wcj1

I probably would not make a Deep Ellum recommendation myself, but it is the Green line if you decide to go.

ERJ_12B

+1 While Deep Ellum is slowly coming back there is not all that much there, yet. Uptown, West Village, Mockingbird Station, Bishop Arts District, NorthPark Center and The Heights Park Lane (across from NorthPark) are all better choices.

EmailKid

WOW, two errors in one post Gotta be some kind of a record

Now corrected.

466SHH

I agree. Skip Deep Ellum, and spend your time in the arts district.

I don't think anyone mentioned this, but you can get off the TRE at Union Station and pick up the DART light rail to the West End (one stop - walkable) or to the St. Paul or Pearl stops for the arts district.

Just FYI-- while the downtown area is plenty safe for a walk when it is daylight, we usually recommend that you take DART or a cab after dark. Once the business folks go home, there is not much going on in the area between the Arts District and the West End or Union Station.

Enjoy your visit!

CX828

Thanks for all the tips! I think I will make sure to stay centred around the Arts District in this case

Re: walking around, I will only be there day time, as I have to head over back to my hotel near DFW for an early morning flight the next day.

CX828

Thanks for the heads up, Il make sure to ask the driver that the bus is going to Belt Line Station.

saltytheseagull

I would recommend the 6th floor museum and as others have said if shopping is your thing there is plenty of that. I would consider having lunch at Pecan Lodge and then go walking downtown if you like architecture. There are a lot of neat old buildings, but as the others have said there is not much going on at night.

Deep Ellum is cool, but I would only go there if you're going to a bar or a show, otherwise there is not too much to see.

Good luck without a car. The mass transit seems lackluster at best here, granted I've never taken it.

If you do happen to get a car I would also recommend checking out the bureau of engraving and printing (aka the mint) outside of Ft. Worth. Ft. Worth has several art museums as well if that interests you. Skip the stockyards they're a major bust.

CX828

Thanks for all your help and tips with this quick trip to Dallas, I have been and gone (was there on Friday), I had a great day, the weather was beautiful and I managed to do most of what was recommended.

The DART was very efficient, and got me in and out well. I was surprised to see how quiet downtown was!

longhorn11

Good to hear you had a good time, you got out of here just in time to miss the freezing temps today!

Downtown is very quiet after hours, after 5 or 6pm the action goes elsewhere. Even during the day it is relatively calm above ground, there is a massive tunnel system under all of the buildings where all of the professionals walk/eat during the day.

spankytoes

I always forget that the GW Bush Presidential Library is in Dallas when giving recommendations. Haven't been myself, but I bet it's interesting. The Clinton library in Little Rock was cool.

Ontario

Looking to visit Dallas on an August weekend. Arriving Friday night, leaving Sunday. My friend will arrive two days early and pick me up at the airport in a rental car.
We’d like to see a bit of the city and go to a rodeo on Saturday.
I see a couple of good suggestions from previous posts. Any thoughts on the rodeo?

Also looking to book accommodation for the two nights. Where would be a good place to stay to go out on a Friday night? We are two women in our 30s.

Paint Horse

There is the Mesquite Rodeo on the eastside of Dallas or the one at the Stock Yards in Fort Worth.

http://www.mesquiterodeo.com/

http://stockyardsrodeo.com/

The contestants in both rodeos are part timers for the most part.

The Mesquite Rodeo is easier to find as it is right on the 635 loop.

longhorn11

I would stay downtown or in uptown. For Friday night, I'd head over to Uptown/McKinney Ave., and just cruise up and down. Good restaurants and bars, also easy to get up and down.

For seeing the city, the Arts district and Perot Museum are really cool things to check out. Obviously shopping is an option, not sure how interested you'd be in that, but Dallas is known for its shop until you drop attitude. If so, there's the Galleria, Northpark, Park Lane, etc. Also, Lower Greenville Ave is another cool place to hang out on a Friday night. Definitely a different vibe/type of person than Uptown, but cool nonetheless.

Can't help on rodeos, as I've never had the desire to go to one. I'd go with Paint Horse's recommendations.

EmailKid

Just be aware that's it's toasty this time of the year. Could easily be in 100s, most likely in high 90s. Does not cool off all that much after sunset.

The free McKinney Avenue Trolley is a fun ride. Old / antique streetcars that have been restored run up and down the avenue.

And believe that above advice about rodeos is correct. To the best of my knowledge, those are the only two in close vicinity @:-)

In all honesty I haven't been to Mesquite one, and Fort Worth may be a bit of a tourist trap, but I love Fort Worth (its conservative politics not so much), so would probably give that a nod.

466SHH

JusT an update to my January 2014 post. No need to mess with the TRE anymore. The DFW DART station (orange line) was completed some months ago and you can now pick up the light rail outside Terminal A. It will take you all the way downtown without having to change trains in about an hour. Trains are air conditioned but the stations are outside, so the wait (generally under 20 minutes) is not. I've taken it myself a couple of times now and it is very convenient. And the fare is $2.50 each way.