Get your bearings
The Trinity River weaves its way through the center of Dallas, flowing southeast past the glitzy
West End Historic District and
Downtown’s gleaming towers toward
Oak Cliff and
Bishop Arts District. Main and Commerce Streets stretch out northeast from downtown to the museums and sculpture displays of the
Dallas Arts District. Art galleries and jazz clubs cluster on Elm and Main Streets in nearby
Deep Ellum. North of downtown, McKinney Avenue’s chic restaurants and shops highlight
Uptown. To the east,
Greenville Avenue hosts funky boutiques, buzzing nightclubs and bohemian restaurants.
Museum and culture
Ponder the Picasso and Mondrian canvases in the
Dallas Museum of Art, or the rare Japanese scrolls and screens in the first floor galleries at
Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art. Walk among Rodin and Matisse sculptures in the garden at the
Nasher Sculpture Center, or peek inside a bank Bonnie and Clyde robbed at re-created 19th-century
Dallas Heritage Village. John F Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas is memorialized at the
Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, overlooking the infamous grassy knoll. The museum even preserves the spot where Lee Harvey Oswald crouched.
Savvy shopping
Shopping is a social activity and a favorite pastime among Dallasites – and they do it in style. Dress your best to visit couture boutiques like Jimmy Choo and Prada at the outdoor
Highland Park Village or in the light-filled atrium in the
Galleria. Hipsters head to
Greenville Avenue and
Deep Ellum, with their dizzying array of funky antique shops, art galleries and vintage clothing stores. A visit to Dallas wouldn’t be complete without stopping at the flagship
Neiman Marcus, where high-end retail reigns supreme.
Getting outside
Outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds frequent the many parks and lakes in and around Dallas. Bucolic
White Rock Lake draws cyclists and pedestrians to its leafy 12-mile loop that traces its bank. The nearby
Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden provides genteel, lush gardens and walkways for peaceful strolls. Golfers can tee off on the grassy rolling hills at
Bear Creek Golf Club, while inline skaters can roll down the
Katy Trail, as it winds through artsy Oak Park. Southeast of downtown, hiking paths lead through the wooded confines of
Great Trinity Forest. Dining in the Big D
Dallas loves its meat, and succulent
steaks and off-the-bone
barbecue can be found all over town. The town has plenty of sophisticated palates to please as well. Flake off forkfuls of miso-marinated Alaskan halibut in a chandeliered downtown dining room or dig into a plate of Spanish paella and a margarita at a cozy
Mexican joint. Stop in a stylish Greenville Avenue trattoria for stuffed mushrooms and gnocchi, or fill a picnic basket with cheeses, fruits and breads from the
Farmers Market and find a shady spot along White Rock Lake.
