What to do in Dallas? (Austin, Fort Worth: appointed, sales, hotel)

[kwill1]

I'm from Illinois- my boyfriend and I are currently traveling towards the west and will be in the Dalls/Ft. Worth area for around a month. I have never been to the area and was curious what to do. I like to be outside, mostly to take photographs. Also we like to hike so any really pretty parks or nature reserves would be awesome! I went to a botanical garden in New Orleans in December and was highly disappointed (duh) with the lack of "gardens" I do like that sort of environment though-I hear there is a japanese garden, is it worth checking out in January? What about rock or gem hunting?? Any good local spots to check out? I've traveled to many parts of the country so the typical tourist attractions don't really catch my attention- so i turn to the natives for good advice!!! And please--I'm not trying to move to your town, so I don't need to hear how awful the people/weather/crime/over crowding etc. is. I just would like to get honest opinions on the local Must-see list for Dallas!
OH YEAH- If anything that comes to mind is -FREE-, EVEN BETTER! ha
Thanks!

[TurtleCreek80]

January/ February can be cold/windy and most of the grounds are brown now, so don't expect lush green gardens anywhere. Just giving you some background so you're not disappointed if recommended spots don't live up to your expecatations.

That said, here's my list of things you must see/do while spending a month in DFW:

1. Museums- best ones are:
Nasher Sculpture Museum & Garden (DT Dallas)
The Meadows Museum @ SMU in Dallas (there is an exhibit on tour from the Prado Museum in Madrid until February 6th, as well as a bunch of great Spanish art in the permanent collection)
The Kimbellin Fort Worth
The Amon Carter Museumin Fort Worth

Most museums have a free or reduced price day/night, or late nights where they're open late and have extra activites going on. Check the individual museum websites for schedules & pricing and if you're flexible you should be able to get into most free or reduced price.

2. Gardens & Parks
White Rock Lake in East Dallas
The Dallas Arboretum, east bank of White Rock Lake.
Cedar Hill State Park, about 15 miles southwest of downtown Dallas
Fort Worth Zoo, one of the country's best
Japanese Tea Garden & Botanical Garden, Fort Worth Cultural District
Trinity Audubon Center- south of Dallas a bit. very cool! You can hike a little there, too.

3. Neighborhoods to visit
Deep Ellum- old warehouse district directly east of downtown Dallas. Lots of cool old buildings, art galleries, concert venues, and restaurants. Recommend meals at All-Good Cafe on Main Street (breakfast/brunch), St Pete's Dancin Marlin (live music & good food), Twisted Root (great burgers), Adair's (great burgers in a "country" bar, lots of live music there too), Local (fabulous chef focuses on locally grown foods, more expensive but worth it!)

Bishop Arts District- west of downtown in a neighborhood called North Oak Cliff. Drive around the neighborhood (Colorado Boulevard is GORGEOUS and full of 1910-1930's homes). Eat dinner at Bolsa (farmers market driven menu), Hattie's (good upscale Southern menu), Eno's for pizza. Peruse the artists' collective. Find your way to The Belmont Hotel, a renovated old 1930's motor lodge with an awesome view of the downtown skyline. The restaruant, Smoke, is good, too!

Fort Worth Stockyards- check out the stockyards. Believe the rodeo is still in season for a few more weeks. Joe T Garcia's Tex-Mex is nearby and is a legend. Cash only, only two things on the menu- but highly worth the trip!

Downtown Dallas- the original Neiman Marcus flagship departmetn store is downtown on Main Street and fun to visit.

Henderson Avenue- a bit north of downtown Dallas, straight up US75. Exit says "Knox-Henderson". Great restaurants, bars & shops. Nothing "chain" about it- all locally owned an operated! Play vintage video games at Barcadia. Dance your heart out with a cool, eclectic crowd at The Slip Inn. Grab some coffee at The Pearl Cup. For dinner- check out The Porch, Cafe San Miguel. Brunch at Capitol Pub. Check out the variety of stores, from Mexican-inspired clothes & accessories at La Mariposa to antique stores to bohemian clothing store Emeralds to Coconuts, it's all good!

Fair Park- If you like architecture, check out Fair Park which is southeast of Dallas. It is the largest collection of Art Deco buildings built for the Texas Centennial in Dallas in 1936. There are some museums there and gardens, but mostly the buildings are just beautiful.

