Newcomers to the area may be surprised at the variety and abundance of activities that Dallas-Fort Worth has to offer. Events and activities throughout the area are seemingly endless, and though it may sound trite, Dallas truly is all things to everyone: a cosmopolitan center surrounded by sprawling suburbs; rustic ranches and massive mansions; a sports-crazed town with world-class culture.
For the avid shopper, there are shopping centers and designer stores. And for the especially ambitious, shopping in Dallas can be an event in itself: The area’s restaurants and museums can turn a day at the stores into an experience to remember. And for night life, the city never disappoints. From the glitz of the West End to the hip spots in Deep Ellum, it’s easy to find music and good times in the city. So hit the town. There’s plenty to enjoy.
SHOPPING
Shopping is a hobby tor some people and a passion for others. There is the theory’ that the only reason 10 make money is to spend it. and Dallas certainly offers plenty of opportunities.
Most notable is the shopping mecca that is NorthPark Center, located at Park Lane and Central Expressway. Conceived by developer/an collector Ray Nasher, trie nation’s first upscale covered mall opened its doors in 1965.
In pre-boom Dallas, Nasher was considered a visionary for combining in a retail center award-winning design, convenience, and environmental beauty. Department stores like Dillard’s, JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, and the most popular Neiman Marcus in the chain are the cornerstones of the mall, with a supporting cast of shops in between.
But there’s more than mere shopping at NorthPark: there’s people-watching, as some locals choose to get their exercise by walking the half-mile of the horseshoe-shaped mall. And there’s art appreciation: Sprinkled throughout the mall are rotating pieces from Nasher’s acclaimed and envied collection.
The Dallas Galleria (LBJ Freeway at Dallas Parkway) provides an expanse of stores anchored by such heavyweights as Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom. The four-storied mall also includes many restaurants and an ice rink. Valley View Shopping , Center (LBJ Freeway at Preston Road) is an impressive mall, with outlets of such department stores as Dil-lard’s, JCPenney. Foley’s, and Sears. Prestonwood Town Center (5301 Belt Line Rd.) offers a northern outpost for Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor.
Of course, not all shopping is confined to indoor malls. Highland Park Village at Mockingbird Lane and Preston Road is built with its stores facing inward and is believed to be the oldest shopping center in the Untied States. Although the Village has adopted a more egalitarian approach to its mix of retailers, it is still best known for its covey at designers who come together only in rarefied settings (e.g. Rodeo Drive, Worth Avenue. Fifth Avenue ). Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Prada. Hermes, Escada. and Ultimo lure the designer-conscious, while the Gap, Banana Republic, and Ann Taylor attract the hoi polloi.
Inwood Village (Inwood Road and Lovers Lane) is a dressed-up strip mall, with stores, shops, and boutiques worthy of strolling, browsing, and buying. Retail stores include Barry Bricken (5450 Lovers Lane), The Carriage Shop (5550 Lovers Lane), La Chemise Blanche (5450 Lovers Lane). St. Bernard Sports (5570 Lovers Lane), and Into the Garden (5360 Lovers).
The Plaza at University Park (at Preston Road and Northwest Highway) has become an envied address for upscale boutiques-Tootsies (8300 Preston), Hartley & Co. (4020 Villanova). Joan Vass (8300 Preston), Tie-Coon Trading Co. (4015 Villanova). and Translations (4014 Villanova).
Throughout the area, there are pockets of specialized retail. The Uptown and Oak Lawn area, for instance, has a number of art galleries: Gerald Peters (2913 Fairmount), Hamdy Hughes Fine Arts (2708 Fairmount), Florence (2500 Cedar Springs), Altermann & Morris (2727 Routh). and Edith Baker (2404 Cedar Springs).
For upscale home furnishings, head to Knox Street, home of garden and patio supplier Smith & Hawken (3300 Knox). Weir’s Furniture Village (3219 Knox.), Laura Ashley Home (3212 Knox), Crate & Barrel (3104 Knox), and the Pottery Bam (3220 Knox). Restoration Hardware (3133 Knox) is a Texas branch of a California chain called the Tiffany’s of hardware stores.
Grapevine Mills (International Parkway at State Highway 121) is as much tourist attrac-tion as it is shopping mall. Easily accessible from all directions, and just 2 miles north of DFW Airport, Grapevine Mills prides itself on “shoppertainment,” a combination of great stores and entertainment. The center offers a bevy of manufacturer and retail outlets, restaurants, and a movie complex.
ATTRACTIONS
Like an amusement oasis between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington’s Entertainment District stretches along Interstate 3(1 and is anchored by Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags Over Texas, and The Ballpark in Arlington. The first tourist attraction in Arlington, of course, was Six Flags Over Texas (1-30 at State Highway 360). And this is the Six Rags, [he first one ever, opened 37 years ago by Angus G. Wynne Jr., named and themed around the six flags thai have flown over Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, the Confederacy, the Republic of Texas, and the United States.
