Dallas - what to do..

Hi there,

I am visiting family in Dallas with my fiance for a week in early to mid October 06 and was wondering what sort of things are available to do.. Some kind of interesting activity would be good, or any things to go see etc.. We are both in mid thirties and enjoy walking, cycling, snowboarding, culture, etc..

All suggestions welcomed.

Many thanks!

Dallas - what to do..

well, you can dream about a beach on Kauai from Dallas, but that%26#39;s all we can do for you.

Dallas - what to do..

Go to ';Dallas forums'; Kauai is located in the Hawaiian chain of island in the Pacific Ocean.

It would be a rare occurrence to have any appreciable snow (anytime) to snowboard in Dallas. You could get a weekend snowboard and ski flight and hotel package from Dallas to the ski areas in New Mexico and Colorado...but October is really too early. One exception might be that indoor runs have been created for such activities as ice-skating, snowboarding and moguls, etc., I wouldn%26#39;t know.

Visit Six Flags over Texas in Arlington if you like theme parks, visit the Fort Worth stock yards for a true western exerience. The Galleria mall is nice in Dallas. There won%26#39;t be snow for hundreds of miles and maybe many more weeks. But the mall has an ice skating rink. Dallas is HUGE and has lots to do as you will see if you research.

Hello Opal Fruity,

We%26#39;re a friendly bunch in Texas and welcome all visitors! Unfortunately, you somehow got on the wrong forum. No problem there - just go to the Dallas forum and ask your questions. I%26#39;m sure that some helpful Texans will be happy to answer your questions. I hope if I am ever so lucky as to get to go to Ireland, the favor will be returned.

Happy travels, Galveston Gal!

You picked a great time to visit Dallas. The weather should be cool and perfect for outdoor activities. White Rock Lake in East Dallas is very popular for jogging, cycling, etc and might be a place you%26#39;ll want to investigate.

As for other activities, I suggest you pick up the October edition of Texas Monthly when you arrive and check it for festivals, concerts, etc. (It has listings for all of the major Texas cities and is usually a pretty reliable source for things worth doing in Dallas.)

You might also pick up a copy of the Dallas Observer when you arrive. It%26#39;s the free weekly newspaper and also usually a pretty good source for things to do and great restaurant guidance.

Dallas has a fairly nice museum, which includes the very fine Nasher Sculpture Garden. Fort Worth is a large city approximately 30 miles west of Dallas, and it actually has probably more to offer in the way of museums, with the Amon G. Carter museum (very nice permanent collections of respected artists) and the new Modern Museum. The Dallas Observer can give you a better idea of the exhibits of interest. (The Texas State Fair will be under way when you visit. So you might want to allow for traffic in certain areas, especially if you happen to be in Dallas the weekend of the University of Texas/Oklahoma football game.)

Many tourists in Dallas check out Dealey Plaza and other sites related to the Kennedy assassination in 1963. The stockyards in Fort Worth are also a popular tourist attraction but a little on the cheesy side for my tastes.

As for shopping, the Galleria is certainly a nice mall but is generally on the generic side. I suggest you check out NorthPark Center, which is as much an ';experience'; as it is a shopping mall. The stores include the high end department stores (Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom), the more reasonably priced (Macys, Dillards), and many unique boutique stores. The mall also has pieces from Ray Nasher%26#39;s nationally respected art collection and plenty of places to eat, ranging from the fairly expensive (Maggiano%26#39;s, P. F. Chang%26#39;s) to cheaper options (La Madaleine, Corner Bakery). I highly recommend the tortilla soup and cheesecake at Neiman%26#39;s. You%26#39;ll also love the people watching, as many people who shop at NorthPark dress for the occasion.

The McKinney Avenue/Uptown area is also a very nice shopping/dining area and has a very nice theater specializing in independent films.

Hope that helps and have a great time!

Okay a co-worker has taken me to task, taking issue with my assessment of the Galleria as being on the ';generic side.'; He%26#39;s convinced me to amend my previous post.

What I should have said is that the Galleria lacks the ';Dallas feel'; that NorthPark has, which is only natural since it is significantly older than the Galleria and somewhat of an institution. In fairness, the Galleria is a beautiful mall and has recently been updated. It does have several stores that do not have locations at NorthPark (Saks, Louis Vitton, Gucci are a few that come to mind). Plus, as someone previously noted, the Galleria has an ice skating rink, whereas NorthPark does not. And most importantly, the Galleria has a fantastic restaurant, the Grand Luxe. I believe it is owned by the same company as the Cheesecake Factory. In any event, the entrees are huge and the desserts are unbelievably generous and tasty. There are also several nice stores across the street from the Galleria worth checking out. So, you really should probably try to visit both malls.

I%26#39;m also told I unfairly minimized the quality of the Dallas museums, which is probably a fair criticism. It has been years since I visited the main museum, which I understand has been tremendously improved during the interim, particularly by the Nasher Sculpture Garden. (Admittedly, I spend far too much time in shopping malls and too little time in cultural pursuits.)

I also should have added you should definitely fit in several meals at local Mexican restaurants. I%26#39;m partial to Chuy%26#39;s on McKinney and Cantina Laredo (get the tableside guacamole), but there are many Mexican restaurants worthy of visiting.