Quote:
Originally Posted by loftlovr
Hey guys-
Don't want to bombard your thread- but I am visiting Dallas this weekend and wanted to know of places I should not miss. I am staying at the W hotel....
From research, these are the places I want to attempt for if I have time:
Dallas World Aquarium 1.1 km/0.7 miles
Dallas Museum Of Art 1.5 km/0.9 miles
The Sixth Floor Museum 1.9 km/1.2 miles
Old City Park 3.2 km/2.0 miles
Historic West End 1.8 km/1.1 miles
FOR SURE
Old Red Courthouse
Old White spiral Church at Thanksgiving Square
Adolfus hotel
Reunion Tower ride to top
Maybe:
Kalita Humphreys Theater FLW
Dallas City Hall ( 1500 Marilla St), noteworthy for its cantilevered facade, is a modern landmark
John Neely Bryan Cabin is located at Dallas County Historical Plaza
The Majestic Theatre
Davis Building
Main Street
B of A plaza
JFK Memorial
What do you think of my list?
Am I missing anything significant?
Should I toss any of those out?
How about Downtown eateries?
I want some good ol Dallas experiences- not chains or anything....
And most important, what nightclubs are good??
Thanks for help!
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I'll try to answer a few of your questions. I live downtown and I always play tour guide when friends visit. Email me if you have more.
The W is close to everything but will take a bit of a hike to get to the DART rail station (unless there is a special event going on across the street at the AAC, and then there is special train service). Victory, where the W is located, is full of nice but pricey places to dine/shop.
West End District:
The West End is nearby (the DART West End Station is the closest to the W); it's an interesting touristy area with chain restaurants and a few shops. The aquarium is pricey but it's interesting on a rainy day. Reunion Tower gives a good view of the city. It's closing for renovation in November. Instead of paying the $3 to look through the chain-link observation level I go to the rotating cocktail lounge at the top to buy a drink and watch the view (night is good).
Also nearby is the Sixth Floor Museum (the most visited museum) overlooking Dealey Plaza (full of more tourists and people pushing conspiracy guides in their faces). Also on Dealey Plaza is the Old Red Courthouse, which was restored and reopened this summer as the Museum of Dallas County History. Even if you don't go to the museum the lobby and restored grand staircase are worth a peek inside. I there is a visitor's center there as well.
Behind the courthouse is the JFK Memorial, and across the street is the reproduction John Neely Bryan cabin (but the plaza is being reconstructed and fenced off at this time).
Main Street District:
From there you can walk down Main Street to see the various old buildings and new lofts/shops going in. The original Neiman Marcus is decked out for its 100th anniversary. The Adolphus Hotel is nearby. Pegasus Plaza is a little park with some nice restaurants and bars overlooking it (good in the evening).
Government District:
City Hall isn't all that exciting except for the facade. Next to it is Pioneer Plaza which has a large cattle drive sculpture and pioneer cemetery. Across the street from City Hall is the Dallas Library which contains an original copy of the Declaration of Independence and works of Shakespeare on display. Behind the library is the Urban Market and other lofts.
City Center/Arts District:
The spiral chapel of Thanksgiving Square is definitely worth a look. It's small and only takes a minute to go into. Not sure what the weekend hours are for that. It's only a block or two from Main Street.
The Dallas Museum of Art has a huge collection, but right now they are in-between exhibits (
http://dallasmuseumofart.org). The Nasher Sculpture Center (
http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org) across the street might be more interesting, especially on a sunny day. Also across the street is the free Crow Collection of Asian Art.
Other things to do/see:
Definitely take the M-Line Streetcar to West Village. It's a free historic streetcar that travels up McKinney Avenue, which is full of bars, shops, and nightlife. There are a lot of local/non-chain restaurants along here. You can catch it behind the Dallas Museum of Art or hike over to McKinney/St Paul from the W (
http://www.dart.org/riding/mline.asp).
Fair Park is a must if you like Art Deco architecture. You just missed the State Fair of Texas (which ended last weekend), so they may still be taking things down from that but it's one of my favorite places in the city. You'll have to take a cab (or bus, or car) from downtown as the rail isn't finished yet but it's not far (
http://www.fairpark.org). There are several museums in Fair Park.
Between Fair Park and Downtown is Deep Ellum, the warehouse district which has fewer and fewer nightclubs but some cool shops and art galleries. Exposition Park is also an interesting area right at the gates of Fair Park.
If you're into outdoor things you can take the Katy Trail which starts near the W and goes all through Uptown along Turtle Creek. Or you can take DART to White Rock Lake which contains the Dallas Arboretum.
If you're into shopping take DART to Park Lane Station (or drive... don't know if you will have a car) and go to NorthPark Mall (an upscale mall with lots of public art). Mockingbird Station is an interesting transit-oriented development with shops, restaurants, a theater, and lofts).
The downtown Farmer's Market (
http://www.dallasfarmersmarket.org/) is a fun area for free samples of all kinds of fruit and other interesting shops. Across the freeway from it is Old City Park, which contains a lot of old buildings that have been moved there and are now inhabited by historical interpreters.
Across the river from Downtown is Oak Cliff, an interesting and gentrifying old neighborhood. A good place for local shops/restaurants/galleries is the Bishop Arts District (
http://www.bishopartsdistrict.com/), an old streetcar stop which is tucked away in a neighborhood.
And if you are into dressing up, the big Halloween costume parade/block party takes place Saturday evening on Cedar Springs in Oak Lawn (the gay neighborhood). There will be some interesting people there, along with lots of families.
Downtown has bars and nightclubs along Main Street. The Ghost Bar in the W hotel is an expensive place to go to be seen. And then there are the warehouse nightclubs in Deep Ellum and Expo Park. And the bars on Lower Greenville.
Hope this helps for things to do near Downtown... and hope you have enough time to see everything
They are saying the weather will be perfect this weekend.
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