Formerly Wet ’N’ Wild, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor ( 1800 E. Lamar, on the north side of 1-30) is a water park designed for those Texas summer scorchers.
In Grand Prairie, the Palace of Wax & Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (1-30 at Belt Line Road) features more than 175 lifelike figures and Ripley’s unique collection of oddities.
The Movie Studios at Las Colinas Tour (North O’Connor Boulevard at Royal Lane) offers a glimpse at movie-making magic. This motion picture and television production center was used for such movies as Robocop, Problem Child. Leap of Faith, and JFK.
The 25-acre “Wilds of Africa” exhibit at the Dallas Zoo (650 S. R.L. Thornton Fwy.) was recently named the best African zoo exhibit in the country. And the Fort Worth Zoo ( 1989 Colonial Pkwy. ) has been ranked as one of the top five zoos in the nation.
For those who still associate the city with the TV show, “Dallas” memorabilia is showcased at the Southfork Ranch (3700 Hogge Rd. in Parker).
NIGHTLIFE
For night owls, the area does not disappoint. In downtown Dallas, the West End seems to attract those of the tourist persuasion. The area features, among other things, Dallas’ very own Planet Hollywood (603 Munger Ave.).
To the east of downtown is Deep Ellum, a section with deeper roots. At the end of the 19th century, displaced African-Americans established a vibrant community around the intersection of Central Avenue and Elm Street, the growth of which was enhanced by the nearby terminalsof the town’s first railroad in 1872. The area developed a reputation for hard living and wild night life, both praised and lamented by such blues musicians as Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Deep Ellum is still the place to go for live music, tattoos, eclectic shopping, good food, and wild night life.
For tradition, there’s Lower Greenville. where one could argue that the party has yet to stop for two decades. While some of the area has been gentrified, there are still plenty of places to find a cold one. There’s also bustling McKinney Avenue, with its jazz joints, cigar bars, and Hard Rock Cafe (2601 McKinney).
Cedar Springs near Oak Lawn Avenue is home to a row of popular hot spots geared toward the city’s gay population.
ARTS & CULTURE
Dallas and Fort Worth combine to offer world-class culture and art. from historic museums to contemporary galleries, from graceful ballet to world-renowned opera.
Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood St., 214-922-1200). Houses one of the best collections of pre-Columbian and African art in the Southwest, and since the museum moved to its Edward Larrabee Barnes-designed home in 1984. large donor gifts have resulted in major additions: The Wendy Reves collection of decorative arts opened in a new wing in 1985. designed as a replica of the Reves’ French villa, and the Museum of the Americas opened in 1993 in the Hamon Building.
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (411 Elm St., 214-747-6660). A somber look at the life and death of President John F. Kennedy. Located in the former Texas School Book Depository, the museum includes the supposed sniper’s nest.
The Conspiracy Museum 1110 S. Market St., 214-741-3040). An alternative explanation of the violent events of Nov. 22, 1963, this museum details the alleged coverups of the assassinations of Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln, plus Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.
Fair Park (1300 Robert B. Cullum Blvd.) is home to one of the country’s largest collections of art deco architecture. Site of the Slate Fair of Texas. Fair Park also houses numerous museums and attractions that are open year-round: Age of Steam Railroad Museum, The Dallas Aquari-um,The Science Place, and Dallas Horticulture Center, as well as the Dallas Museum of Natural History and the African American Museum. The collection at the Dallas Museum of Natural History (214-421-3466) includes reconstructed dinosaurs and dioramas of the vegetation and wildlife of Texas. The African American Museum (214-565-9026) focuses on both the history and art of the African-American culture.
Biblical Arts Center (7500 Park Ln., 214-691 -4661 ). Highlight is the “Miracle of the Pentecost” mural featuring more than 200 Biblical figures.
Meadows Museum (SMU campus, 2I4-76K-2516). Large collection of Spanish an, including more man 500 paintings and works on paper.
Cavanaugh Flight Museum (Addison Airport, 4572 Claire Chennault St., 972-380-8800). Features 50,000 square feet of warbirds restored to their original condition. In Fort Worth, there is a “cowboys and culture” combination that finds its best illustration in the Cultural District. Every January, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo (now 103 years old and featuring the longest parade of horse-drawn vehicles) held at Will Rogers Coliseum brings together real cowboys and all manner or livestock in comfortable proximity to museums housing some of the world’s greatest art.
The Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., 817-332-8431 ). Recognized as a beautiful work of architecture in itself, the museum stages exhibits borrowed from some of the world’s great art collections.
Anion Carter Museum (3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., 817-738-1933). Houses former Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher Amon Carter’s famous collection of Remingtons and Russells, a fine grouping of 19th- and early 20th-century American paintings, and an outstanding American photography collection. This institution houses more than 358.000 treasures of American art.
