Dallas

Dallas, the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in the state of Texas, is an impressive melting pot of culture and character. Boasting high-end luxury hotels, innumerable fine dining spots, and one of the busiest airports in the world, Dallas maintains an upscale ethos reflected by an affluent population, world-class museums, and a shimmering modern skyline. Its history was marred by the infamous assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but there is more historic and contemporary heritage to be discovered in the city.

As a center of the oil and cotton industries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Dallas was a classic American boom town and remains one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. Dallas fell victim to its own success in the automobile era, becoming a prime example of urban sprawl as highways strangled its city center, but has been trying to reinvent itself since the turn of the millennium.

Many non-natives have a hard time sizing up Dallas and its Metroplex. Dallas does not quite fit many of the typical Texan stereotypes (Western, laid-back, casual), but often doesn't live up to its own notorious stereotypes (pretentious, superficial, unfriendly, sterile). The truth is, as in many things, somewhere in between.

It is virtually impossible to neatly categorize Dallas. It is a wonderful place with an immense and diverse set of attractions, food and people. From the posh, ultra-modern Uptown and Victory developments, to the old-world elegance and upper-crust attitude of Turtle Creek, to the "real life" feel of largely-suburban North Dallas.

Being in the American South, Dallas has a subtropical climate with mild winters, hot summers, and a very wet spring and fall in between. In winter and summer it can also be a very dry place, as it receives warmer, drier weather from the Mojave Desert in the west and the Great Plains in the north.

Winters are generally mild, with average highs in the 50s and 60s (10-20 °C) and average lows around the freezing mark. It often snows in Dallas a couple of times a year, and there is the rare day when temperatures will not get out of the 30s (0-5 °C), but for the most part winter is just drier and cooler. There is, however, the danger of freezing rain and ice storms.

Spring and fall bring very pleasant temperatures, but spring is also known for its storms. Because Dallas lies within Tornado Alley, springtime weather can be quite volatile and severe storms often occur. Summers are hot, with temperatures often surpassing 100 °F (38 °C) and mostly low humidity.

Average rainfall in Dallas is 37.1 inches (942.3 mm) per year, and average snowfall is about 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) per year.

• Dealey Plaza and The Sixth-Floor Museum - site of the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. X's painted in the road mark the positions of the President's limousine for each time he was shot, the Grassy Knoll has been restored to look exactly as it did in 1963, and conspiracy theorists hold talks and hawk DVDs. The accompanying museum, which takes up the first and upper floors of the former Texas Schoolbook Depository, recreates Lee Harvey Oswald's shooting position and maintains a collection of artifacts related to JFK and his assassination, including Oswald's sniper rifle and Jack Ruby's fedora. Museum tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for seniors, $13 for youth, and free for children five or younger. Caution: do not walk into the street to take a picture with the X's. Elm Street is still a busy thoroughfare, and passing cars do not slow down for tourists in their way.
• Dallas County Courthouse, more commonly known as Old Red, is a former municipal courthouse that now serves as Dallas' local history museum. Worth a visit if you are in downtown. $10 for adults, $8 for students, seniors, and the military (all three must show ID), $7 for kids 3-16, and free for kids under 3.
• JFK Memorial Plaza - Brutalism at its best, this is a stark but elegant space for quiet reflection on the President's life. Next to Old Red on Main Street.
• Dallas City Hall - An imposing Brutalist edifice by famous architect I.M. Pei. Recognizable to film buffs as OCP headquarters from the movie Robocop, which was mostly filmed in Dallas.
• Klyde Warren Park - Helping to bridge downtown's moat of highways, this is a trendy park decking Woodall Rogers Freeway for three blocks in the Arts District, and has food trucks, a high-end café, and occasional outdoor performances and readings.

• Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) - World-class art museum downtown befitting Dallas' status as a center of the oil, finance, and technology industries. Exhibits from all historical periods from antiquity to the present day. General admission is free; only temporary exhibits require admission.
• Nasher Sculpture Garden - Large museum and garden adjacent to the DMA with an extensive collection of mostly modern sculpture.
• Trammell Crow Collection of Asian Art - A smaller museum, also adjacent to the DMA, featuring rotating collections of Asian art, at the bottom of the Trammell Crow building. Admission is always free.

Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) - World-class art museum downtown befitting Dallas' status as a center of the oil, finance, and technology industries. Exhibits from all historical periods from antiquity to the present day. General admission is free; only temporary exhibits require admission.

Nasher Sculpture Garden - Large museum and garden adjacent to the DMA with an extensive collection of mostly modern sculpture.

Trammell Crow Collection of Asian Art - A smaller museum, also adjacent to the DMA, featuring rotating collections of Asian art, at the bottom of the Trammell Crow building. Admission is always free.

• Dallas Cowboys. Dallas' famous football team, plays at AT&T Stadium a short ways west of Dallas in Arlington
• Texas Rangers. They are from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, specifically in the city of Arlington. Dallas' professional baseball team is the 2010 and 2011 American League Champions.
• FC Dallas. Major League Soccer team that plays at Toyota Stadium in the northern suburb of Frisco.
• Dallas Wings. WNBA (women's basketball) team that moved to the Metroplex in 2016. The Wings had been the Tulsa Shock from 2010 to 2015, and the Detroit Shock before that. They play home games at College Park Center on the UT Arlington campus.

Dallas Cowboys. Dallas' famous [[American Football|football]] team, plays at AT&T Stadium a short ways west of Dallas in [[Arlington (Texas)|Arlington]]

Texas Rangers. They are from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, specifically in the city of [[Arlington (Texas)|Arlington]]. Dallas' professional baseball team is the 2010 and 2011 American League Champions.

FC Dallas. Major League Soccer team that plays at Toyota Stadium in the northern suburb of [[Frisco (Texas)|Frisco]].

Dallas Wings. WNBA (women's basketball) team that moved to the Metroplex in 2016. The Wings had been the Tulsa Shock from 2010 to 2015, and the Detroit Shock before that. They play home games at College Park Center on the UT Arlington campus.

Dealey Plaza and The Sixth-Floor Museum - site of the infamous assassination of President John F. Kennedy. X's painted in the road mark the positions of the President's limousine for each time he was shot, the Grassy Knoll has been restored to look exactly as it did in 1963, and conspiracy theorists hold talks and hawk DVDs. The accompanying museum, which takes up the first and upper floors of the former Texas Schoolbook Depository, recreates Lee Harvey Oswald's shooting position and maintains a collection of artifacts related to JFK and his assassination, including Oswald's sniper rifle and Jack Ruby's fedora. Museum tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for seniors, $13 for youth, and free for children five or younger. Caution: do not walk into the street to take a picture with the X's. Elm Street is still a busy thoroughfare, and passing cars do not slow down for tourists in their way.

Dallas County Courthouse, more commonly known as Old Red, is a former municipal courthouse that now serves as Dallas' local history museum. Worth a visit if you are in downtown. $10 for adults, $8 for students, seniors, and the military (all three must show ID), $7 for kids 3-16, and free for kids under 3.

JFK Memorial Plaza - Brutalism at its best, this is a stark but elegant space for quiet reflection on the President's life. Next to Old Red on Main Street.

Dallas City Hall - An imposing Brutalist edifice by famous architect I.M. Pei. Recognizable to film buffs as OCP headquarters from the movie Robocop, which was mostly filmed in Dallas.

Klyde Warren Park - Helping to bridge downtown's moat of highways, this is a trendy park decking Woodall Rogers Freeway for three blocks in the Arts District, and has food trucks, a high-end café, and occasional outdoor performances and readings.

