'''Dallas''' [http://www.dallascvb.com],the third largest city in Texas and the center of the state's largest metropolitan area, is located in the north central portion of the state. This populous city is home to the Dallas Cowboys and you'll regularly be reminded of the city's mass enthusiasm for the team. A shopper's paradise, Dallas has more shopping centers per capita than any other city in the US.

Districts

  • Downtown, including the historic West End. Home to a burgeoning residential and nightlife district
  • East Dallas - White Rock Lake and the nightlife of Lower Greenville and Deep Ellum.
  • Lake Highlands, a largely residential area bordering Garland on the north and Mesquite on the east.
  • North Dallas, including the areas along the northern I-635 loop and reaching up around the borders of Addison.
  • Northwest Dallas, home to Koreatown and to Dallas Love Field, the city's second biggest airport.
  • Oak Cliff, a large low-income, mainly residential district southwest of downtown. Sometime also referred to as south Dallas.
  • Oak Lawn, north of downtown, includes the gay district of Cedar Springs.
  • The Cedars, home to the Texas State Fairgrounds. Sometime also referred to as south Dallas.
  • Uptown - North from Oak Lawn, playground and shopping grounds for the beautiful people of the city. Includes Highland Park, University Park and the Knox-Henderson area, full of eclectic boutiques and restaurants.
  • West Dallas, corridor leading towards Arlington.
  • Some area attractions often thought of as Dallas attractions are actually located in the '''suburbs''', notably the following:

  • Addison, almost surrounded by North Dallas, has a lot of restaurants and shopping packed into its 4 square miles.
  • Arlington, home to Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, and the ballpark of the Texas Rangers.
  • Irving, with Texas Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Irving also serves as the gateway to the massive DFW airport.
  • The suburbs of Carrollton and Lewisville, north along I-35E have less to offer in terms of attractions, but provide ample tourist accommodations, plenty of restaurants, and are reasonably close to any Dallas destination. The same might be said for Richardson and Plano, which lie north from Dallas along US-75.
  • Grapevine has a nice historic main street area and numerous wineries.
  • Understand

    Get in

    Most people who come to Dallas are going to come by air since Dallas is home to DFW, the Dallas-Fort Worth International airport.

    Coming from the south, I-45 is the major highway for travel between Houston and Dallas, while I-35 connects the city to Austin and San Antonio.If you come in on I-35 you need to keep in mind that, a few dozen miles both north and south of the "metroplex," the interstate splits into I-35W (which runs north/south through Fort Worth) and I-35E (the branch that runs north/south through Dallas). Miss the split and you'll wind up in a different city. Coming from the west, Dallas is reached by either I-20 on the south side or I-30 which comes directly into downtown. Both of these interstate highways approach Dallas from the east. I-20 comes from Shreveport, Louisiana and I-30 comes from Texarkana.

    By plane

    There are two major airports in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, '''DFW''', and '''Love Field''' (DAL). Love Field is within the city limits not far northwest of downtown, but has certain restrictions on flights in and out. Love Field is home to Southwest Airlines [http://www.southwest.com], so if you are flying from within Texas, a nearby state or don't mind connecting, you might check with them. Love Field is also served by Continental Express to Houston. American Eagle flies to Chicago O'Hare from Love. The flight restrictions at Love Field were partially lifted when the "Wright Amendment Reform Act" was made law in October 2006. The restrictions will be fully lifted in 2014.

    Otherwise, you will probably end up flying into '''DFW''' [http://www.dfwairport.com/index.html]. DFW, one of the largest airports in the country by passenger volume, is physically large as well, reasonably clean, and during tourist-travel type times, lines are short and staff are friendly. Equally positioned between Dallas and Fort Worth, DFW is a great airport to fly into. Don't forget that as you drive out of the airport, you will have to pay a toll to leave. DFW is the chief terminal of American Airlines, which controls well over 80% of all the flights.

    No matter which airport you are flying into or out of, if it is during rush hour, '''traffic''' will be a factor. Make sure you budget at least 2-3 hours to get to/from the airport if you are traveling on I-635, the Bush turnpike (SH-190), or 75 (Central Expressway). It will probably only take you an hour (and traffic has been getting better lately), but it is far better to have that extra hour of cushion than to be stuck on the one road that will get you where you need to go, and to be moving at a crawl.

    Once you've arrived at the airport, you will probably do best to take one of the '''Shared Ride''' shuttle services. They offer door to door pickup and drop off, probably costing ~$30 for ~20 miles, which will get you to most places.

