African-American Museum

One of the rare modern buildings at Fair Park, this cross-shaped museum of ivory-colored stone stands out not just for its beautiful contemporary design but also for its commitment to the preservation and exhibition of African-American materials of artistic, cultural and historical value. Among noted collections is the Billy R. Allen Folk Art Collection. Through its four vaulted galleries, the Museum fully details African-American art and history from pre-colonial times to the present day, with permanent and temporary exhibitions.

3536 Grand Avenue
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 565 9026.
Web: www.aamdallas.org
Opening hours: <p>Tue-Fri 1200-1700, Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1300-1700.</p>
Admission Fee: Yes


Dallas Center for the Performing Arts
Within this stunning new complex, opened in late 2009, are four venues staging myriad entertainment. There's the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, home to the Dallas Opera and Texas Ballet Theater, as well as touring Broadway shows and the like; the Wyly Theatre, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas, serving as home for the Dallas Theater Center, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico; the Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park, a performance space spreading over 10 acres with gardens, trees and a reflecting pool; and the Annette Strauss Artist Square, another outdoor performance space.


2403 Flora Street
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 954 9925 or 880 0202.
Web: www.dallasperformingarts.org
Opening hours: Variable.
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes


Dallas Museum of Art
The spacious permanent collection galleries at the Dallas Museum of Art, also a building designed by I.M. Pei, cover different types of art from ancient to modern times, from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, with 23,000 works of art. Of particular significance is the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection of Impressionist paintings, a collection numbering 1,400 pieces. Many visiting exhibitions from prized collections around the world include such treasures as the golden Tutankhamun mummies from Egypt, the works of Marc Chagall, and much more. Among myriad programming interests are Arts &Letters Live, lectures, gallery talks and tours, concerts and performances and classes. The museum shop is worth a visit for unusual gifts and souvenirs.


1717 North Harwood Street
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 922 1200 or 1803.
Web: www.dallasmuseumofart.org
Opening hours: Tue-Wed, Fri-Sun 1100-1700; Thu 1100-2100.
Admission Fee: Yes


Dallas Zoo
Children and adults love to spend time at this 95-acre preserve noted on Interstate 35 South by a towering bronze of a giraffe. It's the largest zoo in Texas with a long history.


621 East Clarendon Drive
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 670 5656.
Web: www.dallaszoo.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1600.
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes


Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum
The Texas School Book Depository was a rather ordinary building in downtown Dallas until the infamous assassination of US President John F Kennedy on 22 November 1963 as he travelled in an open limousine through Dallas on a pre-election visit.
Lee Harvey Oswald, the 24-year-old local who was accused of the crime, had a filing job at the depository. The deadly shot was fired from the sixth floor of the building, which is now the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza documenting both the assassination itself and the life and times of JFK. This includes a minute-by-minute account of the action, the investigations and the various assassination theories that followed. The Plaza itself is simply an outdoor grassy area on the north side of Elm Street, where curiosity seekers gather at all hours of day and night.

411 Elm Street
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 747 6660 or 1 888 485 4854.
Web: www.jfk.org
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1000-1800, Mon 1200-1800.
Admission Fee: Yes


Fair Park
Fair Park's 111 hectares (277 acres) was created in 1936, for the Texas Centennial Exposition. There may be too much to do in one single day, as it comprises museums, concert facilities, theatres and other venues. It is best for tourists to choose what they wish to visit in advance and combine that with a stroll through the park, as the central promenade has murals and sculptures.
Some of the main highlights include Texas Discovery Gardens, the recently and magnificently remodelled Hall of State, the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Music Hall at Fair Park. New to the assemblage is the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park. In late September and October, Fair Park comes alive with thousands of visitors daily to the State Fair of Texas.

1300 Robert B McCullum Street
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 670 8400.
Web: www.fairpark.org
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fee: No


Fountain Place
In such a landlocked city, this square is made all the more attractive by its impressive water displays and its calming trees and streams. There are 172 'blubber fountains' (low dome-shaped fountains), while the Central Court Fountain has 360 fountain heads. Around 2.25 million litres (0.5 million gallons) of water pass through the plaza, and at night, coloured lights play on the shimmering cascades. The huge, 60-storey glass building is part of the design and is based on a prism, a favourite theme of architect I M Pei, who also designed the glass pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris (France, that is, not Texas). There are other designs by Pei around the city and discovering them makes a good theme for an unusual exploration. They include Dallas City Hall, which houses Henry Moore's largest bronze sculpture, the Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center and Dallas Museum of Art.


at North Field Street
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 855 7766.
Web: www.fountainplace.com
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fee: No


John F Kennedy Memorial
The actual JFK Memorial is nearby Dealey Plaza in downtown, just on the other side of the huge, old red brick courthouse, at the Dallas County Historical Plaza. This stark, square, open-air memorial was designed by New Yorker Philip Johnson, a friend of the Kennedy family. An unadorned white stone platform serving as a solemn reminder of the country's devastating loss, it is visited by hundreds of thousands of people every year, and a commemorative ceremony is held every November 22. This year's will be the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.


Dallas County Historical Plaza
Dallas
United States
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission Fee: No


Klyde Warren Park
Finally, Dallas has welcomed with open arms its first urban green space of true size. While there have been small pocket parks here and there for years, the downtown area lacked a park where people could spread out a picnic blanket, relax and play. Opening in late 2012, this 5 acres deck park built over the downtown freeway has become exceedingly popular, day and night. Every day, there are park programmes that may include yoga, pilates or boot-camp exercises; knitting circle, mah jong or poetry reading; concerts or plays. On the north side of the park, you will find reading racks and chess tables. If you're a walker or jogger, it's about half a mile around the park's perimeter. Food trucks are frequently parked around the park's edges, offering anything from Vietnamese food to barbecue sandwiches to cupcakes. In late 2013, a new restaurant called Relish & Savor is scheduled to open, with both sit-down and take-out facilities. The park offers free Wi-Fi connectivity, too.


2012 Woodall Rogers Freeway
Dallas
United States
Tel: (214) 716 4500.
Web: www.klydewarrenpark.org
Opening hours: Daily 0600-2300.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes