Dallas Delights: Best Things to Do

Dallas may be the third-most populous city in the state, but it is also one of the top tourist attractions in the country. Which shouldn’t be surprising given all the city has to offer.

First off, Dallas is home to the country’s most densely populated urban arts district, which spans 19 blocks and includes world-class theatres, museums, and restaurants. The Dallas Arboretum, a paradise for nature lovers with 66 acres of unending seasonal plants in a tranquil setting overlooking White Rock Lake, is another option. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, where tourists can gain insight into the life, death, and legacy of John F. Kennedy, is undoubtedly one of the city’s most popular attractions. The George W. Bush Presidential Center is situated here as well, talking of presidential history.

And these are only a few of the numerous attractions the city offers. See the important ones you won’t want to miss by reading on.

DALLAS ARTS DISTRICT

The Dallas Arts District, which covers 68 acres and 19 adjacent blocks, is regarded as the biggest urban arts complex in the country. The District is home to three top-tier museums (the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Crow Collection of Asian Art), numerous amazing performance venues, including the nationally acclaimed Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, and one of the largest concentrations of Pritzker Prize-winning structures anywhere in the world. The 19th-century Cathedral Sanctuary of the Lady of Guadalupe and a half-acre sculpture trail next to KPMG Plaza are two additional must-see attractions.

Suggested for Top Attractions & Entertainment because The Dallas Arts District is the greatest area to get your fill of eye candy due to its museums, architecture, and street art.

SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM AT DEALEY PLAZA

The Sixth Floor Museum is a fascinating resource for knowledge about the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy, whether you’re a history enthusiast or a conspiracy believer. Around 45,000 artifacts, including relics, home videos, and film clips, document Kennedy’s presidency and his dying days in the museum’s exhibitions. The Plexiglas-enclosed space where Lee Harvey Oswald is thought to have fired the crucial shot is one of the tour’s highlights. Go down to the grassy knoll after leaving the museum to have a better understanding of what happened on that sad day.

The Sixth Floor Museum is one of Dallas’s most popular tourist attractions, hence it is suggested for Top Attractions & Activities.

PEROT MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE

This magnificent 180,000-square-foot science museum on the borders of the Arts District was designed by Thom Mayne, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Award. It has five floors of interactive exhibits covering everything from Earth and space to geology, archaeology, and engineering. Features include an earthquake simulator, a children’s museum with a dinosaur excavation, and a display of gems and minerals with a 5-foot geode. Take the external glass escalator to the top and descend while taking in the expansive views of downtown Dallas. This is an excellent place to start.

The Perot Museum is the ideal location in Dallas for science enthusiasts to geek out, which is why it is suggested for Top Attractions & Activities.

DALLAS HOLOCAUST AND HUMAN RIGHTS MUSEUM

The Dallas Holocaust Museum, which opened recently in a larger space in the West End, not only offers tourists a horrifying look into the Holocaust but also discusses other genocides from the 20th century and the American Civil Rights Movement. Video testimony from Holocaust survivors, an authentic boxcar from the Nazi era, and many other things retrieved from concentration camps are among the technologically advanced exhibitions. One of only two such theatres in the world, the Dimensions in Testimony Theater, which uses holographic imaging to enable in-person contact with Holocaust survivors, serves as a focal point of the museum. Be aware that visitors 12 and older are advised to visit the museum.

The Dallas Holocaust Museum is the first of its type to highlight both human rights and the legacy of the Holocaust, making it a suggestion for Top Attractions & Activities.

DALLAS WORLD AQUARIUM

This privately owned aqua paradise is housed inside a sizable renovated warehouse in Dallas’ Historic West End District and is home to various varieties of marine life from all over the world. The aquarium is home to stingrays, piranhas, electric eels, poison dart frogs, and Orinoco crocodile in addition to stingrays, piranhas, electric eels, poison dart frogs, and sharks that circle overhead in a 20,000-gallon walk-through display that is forty feet long and is enclosed in glass. Along with seeing killer whales, enormous river otters, three-toed lemurs, penguins, and other animals up close, visitors may explore a lush, three-level recreation of a South American rainforest.

The World Aquarium is a top pick for Top Attractions & Activities because it has a good amount of interactive displays that will keep visitors of all ages entertained for hours.

DALLAS ARBORETUM AND BOTANICAL GARDEN

An 8-acre immersive children’s garden with everything from flowing waterfalls to a treetop canopy walk and a two-story treehouse is part of the 66-acre paradise along the shores of White Rock Lake. The Arboretum offers a range of public events, such as art exhibitions, performances, and seasonal festivals, in addition to educational activities for kids and adults. Speaking of celebrations, try to time your trip to coincide with Dallas Blooms when more than 500,000 blooming annuals and bulbs cover the whole park in a kaleidoscopic show of beauty.

Because it is one of the most popular botanical gardens in the nation, the Dallas Arboretum is suggested for Top Attractions & Activities.

KLYDE WARREN PARK

One of Dallas’ best community meeting places, this 5.2-acre linear park is perched above a submerged motorway in the Dallas Arts District. It features a butterfly garden as well as designated sections for kids, pets, and playing video games. Also, the park provides a wide selection of year-round programming, such as daily yoga classes, exercise classes, story times for kids, musical acts, and even movie screenings. Did we mention that the Dallas skyline makes for a fantastic backdrop for a picture here? Another major appeal is the food stalls that are positioned along the side.

Klyde Warren Park is a top pick for Top Attractions & Activities because there are several free activities available there.

DALLAS ZOO

The 106-acre Dallas Zoo, which houses approximately 2,000 animals from about 400 species, is the biggest and oldest zoological park in the nation. Yet this place isn’t just your typical walking animal exhibit. The majority of the cages were built to mimic the animals’ natural habitats. One of these is the 11-acre Giants of the Savanna exhibit, which is the only zoo display in the United States where elephants and other animals coexist in the same environment. Moreover, there is a kids’ zoo, a carousel, a small railway, daily animal displays, and giraffe feedings. Make a reservation for the 90-minute backstage safari to elevate your zoo visit.

Suggested for Top Attractions & Activities because The Dallas Zoo has received national exposure as one of the greatest zoos in the nation from several publications.

GEORGE W. BUSH PRESIDENTIAL CENTER

This magnificent building on the Southern Methodist University campus houses not just a library and museum but also the George W. Bush Policy Institute and the George W. Bush Foundation. It is second in size only to Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The majority of tourists will, however, only view the museum, which has interactive exhibits and 14,000 square feet of exhibit space, including a 22-foot tall World Trade Center steel beam that has been damaged and a full-scale walk-through recreation of the Bush Presidential Office. Several of the presents that foreign heads of state gave to the president and first lady are also on display.

The George W. Bush Presidential Center is a terrific destination for history fans of all ages, making it a recommendation for Top Attractions & Activities.

REUNION TOWER

The first thing that appears in your mind when you think about Dallas is the Reunion Tower, which has been adorning the skyline of the city with its flickering orb since 1978. The Tower is not just the most identifiable landmark in the city, but also one of the most renowned because of its rotating GeO-Deck viewing platform. The attraction, which is 470 feet above the earth, offers tourists 360-degree views of the city and beyond from both an outdoor deck and an indoor space equipped with immersive touch screens and high-definition zoom cameras. Ongoing special events, such as sunset yoga, wine tastings, and painting classes, are listed on the website’s calendar.

Reunion Tower is Dallas’ most identifiable landmark and provides some of the best views of the city, making it a suggestion for Top Attractions & Activities.