• State Fair of Texas - A large part of Dallas' culture and probably its biggest attraction, the State Fair is hosted annually for three weeks around September and October. The Fair really is the Mecca of fair food, most of it deep-fried. Heated competitions held for the best-tasting and most creative of these have seen deep-fried incarnations of practically every food (and drink) imaginable. Concoctions can range from delectable (Fried Peaches and Cream and Fried Jerk Chicken) to bizarre (Fried Jello, Fried Dr. Pepper) to downright disgusting (Fried Butter). The Fair's iconic mascot, Big Tex, is a 55-foot-tall cowboy who smiles, talks, and waves at fair-goers, and the Texas Star Ferris Wheel, the tallest in North America until 1985, is a fairground institution. There is also a huge array of commercial shows and marketplaces, including a large car show, and more traditional attractions include a wide assortment of carnival games and rides, rodeos, pig racing (yes, pig racing), and livestock shows. Fair Park itself is the architectural jewel of the city - its Depression-era buildings were constructed in a stately Texan spin on Art Deco not found anywhere else in the world. Try to avoid the second weekend, when UT and OU play their annual football game, the Red River Showdown. Students from both colleges flood the Fair that weekend and lines and parking are horrible.
• White Rock Lake. Escape the city bustle for a stroll at this large park in East Dallas. This is really a beautiful getaway, but locals would tell you to avoid driving around here at night — ghosts haunt the waters.
• Golf - There are a lot of wonderful courses in the Dallas area. The city boasts five municipal courses with reasonable greens fees. Of these, Tenison Highlands in East Dallas and Cedar Crest in South Dallas offer the best test of golf, and can be the most crowded, especially on weekends. There are any number of terrific daily-fee public courses in the D/FW area as well,
• Adventure Landing.,
• SpeedZone Dallas. - in Dallas, particularly in the cities of Irving, Grapevine, Lewisville, and The Colony

State Fair of Texas - A large part of Dallas' culture and probably its biggest attraction, the State Fair is hosted annually for three weeks around September and October. The Fair really is the Mecca of fair food, most of it deep-fried. Heated competitions held for the best-tasting and most creative of these have seen deep-fried incarnations of practically every food (and drink) imaginable. Concoctions can range from delectable (Fried Peaches and Cream and Fried Jerk Chicken) to bizarre (Fried Jello, Fried Dr. Pepper) to downright disgusting (Fried Butter). The Fair's iconic mascot, Big Tex, is a 55-foot-tall cowboy who smiles, talks, and waves at fair-goers, and the Texas Star Ferris Wheel, the tallest in North America until 1985, is a fairground institution. There is also a huge array of commercial shows and marketplaces, including a large car show, and more traditional attractions include a wide assortment of carnival games and rides, rodeos, pig racing (yes, pig racing), and livestock shows. Fair Park itself is the architectural jewel of the city - its Depression-era buildings were constructed in a stately Texan spin on Art Deco not found anywhere else in the world. Try to avoid the second weekend, when UT and OU play their annual football game, the Red River Showdown. Students from both colleges flood the Fair that weekend and lines and parking are horrible.

White Rock Lake. Escape the city bustle for a stroll at this large park in [[Dallas/East Dallas|East Dallas]]. This is really a beautiful getaway, but locals would tell you to avoid driving around here at night — ghosts haunt the waters.

Golf - There are a lot of wonderful courses in the Dallas area. The city boasts five municipal courses with reasonable greens fees. Of these, Tenison Highlands in [[Dallas/East Dallas|East Dallas]] and Cedar Crest in [[Dallas/South Dallas|South Dallas]] offer the best test of golf, and can be the most crowded, especially on weekends. There are any number of terrific daily-fee public courses in the D/FW area as well,

Adventure Landing.,

SpeedZone Dallas. - in Dallas, particularly in the cities of [[Irving]], [[Grapevine (Texas)|Grapevine]], [[Lewisville]], and [[The Colony]]

Shopping is big in Dallas. In days of yore, folks would come from all over the country to shop in Dallas' exclusive shops.

• Popular shopping malls include the Galleria and NorthPark Mall in North Dallas and the West Village in Uptown, among others. A bit further afield is Grapevine Mills in nearby Grapevine. Amazing malls can also be found in Plano, Frisco, and other suburbs.
• Half-Price Books. Used bookstore chain headquartered in Dallas, offering secondhand books, music and video, with offerings varying by location. The flagship store is in East Dallas, with one other Dallas store and nine more in the Metroplex area.
• Neiman Marcus was founded in Dallas, supplying dresses and diamonds to debutantes and family scions. The downtown flagship store remains a popular destination for visitors and locals alike, and the NorthPark Mall location is the chain's most successful.

Popular shopping malls include the Galleria and NorthPark Mall in [[Dallas/North Dallas|North Dallas]] and the West Village in [[Dallas/Uptown|Uptown]], among others. A bit further afield is Grapevine Mills in nearby [[Grapevine (Texas)|Grapevine]]. Amazing malls can also be found in [[Plano]], [[Frisco (Texas)|Frisco]], and other suburbs.

Half-Price Books. Used bookstore chain headquartered in Dallas, offering secondhand books, music and video, with offerings varying by location. The flagship store is in [[Dallas/East Dallas|East Dallas]], with one other Dallas store and nine more in the Metroplex area.

Neiman Marcus was founded in Dallas, supplying dresses and diamonds to debutantes and family scions. The [[Dallas/Downtown|downtown]] flagship store remains a popular destination for visitors and locals alike, and the NorthPark Mall location is the chain's most successful.

Areas with high concentrations of restaurants include the following:

• Beltline Road through Addison and North Dallas, just north of I-635, has perhaps the most restaurants per-capita in the U.S. If there is a type of food you like then you can probably find it there.
• Greenville Avenue running north to south in East Dallas, has many restaurants along its length, particularly in Lower Greenville.
• Knox and Henderson streets (the "Knox/Henderson" neighborhood), off US-75 Uptown have many laid-back, stylish restaurants.
• McKinney Avenue is the heart of Uptown, with a wide variety of quality establishments.
• The West End in the northwest part of Downtown has a good mix of original local restaurants and successful chain establishments.

Dallas has a good number of its own chain restaurants which have become quite successful in the area, offering unique local flavors.

• Spring Creek Barbeque. Spring Creek Barbeque has 15 Texas style restaurants across the North Texas area. The menu is very simple. Beef, ham sausage, turkey, chicken, and ribs are available for entrees (you can have combinations also). Side items available are corn, beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and baked potatoes. In addition, fresh homemade bread rolls are served with each dish and more are delivered to your table during each meal. Even with large servings, the most expensive menu is only about $10 so all of the dishes are available at a reasonable price.
• Cristina's. Several DFW locations. Lunch specials are very reasonably priced. Service across all of the family owned and operated locations is blindingly fast no matter the location. The chips and salsa are arguably some of the freshest and best in the Metroplex. A unique signature menu item is the "Queso Flameado" where the server melts cheese by fire tableside and then wraps the gooey cheesey goodness in several freshly made tortillas.

Main Street in Downtown has seen major improvements over the last few months, with plenty of places to eat and to play. Highly Recommended. Don't forget to stop by the City Tavern for a longneck or two.

Beltline Road through [[Addison]] and [[Dallas/North Dallas|North Dallas]], just north of I-635, has perhaps the most restaurants per-capita in the U.S. If there is a type of food you like then you can probably find it there.

Greenville Avenue running north to south in [[Dallas/East Dallas|East Dallas]], has many restaurants along its length, particularly in [[Dallas/Lower Greenville|Lower Greenville]].

Knox and Henderson streets (the "Knox/Henderson" neighborhood), off US-75 [[Dallas/Uptown|Uptown]] have many laid-back, stylish restaurants.

McKinney Avenue is the heart of [[Dallas/Uptown|Uptown]], with a wide variety of quality establishments.

The West End in the northwest part of [[Dallas/Downtown|Downtown]] has a good mix of original local restaurants and successful chain establishments.

Spring Creek Barbeque. Spring Creek Barbeque has 15 Texas style restaurants across the North Texas area. The menu is very simple. Beef, ham sausage, turkey, chicken, and ribs are available for entrees (you can have combinations also). Side items available are corn, beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and baked potatoes. In addition, fresh homemade bread rolls are served with each dish and more are delivered to your table during each meal. Even with large servings, the most expensive menu is only about $10 so all of the dishes are available at a reasonable price.

Cristina's. Several DFW locations. Lunch specials are very reasonably priced. Service across all of the family owned and operated locations is blindingly fast no matter the location. The chips and salsa are arguably some of the freshest and best in the Metroplex. A unique signature menu item is the "Queso Flameado" where the server melts cheese by fire tableside and then wraps the gooey cheesey goodness in several freshly made tortillas.

The area bound by Haskell on the north, Woodall Rogers Freeway on the south, Turtle Creek on the west and Central Expressway on the east is where Dallas' beautiful people go to see and be seen. Trendy to the nth degree, this neighborhood contains very upscale fashionable clubs. Some of the hottest clubs, Medici, the Candleroom, and Sense are private. If you want to check out one of these places be sure to go with someone that is a member or have a concierge call ahead for you. Wish and Republic are also cool nightspots, with no membership required. No shorts, jeans, team jerseys, tennis shoes, or flip-flops.

• West End - This is an attractive enough historic neighborhood with buildings in a turn-of-the-century redbrick vernacular—the notorious Book Depository is one of them—in the northwest quadrant of downtown. The area is mostly popular with suburbanites and tourists out for dinner and a quick stroll around the neighborhood but has a number of bars as well.
• Deep Ellum is a district of bars, dance clubs, music venues and tattoo shops east of downtown on Main, Elm and Commerce streets. It is a hipster haven for young people and a weekend destination for music lovers of all ages, and is named for being on the far ("Deep") end of Elm Street ("Ellum.")
• Uptown and McKinney Ave - This is where Dallas' beautiful people go to see and be seen. Trendy to the n^th degree, this neighborhood contains very upscale, fashionable clubs.
• Lower Greenville has many older drinking establishments.
• Downtown is home to a burgeoning nightlife district and upscale restaurants.
• Addison has some famous drinking spots tucked in amongst its many restaurants, notably The Flying Saucer.

[[Addison]] has some famous drinking spots tucked in amongst its many restaurants, notably The Flying Saucer.

If you are so inclined, Dallas has an overabundance of "gentlemen's clubs." Most of these places are nice and safe, and usually off the Highway 35 and Northwest Highway area. Bring cash along or go to an ATM beforehand—if using a credit card, you have to sign the tabs in triplicate with a photocopy of your ID. One can have a good time for $100–$200 at all the clubs, but if you want to spend more, the ladies will certainly help you do so. Here is a list of some of the clubs starting with the nicest ones.

• The Lodge - Has a safari motif inside and actually has good food too.
• The Men's Club - A nice club with pretty girls. The best night is Thursday.
• Silver City - Good club.
• Baby Doll's - An enormous club that sells more alcohol than any other bar in Texas. Has pretty decent priced drinks for a gentlemen's club.
• Million Dollar Saloon - A lot of history behind this place. Really the first of its kind in Dallas or all of Texas.
• The Clubhouse - Owned and operated by surviving members of Pantera; Frequented by all walks of life in Dallas; BYOB; Full frontal

The Lodge - Has a safari motif inside and actually has good food too.

The Men's Club - A nice club with pretty girls. The best night is Thursday.

Silver City - Good club.

Baby Doll's - An enormous club that sells more alcohol than any other bar in Texas. Has pretty decent priced drinks for a gentlemen's club.

Million Dollar Saloon - A lot of history behind this place. Really the first of its kind in Dallas or all of Texas.

The Clubhouse - Owned and operated by surviving members of Pantera; Frequented by all walks of life in Dallas; BYOB; Full frontal

If you're looking to fill a mini-fridge or cooler with your own beverages a bit of planning might be required. Alcohol is only sold in certain parts of the city and in certain suburbs so getting to a liquor store can involve some travel. Also, Texas' liquor laws specify that any store that sells liquor cannot open on Sunday nor stay open after 9PM any other day. Stores that sell beer and wine cannot sell either from 12AM to 12PM on Sunday. A smartphone app that locates liquor stores (and shows their hours) is very useful as many of those stores in the Dallas area tend to be well inside neighborhoods as opposed to along highways, and hotel desk staff can tell you if you're in a 'wet' or 'dry' area of Dallas. Liquor stores can become quite crowded after 8PM (especially on Saturday) and remember to be extra-alert after dark. In 'wet' areas beer and wine is easily and safely available at grocery stores.

For useful information on Dallas' nightlife, food, and music-scene offerings, pick up a free copy of the Dallas Observer, the local alternative weekly, at many places around town (particularly in Downtown) or check out GuideLive (an offshoot of the Dallas Morning News) online.

Tourists should avoid anywhere south of the Trinity River at night (and maybe even during the daytime), with the exceptions of North Oak Cliff, the Bishop Arts District, and Fair Park. There is little to see outside these areas aside from the Texas Theater, where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured. South Dallas is a mostly low-income, high-crime residential area: as in any such area, know where you are going, stay there, and don't dawdle or wander, especially at night. Avoid Downtown's Government District at night (the few blocks around City Hall). It's not inherently dangerous, but it has a lot of homeless people running about. Stick to West End and the Arts District. Uptown and North Dallas are generally safe after dark.

