Sightseeing OverviewDallas’ most
unfortunate distinction for more than 40 years has been that of owning the place where one of the most popular presidents in history was killed, so it’s not surprising that one of the most popular sites to visit in the city is
Dealey Plaza and the
Sixth Floor Museum, below.
But there are also many happier places to visit downtown, the heartbeat of this
vibrant commerce center and home of the
Arts District. The
Dallas Museum of Art is the perfect place to begin a cultural exploration, followed
by a tour of the
Nasher Sculpture Center. Consider taking in a concert at the
Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center or a touring Broadway show at the
Majestic Theater.
Tourist InformationVisitor Information Center of Dallas Convention and Visitors BureauOld Red Courthouse, 100 South Houston Street
Tel: (214) 571 1000/1300/1301 (24-hour events hotline)
or 1 800 232 5527.
Website:
www.visitdallas.com Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700; Sat and Sun 0900-1700.
PassesNo tourist attraction discount passes are currently available.
Key Attractions:Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor MuseumIt is impossible to come to Dallas without hearing about 22 November 1963. President J F Kennedy was assassinated as his car passed by the grassy knoll at
Dealey Plaza, having been shot from the sixth floor of what was then the Texas School Book Depository building, now the
Sixth Floor Museum. The Plaza is simply an outdoor grassy area on the north side of Elm Street, surmounted by an unadorned white stone platform where people go for a few quiet and thoughtful moments. The museum, which is the most visited attraction in Dallas, gives full details of JFK’s life and times, a minute-by-minute account of events on the infamous day, exhibits, over 400 photographs, video footage and an audio tour.
The actual
JFK Memorial is nearby in downtown on Main Street and Market Street, at the Dallas County Historical Plaza, and was designed by New Yorker Philip Johnson, a Kennedy family friend.
411 Elm Street
Tel: (214) 747 6660
or 1 888 485 4854.
Website:
www.jfk.orgOpening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission charge.
Fair ParkFair Park’s 111 hectares (277 acres) was created in 1936, for the Texas Centennial Exposition. There is too much to do in one day, or even several days, as it comprises museums, concert facilities, theaters and other venues. It is best for tourists to choose what they wish to visit in advance and combine that with a stroll through the park, as the central promenade has murals and sculptures.
Through its four vaulted galleries, the
African-
American Museum (tel: (214) 565 9026) fully details African-American art and history from pre-colonial times to the present day, with permanent and temporary exhibitions. The
Museum of Nature & Science (tel: (214) 428 5555) incorporates the former
Museum of Natural History and
The Science Place;
in total, there are 60 dioramas of Texas flora and fauna, Texas dinosaur exhibits (including a huge
protostega sea turtle around 90 million years old), numerous hands-on activities, various temporary exhibitions as well as the
IMAX Theater and the
Planetarium, offering nearly 400 exhibits in all.
The Park also contains the
Women’s Museum (tel: (214) 915 0860),
Texas Discovery Gardens (tel: (214) 428 7476),
Cotton Bowl Stadium (tel: (214) 638 2695),
Hall of State (tel: (214) 421 4500; website:
www.dallashistory.org),
Dallas Aquarium (tel: (214) 670 8443; website:
www.dallas-zoo.org),
Age of Steam Railroad Museum (tel: (214) 428 0101; website:
www.dallasrailwaymuseum.com),
Texas Vietnam Veterans War Memorial (tel: (972) 579 9430) and the
Music Hall at Fair Park (tel: (214) 565 1116; website:
www.liveatthemusicshall.com).
1300 Robert B McCullum Street
Tel: (214) 670 8400.
Website:
www.fairpark.org Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Free admission.
African-
American Museum3536 Grand Avenue
Tel: (214) 565 9026.
Website:
www.aamdallas.orgOpening hours: Tue-Fri 1200-1700; Sat 1000-1700; Sun 1300-1700.
Free admission.
Museum of Nature & Science
3535 Grand Avenue
Tel: (214) 428 5555.
Website:
www.natureandscience.orgOpening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1700; Sun 1200-1700.Admission charge.
