Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Dallas (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas Museum of Art, and Dealey Plaza. Also, be sure to include Highland Park Village in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Dallas (Texas).
Table of Contents
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Museum in Dallas, Texas. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a natural history and science museum located in Dallas, Texas. It consists of two campuses: the primary campus located in Victory Park, and a secondary campus in Fair Park. The Victory Park campus museum was named in honor of Margot and Ross Perot. The current chief executive officer of the museum is Dr. Linda Abraham-Silver.[1]
Address: 2201 N Field St, 75201-1704 Dallas (Central Dallas)
Dallas Museum of Art
Art museum in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Museum of Art is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District. The new building was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and John MY Lee Associates, the 2007 winner of the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. The construction of the building spanned in stages over a decade.
The museum collection is made up of more than 24,000 objects, dating from the third millennium BC to the present day. It is known for its dynamic exhibition policy and educational programs. The Mildred R. and Frederick M. Mayer Library (the museum's non-circulating research library) contains over 50,000 volumes available to curators and the general public. With 159,000 square feet (14,800 m2) of exhibition spaces, it is one of the largest art museums in the United States.[2]
Address: 1717 N Harwood St, 75201 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Dealey Plaza
Site of JFK's assassination. Dealey Plaza is a city park in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is sometimes called the "birthplace of Dallas". It was also the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963; 30 minutes after the shooting, Kennedy was pronounced dead at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The Dealey Plaza Historic District was named a National Historic Landmark on the 30th anniversary of the assassination, to preserve Dealey Plaza, street rights-of-way, and buildings and structures by the plaza visible from the assassination site, that have been identified as witness locations or as possible locations for the assassin or assassins.[3]
Address: 500 Main St, 75202-3521 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Highland Park Village
Shopping plaza in Highland Park, Texas. Highland Park Village is an upscale shopping plaza located at the southwest corner of Mockingbird Lane and Preston Road in Highland Park, Texas and was the first self-contained shopping center in America. The Highland Park Village was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000.[4]
Address: Dallas, Jct. of Preston Rd. and Mockingbird Ln.
Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
Museum. The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is a history education museum in Dallas, Texas, in the West End Historic District at the southeast corner of N. Houston Street and Ross Avenue. Its mission is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. It features climate-controlled archives and a research library to expand education.
The current facility opened on September 18, 2019.[5]
Address: 211 N Record St, 75202-3307 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Reunion Tower
Iconic observation deck with city views. Reunion Tower is a 561 ft observation tower in Dallas, Texas and one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Located at 300 Reunion Boulevard in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, the tower is part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel complex, and is the city's 15th tallest building. A free-standing structure until the construction of an addition to the Hyatt Regency Dallas in 1998, the tower was designed by architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates.[6]
Address: 300 Reunion Blvd E, 75207 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Nasher Sculpture Center
Museum showcasing modern sculptures. Opened in 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum in Dallas, Texas, that houses the Patsy and Raymond Nasher collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It is located on a 2.4-acre site adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the Dallas Arts District.[7]
Address: 2001 Flora St, 75201 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Botanical garden in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a 66-acre botanical garden located at 8525 Garland Road in East Dallas, Dallas, Texas, on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake.[8]
Address: 8525 Garland Road, 75218-4335 Dallas (Northeast Dallas)
Dallas World Aquarium
Exotic animals in replica habitats. The Dallas World Aquarium is a for-profit aquarium and zoo located in the West End Historic District of Dallas, Texas, USA. It aids conservation and education by housing many animals that are threatened or endangered as part of a cooperative breeding program with other zoos around the world. It has been an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1997 and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.[9]
Address: 1801 North Griffin Street, 75202-1503 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Crow Collection of Asian Art
Museum in Dallas, Texas. The Crow Museum of Asian Art is a museum in downtown Dallas, Texas, dedicated to celebrating the arts and cultures of Asia including China, Japan, India, Korea, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines, from ancient to the contemporary. The Crow Museum opened to the public on December 5, 1998, as a gift to the people and visitors of Dallas from Mr. and Mrs. Trammell Crow. The museum is a member of the Dallas Arts District. The interior was designed by Booziotis and Company Architects of Dallas.[10]
Address: 2010 Flora St, 75201 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Dallas Farmers Market
Farmers' market in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Farmers Market is a large public market located at 1010 S. Pearl Expressway in the Farmers Market District of downtown Dallas, Texas.