Also, avoid driving on the highways after 2 A.M. on weekends, when all the bars have just closed and many tipsy drivers are in a hurry to get home.

In the event that you fall victim to identity theft while visiting Dallas, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operates a major field office in Dallas.

• Dallas Convention and Tourist Bureau

• Dallas Central Library, 1515 Young St, +1 214-670-1400.
• Kadampa Meditation Center Texas , Tel: 817-303-2700, . Offers relaxation meditations and meditation classes to increase inner peace at 4 locations in Dallas.

• Belgium Belgium (Honorary), 1308 Dandury Dr, Mansfield, +1 817 229-4259.
• Canada Canada, 500 N Akard St Ste 2900, +1 214 922-9806.
• Germany Germany (Honorary), 325 N Saint Paul St Ste 2300, +1 214 752-3684.
• Italy Italy (Honorary), 6255 W Northwest Hwy, +1 214 368-4113.
• Mexico Mexico, 8855 Stemmons Fwy, +1 214 252-9250.
• Netherlands Netherlands (Honorary).
• Denmark Royal Danish Consulate, 2100 McKinney Ave, Ste 700, Tel: +1 214-661-8399. Fax. +1 214-661-8036.
• Norway Royal Norwegian Consulate, 4605 Live Oak St, Tel: +1 214-826-5231.
• Switzerland Switzerland (Honorary), 2651 N Harwood St, +1 214 965-1025.

Belgium Belgium (Honorary), 1308 Dandury Dr, Mansfield, +1 817 229-4259.

Canada Canada, 500 N Akard St Ste 2900, +1 214 922-9806.

Germany Germany (Honorary), 325 N Saint Paul St Ste 2300, +1 214 752-3684.

Italy Italy (Honorary), 6255 W Northwest Hwy, +1 214 368-4113.

Mexico Mexico, 8855 Stemmons Fwy, +1 214 252-9250.

Netherlands Netherlands (Honorary).

Denmark Royal Danish Consulate, 2100 McKinney Ave, Ste 700, Tel: +1 214-661-8399. Fax. +1 214-661-8036.

Norway Royal Norwegian Consulate, 4605 Live Oak St, Tel: +1 214-826-5231.

Switzerland Switzerland (Honorary), 2651 N Harwood St, +1 214 965-1025.

Dallas Central Library, 1515 Young St, +1 214-670-1400.

Kadampa Meditation Center Texas , Tel: 817-303-2700, . Offers relaxation meditations and meditation classes to increase inner peace at 4 locations in Dallas.

• Head to Arlington for a day of fun at Six Flags Over Texas or Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, the best waterpark in the area. Don't forget the sunblock.
• Denton, half an hour north on I-35E, has a charming historic town square, and an off-the-cuff nightlife scene driven by the city's disproportionately large number of musicians.
• Joe Pool Lake lies to the southwest of the city, 4 miles past Grand Prairie. There are two popular parks to camp at along the shoreline, including Cedar Hill State Park and Loyd Park. The most popular day use park on Joe Pool Lake is Lynn Creek Park.
• Lake Texoma is a popular spot an hour's drive north on US-75, on the border with Oklahoma.
• Rodeo. Go to Mesquite see a rodeo show at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo.
• Southfork Ranch, 3700 Hogge Rd, +1 972-442-7800. Parker. The ranch made famous by the TV series "Dallas". An easy day trip from Dallas. Tours run 364 days a year (except 25 Dec).
• Waco, an hour south on I-35, has a number of attractions including the Dr. Pepper Museum and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame.

Head to [[Arlington (Texas)|Arlington]] for a day of fun at Six Flags Over Texas or Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, the best waterpark in the area. Don't forget the sunblock.

Joe Pool Lake lies to the southwest of the city, 4 miles past Grand Prairie. There are two popular parks to camp at along the shoreline, including Cedar Hill State Park and Loyd Park. The most popular day use park on Joe Pool Lake is Lynn Creek Park.

Lake Texoma is a popular spot an hour's drive north on US-75, on the border with [[Oklahoma]].

Rodeo. Go to [[Mesquite]] see a rodeo show at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo.

Southfork Ranch, 3700 Hogge Rd, +1 972-442-7800. Parker. The ranch made famous by the TV series "Dallas". An easy day trip from Dallas. Tours run 364 days a year (except 25 Dec).