Visiting Dallas for the first time (Houston, San Antonio: school, university, place to live)

[chandler_mad]

Hello everyone,

We are considering visiting Dallas for a few days this coming week, maybe the weekend as well. However, we
are a little concerned about traffic and overcrowding due to Christmas season now. What do you guys suggest? Should we put it off till after the holidays? We can make it in January as well. Would it be better? This is our first time visiting Dallas. We are driving from Iowa.

Thanks.

[ChristieP]

Christmas isn't any more crowded than normal. January tends to have yucky winter weather, so you'd be better off to visit in December. I will say that winter is low season for tourism here as the weather is often cold and wet, with overcast skies. Spring and fall are a better time to visit since the weather is better.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by chandler_mad

Hello everyone,

We are considering visiting Dallas for a few days this coming week, maybe the weekend as well. However, we
are a little concerned about traffic and overcrowding due to Christmas season now. What do you guys suggest? Should we put it off till after the holidays? We can make it in January as well. Would it be better? This is our first time visiting Dallas. We are driving from Iowa.

Thanks.

I wouldn’t consider Dallas to be overly traffic-y or overcrowded due to Christmas. It’s not NYC or New Orleans or some other big Christmas travel destination. There’s a lot of traffic here but that’s just normal.

The only places that will be very crowded are the big shopping malls & centers and some of the Christmas events.

[RJ312]

Why do you want to want to visit Dallas? While Dallas has many positive attitudes as a place to live, it is not a great place to visit. There's really not a lot that's unique for out of town visitors. The weather isn't spectacular a lot of the year. There is no beach.

When people come to Dallas, it is usually for one of the following reasons.

1. A business meeting or business conference
2. Family in the area
3. Some big sporting event. The region hosts the Cotton Bowl annually, and there's the annual University of Oklahoma-University of Texas football game. It's so strange that the OU-TX football game is in Dallas, given that neither school is in Dallas, but Dallas is approximately the halfway point between Norman, Oklahoma and Austin, Texas. Dallas has also hosted a Super Bowl and a Final Four during the 2010s decade.

Go to Arizona, Florida, or Hawaii for a better winter getaway and do it in January. You'll probably have more fun.

[chandler_mad]

Thank you for the feedback.

Well looks like the weather this coming week in Dallas is going to be fantastic. 50s and 60s for us would be great weather, since we are used here to 10s and 20s.
We are considering Dallas because we have never been to Texas before, and we have traveled quite a bit, mostly east coast, and Chicago.

Nope no family in the area, and no business meeting either. Just for fun, and get away from the cold for a bit now.
We are actually looking to locate to a different place in a several months. Phoenix and Denver are also on our list to visit, but maybe next trips.
Is AZ (Phoenix) really more fun than Dallas? Doesn't Dallas have a better urban life?

[ChristieP]

The weather forecast for Christmas Day and Dec 26 is already calling for rain and possibly thunderstorms, so I wouldn't call it "fantastic" at all. If you really want to come and visit, there are plenty of indoor things you can do. Will your group be adults only, or adults and children?

[chandler_mad]

The plan to go to Dallas this week; hit the road Thursday morning all, and stay there till Sunday evening. The weather forecast looks pretty good. Yes 4 adults.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

Christmas isn't any more crowded than normal. January tends to have yucky winter weather, so you'd be better off to visit in December. I will say that winter is low season for tourism here as the weather is often cold and wet, with overcast skies. Spring and fall are a better time to visit since the weather is better.

"Low season for tourism?" LOL, Dallas is not a tourist destination during ANY season/point of the year, so sorry, but that statement is pretty funny to me...lol.

OP, if you come to "Dallas" with the idea of looking for touristy stuff that is uniquely Texan and can't be done or found in other regions of the country, from a tourist standpoint, you're better off spending most of your time exploring Fort Worth.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by chandler_mad

We are considering Dallas because we have never been to Texas before

Dallas is like the LAST big city in Texas that tourists visit when they want to explore and get a feel for Texas. Yes, Dallas does get a ton of traffic and visitors each year. But most people who come to Dallas usually do so for business purposes, conventions, big sporting events, or because they have family in the area.

I would say that San Antonio, Austin and even Houston have much more to do for tourists, especially tourists who want to see and experience how Texas is different from other regions of the country. If you come to Dallas for Texas-specific tourism, Fort Worth is actually a better option and is the more culturally unique and more "Texan" city for tourists.

[chandler_mad]

We will definitely check out Fort Worth since it's only 30 minutes from Dallas. Are there any specific unique things to do in Dallas for a few day visit?