Today, the Dallas Farmers Market features three kinds of sellers: produce dealers, wholesale dealers and local farmers. Monthly yard sales, cooking classes, workshops, and seasonal festivals also take place throughout the year. Floral and garden vendors are located adjacent to the market.[11]
Address: 1010 S Pearl Expy, 75201-6022 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Dallas County Courthouse
Museum in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas County Courthouse, built in 1892 of red sandstone with rusticated marble accents, is a historic governmental building located at 100 South Houston Street in Dallas, Texas. Also known as the Old Red Courthouse, it became the Old Red Museum, a local history museum, in 2007. It was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture by architect Max A. Orlopp, Jr. of the Little Rock, Arkansas based firm Orlopp & Kusener. In 1966 it was replaced by a newer courthouse building nearby. On December 12, 1976, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2005–2007 the building was renovated.[12]
Address: 100 S Houston St, 75202-3502 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Children's Aquarium at Fair Park
Aquatic animal exhibits. The Dallas Children's Aquarium is an aquarium located in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas, USA. It opened in 1936 as part of the Texas Centennial Exposition, becoming the first Public Aquarium in the state of Texas. And received an $8 million renovation in 2010. The Aquarium has six exhibit areas.[13]
Address: 1462 1st Ave, 75210-1010 Dallas (South Dallas)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Exhibits at JFK assassination site. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is a museum located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building in downtown Dallas, Texas, overlooking Dealey Plaza at the intersection of Elm and Houston Streets. The museum examines the life, times, death, and legacy of United States President John F. Kennedy and the life of Lee Harvey Oswald as well as the various conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination.
The museum's exhibition area uses historic films, photographs, artifacts, and interpretive displays to document the events of the assassination, the reports by government investigations that followed, and the historical legacy of the tragedy. The museum is self-sufficient in funding, relying solely on donations and ticket sales. It rents the space from the County of Dallas.
The museum was founded by the Dallas County Historical Foundation. It opened on Presidents' Day, February 20, 1989.
A museum webcam features a live view from the sixth floor sniper's nest. It is not meant to glorify the shooting in any way.
In December 1999, the Zapruder family donated the copyright to the Zapruder film to The Sixth Floor Museum, along with one of the first-generation copies made on November 22, 1963, and other copies of the film. The Zapruder family no longer retains any copyrights to the film, which are now controlled entirely by the museum. The original camera negative, however, is in possession of the National Archives and Records Administration.
On February 19, 2007, the previously unreleased 8 mm film footage of Kennedy's motorcade, donated to the museum by George Jefferies and his son-in-law, was shown publicly for the first time. The 40-second film, silent and in color, showed the motorcade before the assassination, as well as part of Dealey Plaza the following day.
The Jefferies film was described as capturing "a beaming Jacqueline Kennedy," as well as showing Kennedy's suit jacket bunched-up in the back at that moment, about two minutes before Kennedy entered Dealey Plaza.[14]
Address: 411 Elm St, 75202 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Dallas City Hall
Building in Dallas, Texas. Dallas City Hall is the seat of municipal government of the city of Dallas, Texas, United States. It is located at 1500 Marilla in the Government District of downtown Dallas. The current building, the city's fifth city hall, was completed in 1978 and replaced the Dallas Municipal Building.[15]
Address: 1500 Marilla St, 75201-6318 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Dallas Zoo
Zoo in Dallas, Texas. Dallas Zoo is a 106-acre zoo located 3 miles south of downtown Dallas, Texas, in Marsalis Park. Established in 1888, it is the oldest and largest zoological park in Texas and is managed by the non-profit Dallas Zoological Society. It is home to over 2,000 animals representing 406 species. It is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Since 2009, when the Dallas City Council voted unanimously to turn the zoo over to private management under the DZS, attendance and community support for the zoo has surged. In 2015, the zoo achieved an all-time annual attendance record of 1 million+ visitors. The Dallas Zoological Society is supported by over 25,510 membership households and growing. The DZS manages all fundraising, membership, special events, food services, retail operation, volunteer programs, marketing, and public relations for the zoo under management contract with the City of Dallas.[16]
Address: 650 S R L Thornton Fwy, 75203-3013 Dallas (Oak Cliff)
Deep Ellum
Neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. Deep Ellum is a neighborhood composed largely of arts and entertainment venues near downtown in East Dallas, Texas. The name is based on a corruption of the area's principal thoroughfare, Elm Street. Older alternative uses include Deep Elm and Deep Elem.
