downtown dallas - 6th floor, nasher, dma, aquarium are nice. west end is nothing but a tourist trap and not a good one at that.

night life - avoid west end, deep ellum (not safe anymore and really nothing down there anymore). The uptown area has plenty of bars/resturaunts that are good. victory park area is starting to take off (HOB is there). knox/henderson area is also good for food/bars.

shopping - nieman's downtown. north park mall just expanded and is pretty nice.

Ft. worth is also a good option and plenty to do there. its too much to hit both ft. worth and dallas in the same day. (1 hr apart and the airport is in the middle)

As a tourist, I can't imagine Dallas has a lot to offer. If you know people here or know where to go then it is probably fun.