    Another option is to pickup a car rental at DFW. To do so, you will take the shared shuttle from the airport terminal to the consolidated car rental facility. The following companies are located inside the facility:

  • Advantage Rent A Car
  • Alamo
  • Avis
  • Budget
  • Dollar
  • Enterprise [http://www.enterprise.com]
  • E-Z Rent-A-Car [http://www.e-zrentacar.com]
  • Hertz [http://www.hertz.com]
  • National
  • Thrifty
  • For DFW, there are courtesy phones that will let you ring them directly (for free), and they are usually pretty quick about pickups and drop offs. (at most adding an extra 30-40 minutes while you wait for them to pick up more people, or to drop your fellow passengers off on the way to your place or hotel).

    A less expensive option, to some places, would be '''DART''' [http://www.dart.org], Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which offers regular daytime bus service from DFW Airport to a commuter rail station located South of the airport.

    By train

  • There are two Amtrak [http://www.amtrak.com/Amtrak] routes which serve Dallas/Fort Worth, the '''Texas Eagle''' between San Antonio and Chicago, and the '''Heartland Flyer''' between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City.
  • By car

    To get here from Oklahoma, take I-35 or US 75 south. To get here from Houston, it's ~250 miles north on I-45 (which turns into US 75). To get here from Austin, take I-35 North. To get here from Louisiana, take I-20 west. Dallas is the junction-point for most cities within a 200-300 mile radius, with good road service to and from. Any map of the United States should have enough information to get you into Dallas with no problems.

    However, once you are here, watch out for traffic. Traffic tends to go towards the city centers in the morning, and away from the city centers in the evening. Major choke points are 75 South in the morning (what takes 20 minutes with no traffic, ends up taking 1-2 hours with traffic). I-635 near US-75 is also usually a mess since I-635 (being the beltway that runs all around Dallas) is an often-traveled road. Also watch out for I-35E southbound in the mornings.

  • US-75 is also called "Central" or "Central Expressway", and turns into I-45 just south of Downtown
  • I-635 is sometimes called LBJ, which stands for Lyndon B Johnson.
  • There are two branches of I-35. I-35 splits into I-35W at Denton (30 miles north of Dallas) through Fort Worth to Hillsboro (50 miles south of Dallas), and I-35E that runs from Denton through Dallas to Hillsboro. After I-35W and I-35E reach Hillsboro, they simply rejoin as I-35.
  • By bus

  • Dallas' '''Greyhound terminal''' [http://www.greyhound.com] is near the center of downtown at 205 S. Lamar.
  • Buses also run to and from Shreveport on the weekends, which is sponsored by the casinos. This is more for the locals to go and get their gambling fixes, but ask around if you're interested.
  • Get around

    The simplest and most reliable way to get around Dallas is by car. There is '''public transportation''' in the form of buses and trains (light rail), but again, these best serve the local needs (commuting to work, etc), and are very difficult to get good timings if you are trying to get anywhere exotic althought the DART train does hit many tourist destinations.

    The transportation system is called '''DART''', and they do an excellent job of catering to special events (Cowboys games, State Fair), or special places (Dallas Zoo, West End, Arboretum) and will instantly give you a trip plan if you call them up (214-979-1111) or use their website [http://www.dart.org]. You will usually want to get a day pass ($3), since it will probably take you a lot of buses to get where you need to go.

    The bus system, not unlike in many large cities, can be quite confusing, and trying to get to points downtown may involve a long walk due to one-way streets. Because mass transit is still far behind in popularity compared to that of other countries — and even more so in Texas, where cars are well ingrained in the culture — foreigners may be surprised that Dallasites will be unable to help direct them very well. The train system is easiest to understand, and connects to several suburban areas. Prices are relatively cheap, especially for train travel. On DART, bus drivers check tickets at the door, but on the trains, tickets are checked by DART security officers who sporadically board trains between stations. Being caught on the train without a valid ticket usually results in your being asked to immediately depart at the next stop, but you can also receive a fine not to exceed $500. Tickets are not as likely to be checked while the train is downtown or on excessively crowded trains, but it is always a risk to go for a free ride.

    Car rentals are the most convenient for transportation for visitors, with local companies offering better prices but national chains offering more convenience vis-a-vis return policies and times.

    To get from Dallas-Fort worth (DFW) airport to downtown Dallas or Fort Worth, take a free shuttle from outside your terminal to the Remote South parking lot. Here you can change to another free shuttle to the Trinity Rail Express station called Centre Port/DFW Airport. From here a train to either downtown takes about 20 minutes. You may have to wait an hour for the next train. Buy tickets from the vending machines; they take dollar bills as well as coins. Tickets cost about $2.50. Alternatively, you can take a shared van from the airport. These cost $15-$20, depending on your destination.

