Subscribe Now! National Geographic Magazine $15
Visit our Online Shops

Sign up for free

Newsletters

Once a month
get new photos
and expert tips.

Best of Dallas: Must-Dos Part of the Places of a Lifetime series from Traveler magazine

Photo: Turtle Creek
Turtle Creek is not only a waterway but also a tony, close-in area north of downtown. Part of it is abutted by the Katy Trail, a jogging/biking route.
THIS ARTICLE IS FROM
Photo: Traveler magazine cover

National Geographic Traveler

Save 74% and experience new destinations!

Road Agent Gallery
“Sophisticated and smart. Where serious collectors and hipsters meet.”—Allison V. Smith, Dallas-based photographer publisher. Contemporary artwork here includes drawings, paintings, and mixed media. 2909-A Canton St. tel. +1 214 749 4049. www.road-agent.com

Barry Whistler Gallery
“Recently renovated sparse space with consistently inspired installations.” —Allison V Smith. Barry Whistler represents established and emerging contemporary Texas artists. 2909-B Canton St. tel. +1 214 939 0242. www.barrywhistlergallery.com

Nasher Sculpture Center
“Explore Mr. Nasher’s stunning private collection in the peaceful sculpture garden in the heart of the city and enjoy lunch indoors or out.”—Allison V. Smith. A grand green space offers a “roofless museum,” where you can wander around to see one of the more magnificent collections of twentieth-century sculpture anywhere. 2001 Flora St. tel. +1 214 242 5100; fee. www.nashersculpturecenter.org

The Dallas Arboretum
“This is the city’s prettiest public setting, overlooking bucolic White Rock Lake.”—Mariana Greene, Home and Garden editor, Dallas Morning News. Vast gardens include a fern dell, hardy palms, natives, water-wise landscaping choices, and an expansive trial garden; walk, jog, or cycle around the adjacent lake. 8525 Garland Rd. tel. +1 214 515 6500; fee. www.dallasarboretum.org

Victory Park
“An example of the pure renaissance that has happened downtown, moving northward toward Uptown in a place that was just a brown field.”—Brian Sweany. Home to American Airlines Center (where the Dallas Mavericks play basketball and the Dallas Stars play hockey) and a vibrant urban collection of restaurants, hotels, shopping, dining, and nightlife spots. 2400 Victory Park Ln. www.victorypark.com

The Meadows Museum
“Home to the largest collection of Spanish art in the States.”—Eric Celeste. A hidden gem at Southern Methodist University. 5900 Bishop Blvd. tel. +1 214 768 2516; fee. www.meadowsmuseumdallas.org

Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum
Visiting Dallas means noting the tragedy of November 22, 1963. Stroll the green area at Dealey Plaza where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated; tour the museum in the Texas School Book Depository building, where assassin Lee Harvey Oswald took aim. Exhibits include a minute-by-minute account of events on the infamous day; more than 400 photographs, video footage, and an audio tour. 411 Elm St. tel. +1 214 747 6660 or 888 485 4854; fee. www.jfk.org

Dallas World Aquarium
Old West End Historic District warehouse building now blends miracles of the ocean with wonders of a rain forest. Step inside the Orinoco River region of the Amazon, where toucans fly free and monkeys swing through the trees; also crocodiles, spiders, vampire bats, sharks, stingrays, leafy sea dragons, jellyfish, penguins, and a giant Pacific octopus. 1801 North Griffin St. tel. +1 214 720 2224; fee. www.dwazoo.com

Dallas Multimedia

Know Before You Go: Dallas

Related Features

Photo: Pioneer Plaza

Photo Gallery: Definitive Dallas

Delight in Dallas, where "Live Large. Think Big" is the motto.

Photo: Texas flag

State Profile: Texas

Texas began as a vast frontier, where 19th-century settlers carved out cotton farms in the humid east and cattle ranches in the arid west. A century later, Texas fueled the automobile revolution with a booming oil industry.

Map: Arts District, Dallas

Dallas Walking Tour: The Dallas Arts District

This downtown tour takes you through the Arts District, where you'll see stunning architecture, art collections, and sculptures.

All About Dallas

All Places of a Lifetime

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Photo: Glass of water

Take Quiz

Eighteen percent of the world's population can't get safe drinking water. Test your water knowledge.

Photo: Horses and old barn

Enter Sweepstakes

Take a photographic journey through Montana and enter for a chance to win a trip for two!

right-rail

Your Opinion Matters

Photo: Hippopotamus with mouth open

Got some ideas about our Web site? Join our consumer panel and tell us what you think.

Subscribe to National Geographic Traveler

Photo: Traveler magazine cover

Get 8 issues for $10! Save 74% with our best price online.

Subscribe to National Geographic Adventure

Photo: Adventure magazine cover

Order one year of action-packed exploration and adventure for only $10! Save 79% with our best price online.

Sacred Places of A Lifetime

Photo: Sacred Places of a Lifetime book cover

Visiting 500 of the most sacred destinations, this book answers the call of the spiritual traveler.