The Women’s Museum3800 Parry Avenue
Tel: (214) 915 0860.
Website:
www.thewomensmuseum.orgOpening hours: Tue-Sun 1200-1700.
Admission charge.
Dallas Museum of ArtThe spacious permanent collection galleries at the
Dallas Museum of Art cover different types of art from ancient to modern times, from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. Of particular significance is the
Wendy and Emery Reves Collection of Impressionist paintings. The museum shop is worth a visit for unusual gifts and souvenirs.
1717 North Harwood Street
Tel: (214) 922 1200
or 1803.
Website:
www.dallasmuseumofart.org Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 1100-1700; Thu 1100-2100.
Admission charge; free Thu 1700-2100.
Fountain PlaceIn such a landlocked city, this square is made all the more attractive by its impressive water displays and its calming trees and streams. There are 172 ‘blubber fountains’ (low dome-shaped fountains), while the
Central Court Fountain has 360 fountain heads. Around 2.25 million liters (0.5 million gallons) of water pass through the plaza and at night, colored lights play on the shimmering cascades. The huge, 60-story glass building is part of the design and is based on a prism, a favorite theme of architect I M Pei, who also designed the glass pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris (France, that is, not Texas). There are other designs by Pei around the city and discovering them makes a good theme for an unusual exploration. The
Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla Street (tel: (214) 670 5111), which houses Henry Moore’s largest bronze sculpture, is one example.
The Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora Street (tel: (214) 670 3600), is another.
1445 Ross Avenue, at North Field Street
Tel: (214) 855 7766.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Free admission.
Wilson Block Historic DistrictThe
Wilson Block is an entire block of houses on Swiss Avenue, which Henrietta and Frederick Wilson acquired in 1899. They proceeded to build six homes on the land. The
Preservation Center, based in the Wilson House, their own Queen Anne home, is open to the public and introduces the district through walking tours, film and a resource library. The district contains many houses from the same period, another particularly striking one being the
Arnold House.
Further out, along Swiss Avenue (beginning at block 4800) is another historic district, the
Swiss Avenue Historic District (website:
www.sahd.org), from La Vista to Fitzhugh Avenue. Here visitors can see more early 20th-century mansions in various styles, such as ‘gingerbread’, ‘prairie’ (after the school of architects developed by Frank Lloyd Wright) and Italianate.
2922 Swiss Avenue
Tel: (214) 821 3290.
Website:
www.preservationdallas.orgOpening hours: Tues-Fri 1000-1600; Sat 1000-1400.
Free admission.
Further Distractions:Nasher Sculpture CenterDowntown Dallas’ cultural wealth got yet another boost in late 2003, when the
Nasher Sculpture Center opened near the
Dallas Museum of Art. Here you’ll see what is essentially an indoor-outdoor art museum and a serene oasis of visual beauty that serves as home to the collection of 20th-century sculpture belonging to Dallas developer Ray Nasher. There is a lovely flow between interior galleries and the garden, opening to the sky and filled with dramatic installations and native foliage. Among dozens of artists whose work is featured are Claus Oldenburg, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Joan Miro, and Jeff Koons.
2001 Flora Street
Tel: (214) 242 5100.
Website:
www.nashersculpturecenter.orgOpening times: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 1100-1700; Thu 1100-2100.
Admission charge.
Afternoon Tea at the Adolphus HotelThe
Adolphus Hotel, with its baroque splendor, is the place to seek respite amidst downtown’s hubbub. The epitome of old-style southern refinement, the hotel was built in 1912, by Adolphus Busch, the Missouri beer magnate. In its day, it was not as imprisoned by modernity as it unfortunately is today, hemmed in by other buildings. Inside, however, the city may as well be on another planet. High tea, in the English style, includes the hotel’s own scones topped with Devonshire cream and raspberry marmalade, finger sandwiches, fruit tarts and hand-dipped chocolate truffles.
1321 Commerce Street
Tel: (214) 742 8200.
Website:
www.hoteladolphus.comFree admission.
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