  • Dallas Taxi [http://www.dallasdfwtaxi.com]
  • See

  • '''The Sixth Floor Museum''', dedicated to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, is located downtown in the same building from which Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired the shots.
  • '''Dallas Museum of Art''' - Great works of art from eastern and western cultures, from all ages.
  • '''Meadows Museum of Art'''
  • The '''Dallas Cowboys''' [http://www.dallascowboys.com], Dallas' famous football team, plays at Texas Stadium just beyond the city limits in Irving.
  • The '''Dallas Mavericks''', Dallas' professional basketball team, and the '''Dallas Stars''' professional hockey team play at the '''American Airlines Center''', located in Northwest Dallas.
  • '''Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens''', [http://www.dallasarboretum.org/]. Located along the south banks of White Rock Lake.
  • '''Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park''' - See over 6,000 aquatic animals at this aquarium located on the state fairgrounds in the southern part of town.
  • '''Dallas World Aquarium''', Downtown, [http://www.dwazoo.com/default.html]. More than just an aquarium, this unique zoo tour starts at the canopy level of a rain forest and winds its way down past many types of animals and into the aquarium below.
  • '''Dallas Zoo''', in south Dallas. Over 8,000 animals can be seen at this 97-acre zoo.
  • '''Texas Rangers''', in DFW Dallas/West or Arlington. Dallas' professional baseball team.
  • '''Dallas Stars''', in Dallas/Downtown. Dallas' professional ice hockey team.
  • Zero Gravity Thrill Rides Amusement Park. allas Thrill Attractions. 1131 Malibu Dr. Dallas, Texas 75229. 0 minutes north of downtown Dallas on I-35E. 972) 484-8359. ttp://www.gojump.com/. 9$-69$. 2.886939. 96.901259. The world's only "Thrill Amusement Park" featuring 5 different extreme thrill rides. Most rides can be done with a friend, so everyone can achieve their adrenaline dreams together. Open year round.

    Do

  • '''State Fair''' [http://www.bigtex.com/]. In autumn, the Texas State Fair is held at designated grounds southeast of downtown, vying with its Iowa counterpart for the title of the country's largest state fair.
  • Head to Arlington for a day of fun at '''Six Flags Over Texas''', [http://www.sixflags.com/parks/overtexas/ParkInfo/directions.html] or '''Six Flags Hurricane Harbor''', the best waterpark in the area. Don't forget the sunblock.
  • '''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 these 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, particularly in the cities of Irving, Grapevine, Lewisville, and The Colony
  • '''Rodeo'''. Go see a rodeo show at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo [http://www.mesquiterodeo.com/].
  • Shakespeare Dallas. 630 Harry Hines Blvd., 3rd Floor. 214) 559-2778. ww.shakespearedallas.com. am - 5 pm. onations recommended. Inspired by the democratic spirit of the New York Shakespeare Festival, Robert "Bob" Glenn started Shakespeare Dallas in 1971. Today, Shakespeare Dallas is a treasured North Texas cultural landmark and the only company in the area that provides accessible programs for audiences of all ages.

    Shakespeare Dallas has shows in various parks in the Dallas area (Shakespeare in the Park), as well as performances in local schools (Shakespeare on the Go), cultural centers and co-productions with local theatre groups (Shakespeare Unplugged). </do>

    Learn

  • '''Cheesemaking''' at a shop in Deep Ellum.
  • Buy

    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 in North Dallas, North Park Mall in Uptown, and the West Village in Oak Lawn, among others. A bit further afield is Grapevine Mills in nearby Grapevine. Amazing malls can also be found in Plano and other suburbs.
  • '''Half-Price Books''', [http://halfpricebooks.com/]. 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.
  • Eat

    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, off I-75 Uptown have many laid-back, stylish restaurants.
  • '''McKinney Street''', south of Uptown, 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''', [http://springcreekbarbeque.com/]. 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, [http://cristinasmex.com/]. 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.

    Drink

  • Urban Oasis at Hotel ZaZa. 332 Leonard Street. 14-550-9500. ttp://www.hotelzaza.com/dallas/dining_nightlife/urban_oasis/. Located in Uptown Dallas, Urban Oasis is a trendy bar and lounge that attracts an eclectic mix of Hollywood celebrities and world travelers. Open year round, the lounge offers a chic, poolside retreat. The '''Dallas Observer''' [http://www.dallasobserver.com] is the local alternative weekly. You can pick up a free copy at many places around town. It is full of useful information on Dallas nightlife and its music-scene offerings.

