16. Southern Methodist University
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 768-2000
Description: Often referred to as an Ivy of the South, this stately collection of 76 redbrick buildings sits on 210 acres in one of the gracious, old, monied neighborhoods, University Park. On campus, SMU’s 10 libraries house the largest private collection of research materials in the Southwest. Some 11,000 students attend school here as undergrads and in graduate programs offered in the law and business schools. Altogether, SMU offers 123 undergrad degrees, 127 graduate and professional degrees, and 25 doctorates. In 2013, it will become home to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, as W has again become a Dallas resident since leaving the White House. The campus is home to McFarlin Auditorium, a pleasant venue for small music, dance, comedy, and theater productions.
17. African-American Museum
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 565-9026
Address: 3536 Grand Ave.
Description: 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.
18. Dallas Firefighters Museum
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 821-1500
Address: 3801 Parry Ave., near Fair Park
Description: Everyone is fascinated with firefighters. See more than 100 years of city history at the Dallas Firefighters Museum. The museum is housed in a restored 1907 fire station that includes an 1884 horse-drawn steamer and a 1936 ladder truck among the many historical displays and exhibits. An interesting gift shop is located in the old horse stalls.
19. Hall Of State
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 421-4500
Address: 3939 Grand Ave.
Description: Crafted from Texas limestone for the Texas Centennial Exposition, this handsome building serves as the home to the Dallas Historical Society and pays tribute to Texas history with an impressive number of collections. Throughout the hall are designs that symbolize Texas, from cactus and oil wells to lariats. The Hall of Heroes holds large bronze sculptures of Texas founders, including Stephen F. Austin, the father of Texas. The Hall of State was recently restored as part of a $12 million renovation project in Fair Park.
20. Museum Of The American Railroad
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 428-0101
Address: 1105 Washington St.
Description: A museum for young and old, this collection of rolling stock illustrates the history of the railroad and shows its continuing value today. There are 30 pieces of railroad equipment that can make a train buff of just about anyone. Note that around the end of 2010, the museum is moving north to the town of Frisco, where it will be covered by a giant shed fashioned to look like train stations of the late 19th century.
21. Museum Of Nature And Science
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 428-5555
Address: 3535 Grand Ave. and 1318 South second Av
Description: The recent merging of three museums—the Dallas Museum of Natural History, established in 1936; the Science Place, established 1936; and the Dallas Children’s Museum, established 1995—continues to expand at an impressive rate. It’s an entertaining place where kids have loads of fun while learning about everything from art to spying to the space shuttle to dinosaurs. There’s an IMAX theater and a planetarium on-site, too.
22. Music Hall At Fair Park
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 565-1116
Address: 909 First Ave.
Description: Since 1925, this elegant hall of Spanish-Baroque-Moorish design has been a favorite destination for Broadway touring shows, opera, ballet, pop music shows, and comedian performances. It’s home to the Dallas Summer Musicals, too.
23. Dallas Arboretum
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 515-6500
Address: 8525 Garland Rd.
Description: Spreading over 66 acres on the shores of White Rock Lake, this public botanical garden contains some of the more gorgeous floral displays in the nation. Four times a year, the displays undergo significant changes to capture the spirit and beauty of the new season. There’s a Holiday Show at the historic DeGolyer mansion, and 450,000 bulbs are planted for spring blooming, which is a spectacle to melt even the hardest heart. It’s a lovely place for quiet walks and meditation, for getting babies out into nature for the first time, or for taking someone with whom you need to reconnect.
24. Deep Ellum
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: A historic district just east of downtown, this intriguing quarter was initially settled by former slaves after the Civil War. It grew in the early 20th century to a center for blues and jazz and as a cultural center in general for African-American residents. A warehouse area that can be a bit rough around the edges, it’s been a destination in recent years for nightlife and the occasional dining find. Loft apartments have become popular, as have art galleries. More than a few retail businesses are tattoo parlors. The Deep Ellum Arts Festival is an outdoor street party staged over three days each April.
25. Swiss Avenue Historic District
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 821-3290
Description: Lying a few minutes east of downtown, near the Baylor Medical Center complex, this district encompasses the bulk of the finest old homes in Dallas. It’s a magnificent collection of homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including an estimated 200 carefully preserved and restored homes noted for architectural styles such as Mediterranean, Spanish, Georgian, Prairie, Craftsman, Neoclassical, Italian Renaissance, Tudor, and Colonial Revival. Every Mother’s Day weekend, there’s a tour of seven or eight homes, typically along Swiss Avenue and on Bryan Parkway, Worth, and Live Oak, among other streets. It’s a lovely place to drive around at any time of year.
26. Frontiers Of Flight Museum
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (214) 350-1651
Address: 6911 Lemmon Ave.
Description: All aircraft eras through history are represented, from the first flight through World War II and into space exploration time. In 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, you’ll find 25 aircraft, 20 interactive displays, a cool kids’ section, educational workshops, and even a flight school for students who can learn to build and fly model planes. For the plane freak, there’s one of three existing prototypes of the Lear Fan 2100.
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 621 East Clarendon Dr.
28. Firehouse No. 1
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (817) 255-9300
Description: A stately old firehouse near Sundance Square houses a museum (an extension of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in the Cultural District) that details Fort Worth’s first 150 years. The building itself has good stories from its service as the original city hall and, for more than a century, as a fire station.
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
30. Texas Trail Of Fame
City: Dallas, TX
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Along the sidewalks in the Stockyards National Historic District, you’ll notice bronze markers laid in the concrete. These note individuals whose contributions to the preservation of western culture have been called significant. Honorees include Stephen F. Austin, Amon G. Carter, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, M. L. Leddy, Annie Oakley, and Sid Richardson.