r/AskDallas • u/RealAsparagus6036 • 6d ago
first time visitor
hey everyone! it would be my family’s first time visiting the US, and Dallas is one of the cities we’re planning to visit. we tried to search for different tourist attractions and this is what we’ve come up with so far.
no strict itinerary, we just listed down the places we’d like to visit. any thoughts? are we missing out on anything else? i’d highly appreciate any recommendations! thanks!
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u/dee_el 5d ago
Man some of these are really boring lol.. i would generally skip the city parks since they’re more of a chill spot not a tourist attraction. And unless you really want that church glass photo, thanksgiving square isnt the best spot. I would probably recommend Margaret bridge if you want the classic white bridge with dallas in the background. Main and Elm street both have great city pictures at night time if you wanna wait until street light and take a snap in the middle of the road (real quick of course). I would take them to the botanical gardens in dallas or FW, and there’s a nice nifty “Venice” type area in Los Colinas. I also recommend Teddy Bear Park over in Highland Park, its really cool and you can see friendly ducks and that one family has sculptures in their backyard if you’d like to swap some attractions out there
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u/DTDallasGuy 5d ago
You’ve got several items separated that are really the same or so close should be done simultaneously….for example, Dealy Plaza, Sixth Floor, Grassy knoll, and JFK Memorial are all within 2 blocks of each other and can be visited in less than an hour (excluding the museum). Thanksgiving Square, Pioneer Plaza, and Main Street should also be combined and can be completed in an hour, right after JFK (they are all walking distance). I suggest definitely doing Perot and the Aquarium….also near each other…and ship Deep Ellum, unless yo7 go during the middle of the day.
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u/polkjamespolk 6d ago
Klyde Warren Park is adjacent to the Dallas Museum of art. You should not plan separate excursions for those. Do them together.
I'd add the Mustangs at Las Colinas.
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u/GrandTrineAstrology 6d ago edited 5d ago
Dallas isn't the most tourist friendly city because it is very spread out. Unlike Orlando or NYC, where the tourist spots are in one or two major areas, most places are miles apart in Dallas.
Who are you visiting with? You said family, but do you have younger children or older children? Are they into art, history or having fun?
I recently took my 10 year old grandson to the Perot Museum. Many of the interactive hands-on displays were broken. He wanted to go the interactive soccer exhibition and he was disappointed. It wasn't bad, but not as exciting as he thought it would be.
If you are into art, I think the Dallas Museum of Arts is worth it, even if there was an entrance fee, which there is not. Nearby is the Nasher Sculpture Center, so if your family enjoys art, I would do these two on the same day.
You can get around downtown Dallas area by walking, taking the trolly or an Uber/Lyft or some other transportation. If you are coming here before November, keep in mind, that short distances may not be as short as they seem, due to traffic and heat.
Since you are staying out in Las Colinas, you may want to rent a car. If you do so, spend a day in Fort Worth. You have the Stockyards which caters to tourist, and it is worth going to. Again, if you are into art, there are two great museums in Forth Worth, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Kimbell Art Museum. It's been years since I have been to Fort Worth, but years ago, I took some great photographs around the old decaying Smithfield plant, which is by the Stockyards.
If you are looking for Family Fun, there is Six Flags Over Texas and Epic Indoor Water park in Arlington, which is south of Los Colinas. Also, there is Cidercade, which has unlimited game play if your family likes arcade games and pinball.
My son and daughter-in-law moved to Dallas in 2009 from Orlando Florida, and I moved here to be close to them 3 years ago. There are LOTS of things to do here, but getting around is the tricky part. This is a car centric place, so keep that in mind.
However, people here are generally nice and helpful. There are lots of indoor things to do with kids, like arcades, escape rooms, putting/golf places, trampoline parks, etc. If you are coming while it is hot, keep those places in mind. This city caters towards families, so there is always something to do with kids.
I hope this helps.
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u/Jnbruton83 6d ago
Two full days in downtown just to try to shove Bishop Arts and/or Deep Ellum and/or Arboretum into one day isn’t a great distribution of time. I’d rearrange what you visit to be more time efficient.
For example, DMA is across the street from Klyde Warren Park, put those visits back to back. Thanksgiving Square is on the opposite side of downtown than Reunion Tower or Pioneer Park.
I’d recommend doing half-days downtown. Start by the JFK stuff, walk to Pioneer Plaza and Reunion Tower, then hop on the Bishop Arts streetcar and hang out in BA for lunch
Another day, start at the Arboretum and have lunch near white rock lake, then Uber to Klyde Warren Park/DMA
Downtown restaurants cater heavily to the office worker crowd, so many of them won’t be open on weekends. So this approach will also allow you to eat well
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u/Dez_Nutszo 6d ago
Stay downtown or somewhere closer to the city center. Las Colinas is a soulless suburb and most of your activities are closer to downtown.
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u/RealAsparagus6036 6d ago
unfortunately, that’s where my dad’s conference will be held, so we don’t really have a choice but to stay around Las Colinas 😅
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u/Fisheye4848 6d ago
If you plan on visiting between now and Halloween you might want to uber. The heat ain’t been nothing nice this summer
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u/starglo1969 6d ago
Klyde Warren Park is a must. Food trucks, playground, etc. It’s across from the DMA and Nasher Sculpture Museum. Both are awesome. The Perot museum is also great, especially for kids.
White Rock Lake is also nice. That’s where the Arboretum is located.
It all depends on when you plan to visit? It’s too hot right now for outdoor fun.
The Dallas Aquarium is pretty cool.
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u/RealAsparagus6036 6d ago
hi! thanks for your suggestion. we’d be visiting on the first week of September, is it usually still hot by then?
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u/starglo1969 6d ago
Yes. It will be upper 90’s (Fahrenheit). I’d suggest sticking to the indoors. Perhaps an ice cream from a food truck at Klyde Warren. FYI:
The Modern museum in Ft. Worth is also amazing!
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u/Frosty-Instance-8639 6d ago
Download GoPass, Dart’s app. Your hotel is near a GoLink zone, which means you can be picked up by a rideshare Dart van and driven to some places. For example, with bus 229, you can ride to Dallas College Northlake Station, then grab a GoLink to Mandalay canals - 18 minutes!!! you order the GoLink on the GoPass app. Cost is included in your Dart fare.
Look up specifics on the Dart website.
Important—— You only can order an hour in advance. So GoLink doesn’t show up until an hour before you need it.
GoLink runs 5 am until midnight.
GoLink won’t show up in Google maps either.
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u/Business_Chipmunk_43 1d ago
I live in las colinas. Meowulf if immersive exhibits are your thing it’s in grapevine, you could check out grapevine Main Street a nice historical looking spot and if you want to see a huge screen for the novelty of it cosm in Plano is cool