  • 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. located just 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. Lately, it has been stigmatized by a purported "crime wave," be sure to go in groups if you go on a weeknight.
  • Uptown and McKinney Ave - This is where Dallas' beautiful people go to see and be seen. Trendy to the nth 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 restaraunts
  • Addison has some famous drinking spots tucked in amongst its many restaurants, notably '''The Flying Saucer'''.
  • '''Note:''' The existence of several "dry" towns within the Dallas area put a severe damper on its nightlife scene, particularly in communities like Richardson, to the north, which is as fun and lively as a graveyard during a funeral service.

    Gentlemen's Clubs

    If you are so inclined, Dallas has an overabundance of "Gentlemen's Clubs." Most of these places are nice and safe, and usually located 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
  • Sleep

    The heaviest concentrations of hotels can be found in North Dallas along I-635 and North Central Expressway and in Northwest Dallas along I-35E, while Downtown offers more high-end accommodations.

    Some travelers may find it more convenient to stay in Irving closer the DFW airport, in Arlington near the amusement parks, or in one of the northern suburbs such as Lewisville, Carrollton, Plano, or Richardson.

    Cope

  • '''Dallas Central Library''', 1515 Young St., Tel: 214-670-1400, [http://dallaslibrary.org/central.htm].
  • Consulates

  • 20px '''Canadian Consulate General''', 750 N. St. Paul Street, Suite 1700, Tel.214-922-9806.
  • 20px '''Consulate of The Federal Republic Of Germany''', 4265 Kellway Circle, Addison, Tel.972-239-0707
  • 20px '''Consulate General of Mexico''', 8855 N Stemmons Fwy., Tel: 214-252-9250, [http://www.sre.gob.mx/dallas/].
  • 20px '''Royal Danish Consulate''', 2100 McKinney Avenue, Suite 700, Tel: 214-661-8399. Fax.214-661-8036.
  • 20px '''Royal Norwegian Consulate''', 4605 Live Oak Street, Tel: 214-826-5231.
  • Stay Safe

    Go out with a group at night and valet your car so that you don't have to walk far at the end of the night. If you are downtown after dark, there is a fairly large number of homeless people in the area. Uptown and North Dallas are generally very safe after dark. South Side is generally a little bit more rough around the edges than the north sides. Also avoid driving on the highways on the weekends after 2:00 a.m. It can be unnerving because all the bars and clubs kick everyone out at two, so most of the drivers have been drinking and are in a hurry to get home. '''Cafe Brazil''' is a 24-hour restaurant that has decent food, much better than Denny's or IHOP, and is a good place to wait out the rush or if you're just hungry late at night. Multiple locations.

    Downtown is very safe at night as long as you follow the rules like you would in any city. The West End, Main and Elm Streets and Deep Ellum are the places that would interest most tourists. Check with your hotel for more details. Also, If you are Downtown during the night hours, it is strongly suggested that you don't venture in the Government District, particularly near City Hall. This place is not dangerous in itself, but there are a lot of homeless running about. Stick to the West End.

    In the south Dallas area (Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove), try to avoid anywhere south of the Trinity river, with the exception of far North Oak Cliff and the Bishop Arts District. South Dallas is mostly a low-income, high-crime residential area that should not be ventured into, especially at night. There is also nothing to see here except the Texas Theater, where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured, which should be safe to see during the day.

    It is best to avoid dawdling about in South Dallas at night-- know where you are going and go directly there. It's safer generally during the State Fair of Texas, but don't wander too far away. Fair Park is also safer and more tourist friendly during the daytime, however, it is closed during night hours.

    Contact

  • Dallas Convention and Tourist Bureau [http://www.dallascvb.com/visitors/]
  • Get out

  • 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''' [http://www.joepool.com/] 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 [http://www.cedarhillstatepark.org/] and Loyd Park [http://www.joe-pool-lake.org/loyd-park.html]. The most popular day use park on Joe Pool Lake is Lynn Creek Park [http://www.joe-pool-lake.org/lynn-creek-park.html].
  • '''Lake Texoma''' is a popular spot an hour's drive north on US-75, on the border with Oklahoma.
  • '''Southfork Ranch''', 3700 Hogge Road in Parker, tel. 972-442-7800, [http://www.southforkranch.com]. The ranch made famous by the TV series "Dallas". An easy day trip from Dallas. Tours run 364 days a year (except Christmas).
  • Waco, an hour south on I-35, has a number of attractions including the Dr. Pepper Museum and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame.