Dallas, Texas

Big Fun in Big D
Get a Taste of Modern Texas

Downtown Dallas

If your idea of Big D still comes from the days of “Who Shot J.R.?” you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Dallas has evolved into a rather cosmopolitan city while still retaining plenty of Texas quirks. Beehive hairdos haven’t been spotted within the city limits in years, but cowboy hats and boots can still be seen at even the poshest joints in town, albeit of the custom variety, not the discount warehouse sort.

Written off as almost dead 20 years ago, downtown and the surrounding areas are now hot spots for restaurants, nightlife, shopping and living. Dallas is the least Texan of all the big Texas cities, and locals pride themselves on always being dressed in the latest fashions, up on the latest food trends from around the world and don’t mind a bit that folks from the rest of the state consider Dallasites overdressed snobs.

Reunion Tower at the Hyatt Regency

While in Dallas, treat yourself with a stay at the Hotel Adolphus. Built in 1912 by beer magnate Adolphus Busch, the over-the-top splendor of the Baroque-meets-Beaux-Arts interior is the perfect place to rest in between your three-days-worth of sight-seeing. For those on more of a budget, the Hyatt Regency Dallas is a good pick with its unique stepped box architecture and landmark Reunion Tower.

Entertainment runs the gamut from the opera to the rodeo, if you can’t find something you enjoy, you’re just not looking very hard!

The Dallas Opera and Dallas Symphony Orchestra are both world-class institutions with long traditions of bringing top talent to Dallas, as well as producing a large and varied number of recordings, from Maria Callas in “Medea” with the Opera to the Symphony’s recent recordings of Rachmaninov's complete piano concertos with Stephen Hough.

For those not so artistically inclined, there’s plenty of sports to go around in Big D. Home to the five-time Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys (affectionately known as God’s team in these parts), the 1999 Stanley Cup-winning Dallas Stars, the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, and the Texas Rangers baseball team, there’s something for every sports fan from horse racing to NASCAR.

DART Light Rail

Getting around Dallas has gotten easier with the opening of the DART Rail Line and better bus service, but once you leave the downtown/Uptown area, your best bet is to rent a car. Taxis are available, but you can’t hail one on the street, so expect to wait fifteen to twenty minutes for one to show up, unless your are at a hotel with a cab stand.

Now about the weather. Be sure to check the local forecast before you pack and head to Texas. Except in summer when it’s always hot, Dallas can experience a snow and ice storm followed by balmy spring weather anytime from November to April—all in a mere 24 hours!

DAY 1

Spend your first day in Dallas exploring downtown. A slight detour over to The Dream Café at the Quadrangle in Uptown will fuel you for the day with a huge serving of fluffy pancakes or spicy breakfast tacos washed down with plenty of good coffee.

Oswald Shot JFK from this Window at the Sixth Floor Museum

First stop is Dealey Plaza, the site of President Kennedy’s assassination, and the Sixth Floor Museum (www.jfk.org) located in what was the Texas School Book Depository from where Lee Harvey Oswald shot the president. Conspiracy theorists abound at the site, hawking newsletters and fact sheet blaming everyone from the Pope to aliens for the assassination.

Then head over to the downtown Neiman Marcus, or as fashionistas refer to it “the Mothership.” Whether you buy something or not, a stroll through the grand old building and a quick look at the store’s museum on the fifth floor is worth a stop.
Dallas Museum of Art

Now it’s time to get your culture on. Head over to Seventeen Seventeen restaurant in the Dallas Museum of Art for lunch before touring the museum. The restaurant is one of the hidden jewels of the city, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired design nestled on the building's second floor with an upscale contemporary menu. The museum itself is home to old and modern masters, an excellent collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, a well-regarded collection of 19th and 20th century American silver, and the rather bizarre Wendy and Emery Reves Collection. The Reves collection is an architecturally correct recreation of the Villa La Pausa, which was originally built for Coco Chanel in the south of France and was the Reves’ home for many years. Old Masters and Impressionist paintings, antique furniture and the Reves’ everyday furniture are displayed just as they were in the house.

Pop next door to the Nasher Sculpture Center home to a rotating exhibit of modern sculpture from the collection of real estate developer Raymond Nasher and his late wife Patsy. From Rodin to Borofsky, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

The Hotel Adolphus

Return to the grand old Hotel Adolphus for afternoon tea before heading out for dinner at the super-deluxe, Southwestern-goes-global Stephan Pyles restaurant or the always-hopping Fuse with its unusual blend of Texas-meets-Asian food. Be sure to follow meal with a drink on the rooftop patio and watch as overdressed Dallasites frolic on the lounges and in the hot tub.

Continue to Day 2

 

MORE DALLAS INFORMATION

Ready to book a trip now?
Click here for exclusive savings.

Hotels
Restaurants
Attractions
Travel Guide Texas
Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau

* Photos from the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. Hyatt Regency photo from Hyatt Regency Dallas.

P091206
(Updated: 02/28/07 LH)


Business in Caracas, Venezuela

With its undeniable Latin flavor as well as the spice of an exotic Caribbean atmosphere, Caracas bears an easy-going character and friendliness and is an important spot for the oil, finance and corporate industries which call the city home.

72 Hours in San Diego

Although it's known best for having nearly perfect weather, sandy beaches and miles of blue Pacific coastline, this city has several other facets, provided you know where to look. So pack your sunscreen and get ready to roll.