If you like seeing beautiful homes & driving through very pretty neighborhoods, make sure to find Highland Park, Preston Hollow, and Lakewood while you're in town.

It's hard to tell you what to do without knowing more.....
For live music (smaller shows), check out The Granada Theatre, The Palladium, Trees, House of Blues, etc.
For pro sports, the Dallas Mavericks and Stars are still in season.
There's a Chinatown in Richardson (northern suburb) that's fun, but if you're coming from DC/NYC, it's nothing like that.
For shopping, hit NorthPark mall up.
For local theatre, check out Theatre Too/ Theatre Three or the Pocket Sandwich Theatre for a relatively inexpensive, enteraining show.

If you're looking for nature, there's not a ton of it here. Dallas is mostly flat with no mountains/coastslines nearby. There are a ton of lakes, but that won't really help you for a winter trip. We don't have anythign like the Boston Commons or Central Park. It's mainly a huge metropolitan area with all the things residents need for everyday life.

PS- check and see if you will be here during the Super Bowl Weekend. Feb 3rd. If so- get a hotel room NOW if you still can and count on tons of crappy traffic, crowds, and jacked-up prices to do anything.

[loves2read]

Dallas is an urban area--so kind of odd to think you would go rock or "gem" hunting in its environs
the only place close that would have gems around here would be in Arkansas at the "diamond" mines where people can prospect for diamonds

check out the avg temps in DFW for February--fairly cold--and unpredictable--

That being said--there are many parks around the DFW area
some of them are manicured and planned and some are more rustic
Dallas itself has White Rock Lake with jogging trails
You might check out the Nature center in north Arlington off Hwy 157--
there is also Grapevine Lake which has a large park area
Google a map and you can see there are several lakes in the Metroplex (Dallas/FTW/Denton areas)--some of them have more public areas than others but being on the lake is probably not a great idea this time of year

regarding Joe T Garcia's in FTW Stockyards--there are better places to eat Tex Mex food--people go to Joe T's to sit on the patio and drink margaritas and talk--something that might be difficult to do if it is 40 degrees and windy...
you might enjoy the Reatta restaurant in Sundance Sq--has nice view of skyline/downtown at night, good food with modern Western menu--or some of the other restaurants in FTW--

[TurtleCreek80]

Loves2- that is funny because I really DO like the food at Joe T's and the two times I've eaten at the Reata I thought the food was gross and overhyped. To each his own, as they say!

[loves2read]

yes--have not had a bad meal at Reatta--and think their service is well above avg-
maybe the problem with Joe T's is that we normally go for parties like rehersal dinners or company functions--
but my daughter who was long time fan of Joe T's lives in FL now and when she comes for visit and wants some good Tex Mex she won't go to Joe T's anymore--
apparently the less tshe drinks, the less she likes the food...
as you say
to each his own...
you know that Joe T's held the record with Tx LCB for highest alcohol sales in Tarrant county for years
but they do a huge # of parties each year there

[pepper131]

There are probably enough non deciduous trees/plants at the Japanese Garden in Ft Worth to make it worth a visit in the winter months. Plus the winding paths and ponds are attractive.

Consider the Trinity Audubon River Center. It's a wild and unmanicured space.

You can fossil hunt for free at Mineral Wells Fossil Park.

If you want an untouristy neighborhood to hang out in - go to Bishop Arts or the Tyler/Davis/7th area - both in Oak Cliff. The historic Texas Theater is open again and showing movies, having events - get on their email list or FB friend to get notice.

Free:
DMA on 1st Tues of month and every Thurs after 5 or 6pm
Crow Collection is always free
Nasher on 1st Saturday of month
Trinity Audubon has a free day too, I think. Usually this info is listed, but slightly buried on each site.

[Kathryn1205]

hey pepper thanks for mentioning the Trinity Audubon, that places is great!

I'd recommend the Fort Worth botanical gardens over Dallas arboretum, if you have to choose between the two

[FarNorthDallas]

If you're going to be around a whole month I woud drive down to Austin, it's the state capitol and there are caves along I-35 like Natural Bridge Caverns - and then maybe some other places in the hill country.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by kwill1

What about rock or gem hunting??

Eiseman, De Boulle, Bachendorf's, Harry Winston, De Beers, Tiffany

[artsyguy]

Possum Kingdom west of Fort Worth might have some places to go gem hunting at?