though taller, trees on the grassy knoll and near the Texas School Book Depository. This is where JFK was assassinated on 22 November 1963, and it remains the most visited destination in Dallas. The 6th Floor Museum, located on the 1st, 6th, and 7th floors in the former book depository, serves as an educational and permanent historic exhibit collection that examines the life, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy and a possible shooter’s perch on the 6th floor. It contains hundreds of photographs, artifacts, and riveting videos about JFK and related events on that tragic day. Though the museum is captivating from a curatorial perspective, exhibits overwhelmingly slant towards the widely discredited “Lee Harvey Oswald as Sole Assassin Theory.” When visiting this museum, consider that the Congressional House Select Committee on Assassinations Report in 1979 concluded that the assassination was probably the result of a conspiracy of two or more gunmen due to three key pieces of evidence. First, scientific evaluation of audio signatures revealed 4-6 gun shots within 6 seconds. It would be impossible to shoot so accurately that fast from a manual bolt-action rifle found on the 6th floor of the depository. Second, reviewing the Zapruder Film strongly indicates that the kill shot came from JFK’s right front, thereby originating from the grassy knoll. Third, nearly 50 eyewitnesses in Dealey Plaza, including a policeman and soldier, gave independent, consistent testimony that they heard shots from the grassy knoll and afterwards, ran towards it hoping to catch the assassin. Let us hope for a better balance of exhibits in an upgrade to this museum of national importance.
ADMISSION: small fee
DAYS & HOURS: Mon Noon-6p, Tue-Sun 10a-6p
ADDRESS: 411 Elm Street, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART West End Station
PARKING: nearby lot
PHONE: 214-747-6660
WEBSITE: https://www.jfk.org
Old Red History Museum
DESCRIPTION: The fifth facility built to serve as a Dallas County Courthouse, Old Red was designed in the Richardson Romanesque style with construction that began in 1890. It’s now home to the Dallas Visitors Center and the Museum of Dallas County History & Culture. Architecture in the museum is as much a marvel as its first-rate exhibits. This venue is a must-visit for anyone wanting to understand the early dynamics that created Big D.
ADMISSION: small fee
DAYS & HOURS:
ADDRESS: 100 South Houston Street, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Union Station
PARKING: nearby lot
PHONE: 214-745-1100
WEBSITE: https://www.oldred.org
John F. Kennedy Memorial
DESCRIPTION: An open-roofed, concrete-walled monument symbolic of an open tomb. Though stark to look at, it is not unusual to find flowers and notes placed at the brutalist-architecture memorial.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: 24/7
ADDRESS: Bounded by Main, Record, Market, and Houston Streets, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Union Station
PARKING: lots nearby
Neiman Marcus Flagship
DESCRIPTION: Established here in 1907, Neiman Marcus is the luxury department store that put Dallas on the international retail map; founded by Herbert Marcus, sister Carrie Marcus and her husband A.L. Neiman, the store featured exclusive lines offered nowhere else in the South; in 1926, Stanley Marcus took over the reigns from his father and the store grew to become a major player in fashion; the downtown Dallas location is the flagship store and still carries the grace and style of its early beginnings; Trivia: the founders rejected investing in the early Coca Cola business to start Neiman-Marcus
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 9:30a-6p, later hours in the Fall
ADDRESS: 1618 Main Street, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Akard Station
PARKING: garages and lots nearby
PHONE: 214-741-6911
WEBSITE: https://www.neimanmarcus.com
Dallas Farmers Market
DESCRIPTION: Open since 1941, five million people per year visit one of the largest open-air markets in the country for fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, specialty and international products directly to customers. A visitor will find cooking classes, a collection of international merchants, flower and gardening vendors, and a calendar of events entertaining as well.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 8a-6p except Christmas, Easter, and New Year’s Day
ADDRESS: 1010 South Pearl Street, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: near DART Pearl Station
PARKING: lots nearby
PHONE: 214-939-2808
WEBSITE: https://dallasfarmersmarket.org
Old Red Museum covers the history of Dallas; (c) Soul Of America
House Of Blues
DESCRIPTION: Dallas version of this venerable franchise with the Gospel Sunday Brunch; check their calendar for concert dates; located between West End and Victory Park.
ADMISSION: Free, except for concerts
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: 2200 North Lamar Street, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Victory Station or DART West End Station
PARKING: lots and garages nearby
PHONE: 214-978-2583
WEBSITE: https://www.houseofblues.com/dallas
Victory Park
DESCRIPTION: Master-planned 75 acre urban community featuring upscale residences, chic hotels, fashion & furniture boutiques, American Airlines Center, steakhouses, and cafes; a Museum of Nature & Science branch and and another giant ultra-chic hotel are coming; with AT&T (Victory) Plaza is attached to American Airlines Center, the area always seems abuzz with activity
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily and nightly
ADDRESS: 2200 Victory Avenue, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Victory Station
PARKING: $10-$25 per vehicle
PHONE: 214-303-1200 sales center
WEBSITE: http://www.victorypark.com
Deep Ellum
DESCRIPTION: This historically black district is well patronized by a multicultural crowd that comes to dance, listen to Hip-Hop, Blues, Rock, R&B, and Jazz on 8 blocks of Elm and Commerce Streets. It hosts numerous clubs, tattoo parlors, and a handful of boutiques.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily and nightly
ADDRESS: East of Downtown on Elm Street, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Deep Ellum Station
PARKING: nearly lots
WEBSITE: Deep Ellum link
West Village
DESCRIPTION: This shopping village in Uptown Dallas has become a fashion destination for Millennials. Trendsetting boutiques, vintage collections, art galleries, restaurants, nightlife, and a cineplex make West Village a one-stop shop for all things new and hip. Premum-93, Octane, the Glass Slipper, Cowboy Cool, and Ice House Jewelers are just a few of its eclectic shops.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily and nightly
ADDRESS: 3699 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, TX
TRANSIT: McKinney Avenue Trolley and DART City Place/Uptown Station
PARKING: lots nearby
PHONE: 469-547-9666
WEBSITE: https://westvillagedallas.com
Deep Ellum nightclub district in Dallas; (c) Soul Of America
Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park
DESCRIPTION: The park covers 277 acres and features seven museums. As the long-time Texas State Fairgrounds, it has one of the largest collections of Art Deco buildings in the country. Texas Discovery Gardens, on seven acres, is the first certified organic public garden in the state. It showcases beautiful native and adapted plants grown using sustainable methods that conserve water and protect the environment. The garden has a two-story tropical conservatory, a waterfall, a scented garden for the blind, and flowers galore.
ADMISSION: Adults $3, age 60+ $2, age 3-11 $1.50, Age 2 and under enter Free
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 10a-5p
ADDRESS: 3601 Martin Luther King Blvd, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART MLK Station
PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 214-428-7476
WEBSITE: https://txdg.org
Dallas Market Center
DESCRIPTION: Founded in 1957, the Guinness Book of World Records states that Dallas Market Center is the largest wholesale resource in the world. It has just shy of 5 million square feet and contains 2,000 custom showrooms exhibiting 25,000 lines of gift products, decorative accessories, home furnishings, lighting, garden accessories, gourmet food and floral items. From the freeway, visitors can see the Trade Mart, Market Hall, International Floral & Gift Center, and World Trade Center.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: check their event calendar
ADDRESS: 2100 North Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX
RAPID TRANSIT: DART Market Center Station
PARKING: lots on premises
PHONE: 800-325-6587
WEBSITE: https://www.dallasmarketcenter.com/
Highland Park Village
DESCRIPTION: Opened in 1931, Highland Park Village is a National Historic Landmark and claims to be the nation’s first shopping center. Today, the village serves as a central square for Highland Park and University Park cities within Dallas. Developers of the shopping center traveled to Spain, Mexico and California to find inspiration for the beautiful Spanish Mediterranean architecture. The village boasts some of the most revered boutiques and shops in the world, including Chanel, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Hermes, Escada, local restaurants and a restored movie theater.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: daily
ADDRESS: Preston Road at Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX
PARKING: lots nearby and on premises
PHONE: 214-571-2740
WEBSITE: https://hpvillage.com
Galleria Dallas
DESCRIPTION: If you only visit one shopping mall in Dallas, this is the one. Inspired by Milan’s famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, it features an impressive ice rink surrounded by 200 of the most celebrated shops from around the world. Galleria Dallas has undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation.
ADMISSION: Free
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 10a-9p, Sun Noon-6p
ADDRESS: 13350 Dallas Parkway, Dallas, TX
PARKING: free on premises
PHONE: 972-702-7100
WEBSITE: https://galleriadallas.com