The neighborhood lies directly east of the elevated I-45/US 75 (unsigned I-345) freeway and extends to Exposition Avenue, connected to downtown by, from north to south, Pacific, Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets. The neighborhood is north of Exposition Park and south of Bryan Place.[17]
Address: 2720 Elm St, Dallas (East Dallas)
American Airlines Center
Arena. The American Airlines Center is a multi-purpose arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association and the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. The arena is also used for concerts and other live entertainment. It was opened in 2001 at a cost of $420 million.[18]
Address: Dallas, 2500 Victory Avenue
Thanks-Giving Square
Building in Dallas, Texas. Thanks-Giving Square is a private park and public facility anchoring the Thanksgiving Commercial Center district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. Dedicated in 1976, the complex consists of three components: a landscaped garden and non-denominational chapel building, a major section of the underground pedestrian network, and the Bullington Truck Terminal. It was the first public-private partnership of its kind in Dallas.
After a lengthy global search, Peter Stewart, a Dallas businessman and one of the founders of the Thanks-Giving Foundation, chose architect Philip Johnson to design the project.
A symbolic structure was the key part of the program for the square, and it became pretty obvious soon that some of these top architects didn't have the background or feeling for the building that I envisaged would carry great meaning for another two hundred years.[19]
Address: 1627 Pacific Ave, 75201 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Hall of State
Event venue in Dallas, Texas. The Hall of State is a building in Dallas's Fair Park that commemorates the history of the U.S. state of Texas and is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the state. It was designed and built for the Texas Centennial Exposition.[20]
Address: 3939 Grand Ave., 75210 Dallas (South Dallas)
Meadows Museum
Works by Spanish masters on SMU campus. The Meadows Museum, nicknamed "Prado on the Prairie", is an art museum in Dallas, Texas on the campus of Southern Methodist University. Operating as a division of SMU's Meadows School of the Arts, the museum houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain, with works dating from the 10th to the 21st centuries.[21]
Address: 5900 Bishop Blvd, 75205 Dallas (Park Cities)
Fair Park
Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex in Dallas, Texas, United States, located immediately east of downtown. The 277-acre area is registered as a Dallas Landmark and National Historic Landmark; many of the buildings were constructed for the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936.
Fair Park has been designated a Great Place in America by the American Planning Association.[22]
Address: 3710 PARRY Ave, Dallas (South Dallas)
Frontiers of Flight Museum
Museum in Dallas, Texas. The Frontiers of Flight Museum is an aerospace museum located in Dallas, Texas, founded in November 1988 by William E. Cooper, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Jan Collmer. Originally located within a terminal at Dallas Love Field, the museum now occupies a 100,000-square-foot building at the southeast corner of Love Field on Lemmon Avenue. The museum is an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affiliations program.
Aviation historian George E. Haddaway promoted the founding of the museum subsequent to donation of his extensive personal collection of aviation history books, journals, photographs, as well as archives to the University of Texas at Dallas as the nucleus of one of the world's finest aviation collections, the History of Aviation Collection.
The museum features an extensive collection of aviation history artifacts and vehicles, and focuses on the history of aviation and space exploration with an emphasis on the role of the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Exhibits include the Apollo 7 Command Module; a World War I Sopwith Pup biplane replica; artifacts from the German airship Hindenburg and other airships; and over 200 World War II aircraft models.[23]
Address: 6911 Lemmon Ave, 75209-3603 Dallas (Northwest Dallas)
Klyde Warren Park
Park in Dallas, Texas. Klyde Warren Park is a 5.2-acre public park in Downtown Dallas, Texas. The park is over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, and opened in 2012. It is named for Klyde Warren, the young son of billionaire Kelcy Warren who donated $10 million to the development of the park.
The urban park is open to the public, but is operated by the private Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. Unlike other public parks within the city, Klyde Warren Park has operating hours from 6am to 11pm.[24]
Address: 1909 Woodall Rodgers Fwy, 75201-2232 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
First Baptist Dallas
First Baptist Dallas is a Southern Baptist megachurch located in Dallas, Texas. It was established in 1868 and, as of 2018, has a congregation of about 13,000. In 2017, weekly attendance for worship services was reported around 3,700 and online attendance was over 10,000 The church, considered influential among evangelical Christians in the United States, also owns and operates a school, several radio stations, and Dallas Life, a mission for the homeless on the southern edge of Downtown Dallas. The current pastor is Dr. Robert Jeffress.[25]
Pioneer Plaza
Park in Dallas, Texas. Pioneer Plaza is a large public park located in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It contains a large sculpture and is a heavily visited tourist site. Adjacent to the plaza is the Pioneer Park Cemetery which features the Confederate War Memorial. Together, it is the largest public open space in the Dallas central business district.[26]
Address: Young and Griffin Streets, 75202 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Museum of Geometric and MADI Art
Museum. The Museum of Geometric and MADI Art is a museum in Dallas dedicated to abstract art and the Madí movement. The only such museum in North America, travel writer Emily Toman describes it as "one of the most underrated art museums in Dallas".[27]
Address: 3109 Carlisle St, 75204 Dallas (Central Dallas)
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
Concert hall in Dallas, Texas. The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is a concert hall located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas. Ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls, it was designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson's Artec Consultants, Inc. The structural engineers for this project was Leslie E. Robertson Associates, and opened in September 1989.
The Center is named for Morton Meyerson, former president of Electronic Data Systems and former chairman and CEO of Perot Systems, who led the 10-year effort by the Dallas Symphony Association to create a home for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The new concert center was named in his honor in 1986 at the request of H. Ross Perot, who made a $10 million contribution to the building fund for the naming rights. It is the permanent home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony Chorus, as well as the primary performing venue of the Dallas Wind Symphony as well as several other Dallas-based musical organizations. The Meyerson Symphony Center is owned by the City of Dallas and operated by the Dallas Symphony Association.
There are four private suites, for small concerts, meetings and events designed by Booziotis & Company Architects of Dallas - Texas.[28]
Address: Dallas, Dallas Arts District
Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe
Catholic seat of the Bishop of Dallas. The Cathedral Santuario de la Virgen de Guadalupe is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Texas. The structure dates from the late 19th century and is located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas. The church oversees the second largest Catholic church membership in the United States. Its average Sunday attendance is 11,200.[29]
Address: 2215 Ross Ave, 75201 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Cotton Bowl Stadium
Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The Cotton Bowl is an outdoor stadium in Dallas, Texas, United States. Opened in 1930 as Fair Park Stadium, it is on the site of the State Fair of Texas, known as Fair Park.
The Cotton Bowl was the longtime home of the annual college football post-season bowl game known as the Cotton Bowl Classic, for which the stadium is named. Starting on New Year's Day 1937, it hosted the first 73 editions of the game, through January 2009; the game was moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington in January 2010. The stadium also hosts the Red River Showdown, the annual college football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns, and the First Responder Bowl.
The stadium has been home to many football teams over the years, including: SMU Mustangs (NCAA), Dallas Cowboys (NFL; 1960–1971), Dallas Texans (NFL) (1952), Dallas Texans (AFL; 1960–1962), and soccer teams, the Dallas Tornado (NASL; 1967–1968), and FC Dallas (MLS; as the Dallas Burn 1996–2004, as FC Dallas 2005). It was also one of the nine venues used for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. As of 2022, it is the largest stadium by capacity in the United States without a professional or college team as a regular tenant.
It became known as "The House That Doak Built," due to the immense crowds that SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s.
In their seventh season, the Cowboys hosted the Green Bay Packers for the NFL championship at the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1967. The college bowl game that year included SMU and was played the day before, New Year's Eve, which required a quick turnaround to transform the field. The two games were filled to its 75,504 capacity, but both home teams lost to the visitors.
Artificial turf was installed in 1970 and removed in 1993 in preparation for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The elevation of the playing field is approximately 450 feet (140 m) above sea level.[30]
Address: Dallas, 1300 Robert Cullum Blvd.
Starplex Pavilion
Amphitheatre in Dallas, Texas. The Dos Equis Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheatre located in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.[31]
Address: Dallas, 3839 S Fitzhugh Ave, Dallas, TX 75201
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial
Monument in Dallas, Texas. The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial is a monument to United States President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas erected in 1970, and designed by noted architect Philip Johnson.[32]
Address: Main Street and Market Street, 75202 Dallas (Downtown Dallas)
Houston Street Viaduct
Viaduct in Dallas, Texas. The Houston Street Viaduct is a viaduct in Dallas, Texas, that carries Houston Street across the Trinity River, connecting Downtown Dallas and Oak Cliff. Designed by Ira G. Hedrick, it was built in 1911, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[33]
Bath House Cultural Center
Cultural center in Dallas, Texas. The Bath House Cultural Center is the first of six neighborhood cultural centers built and operated by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs. It is located on the east shore of White Rock Lake in east Dallas, Texas. It serves all of Dallas, especially the eastern region of the city.[34]
Address: 521 E Lawther Dr, 75218-3311 Dallas (Northeast Dallas)
Granada Theater
Theatre in Dallas, Texas. The Granada Theater is a theatre located in Lower Greenville, in Dallas, TX. The theatre was built in 1946 as a movie house. In 1977, it was converted to a concert hall, only to revert to a movie theater soon after. In 2004 it was again opened as a concert hall.[35]
Address: Dallas, 3524 Greenville Ave. Dallas, TX 75206-5630