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (1309 Montgomery St., 817-738-9215 ). Excellent American and European contemporary art and a new collection of international photography.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (150! Montgomery St.. 817-732-1631 ). Excellent exhibits on Texas’ natural history, as well as the exciting Omni Theater and the Noble Planetarium. All the museums are within easy walking distance of one another.
Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art (309 Main St., 817-332-6554). The largest single assemblage of works by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell.
Cattleman’s Museum (1301 W. Seventh St.. 817-332-7064). History of the old cattle drives.
PERFORMING ARTS
Dallas Opera; Music Hall at Fair Park, 214-443-1043. Internationally acclaimed for its live orchestra and international singers.
Dallas Summer Musicals; Music Hall at Fair Park. 214-691 -7200. Broadway-style musicals run June through October in the 3,400-seat Music Hall.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St., 214-692-0203. World-class music, from classical to pops, performed in the Meyerson Symphony Center (also known as “The Mort”), which had its start in a $10 million gift by Ross Perot, himself something of a Dallas icon, with the stipulation that the I,M. Pei-designed symphony center be named after his former top lieutenant at Electronic Data Systems. The Meyerson opened in 1989, winning acclaim tor not only its design, but also for its acoustics.
Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico; 4422 Live Oak St., 214-828-0181.
Ballet Concerto; 3803 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817-738-7915,
Caravan of Dreams; 312 Houston St.. Fort Worth. 817-429-4000.
Casa Mariana Musicals Inc.; Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall. 4th and Calhoun streets, Fort Worth. 817-332-9319.
Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth;1007 Commerce St.. Fort Worth. 817-924-9207.
Chamber Opera of Dallas; 501 Second Ave.. 214-826-3368.
Coca-Cola Starplex Amphitheater; Fair Park. 214-373-8000.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre; 2627 Flora Si.. 214-871-2376.
Dallas Chamber Orchestra; 3630 Harry Hines Blvd., 214-520-3121.
Dallas Classic Guitar Society; 3626 N. Hall St., 214-528-3733.
Dallas Wind Symphony; Band Shell at Fair Part. 214-565-9463.
Fort Worth Dallas Ballet; Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall (817-763-0207); and Music Hall ai Fair Park (214-763-0207).
Fort Worth Opera; 3505 W. Lancaster Ave., Fori Worth, 817-731-0833.
Fort Worth Symphony; Bass Performance Hall. Fort Worth, 817926-8831.
Irving Symphony Orchestra; Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving, 972-831-8818.
Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall, 4th anil Calhoun streets, Fort Worth. 800-654-9545.
Repertory Dance Theater of Texas; 3044 Old Demon Rd., Carrollton, 972446-2220.
Texas Boys Choir; 2925 Riverglen Dr., Forth Worth, 817-924-1482.
Texas Girls Choir; 4449 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, 817-732-8161.
Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth; 4401 Trail Lake Dr., Fort Worth, 817-923-3121.
THEATER
Dallas Theater Center; 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd., 214-526-8210.
Hip Pocket Theater: 7344 Love Circle, Fori Worth, 817-927-2833.
Majestic Theatre; 1925 Elm St.,214-880-0137.
Mesquite Community Theater; 4810 Stall-cup Dr., Mesquite, 972-216-8126.
Pegasus Theatre: 3916 Main St., 214-821-6005.
Shakespeare Festival of Dallas; 3630 Harry Hines Blvd., 214-559-2778.
Shakespeare in the Park; 3113 S. University, Fort Worth, 817-923-6698.
Teatro Dallas; 2204 Commerce St., 214-741-6833.
Texas International Theatrical Arts Society (TITAS); 3101 N. Fitzhugh Ave.. 214-528-6112.’
Theatre Arlington: 305 W. Main St.. 817-275-7661.
Theatre Three; in the Quadrangle, 2800 Routh St., 214-871-2933.
Trinity Arts Theater; 2819 Forest Ridge, Bedford, 817-571-3717.
WaterTower Theater; 15650 Addison Rd? Addison. 972450-6220.
SPORTS
No matter the season. Dallas-Fort Worth offers exciting spectator sports,
Dal las is home to the world’s most famous football team (and the most rabid fans), along with professional baseball, hockey, basketball, and soccer teams. Dallas’ first major league soccer team, the Dallas Burn, plays soccer at Fair Park’s Cotton Bowl Stadium (3750 Midway Plaza, 214-979-0303). The Dallas Cowboys, five-time Super Bowl champions, play football at Texas Stadium in Irving (2401 E. Airport Fwy., 972-579-5000). The Dallas Stars play hockey at Reunion Arena (777 Sports St., 214-GO-STARS), which is also home to the city’s basketball team, the Dallas Mavericks (972-988-3863), and the indoor soccer team, the Sidekicks (972-988-3865). The Texas Rangers play baseball at The Ballpark in Arlington (1-30 at Highway 157.817-273-5100). Seasonal horse racing takes place at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie (1000 Lone Star Pkwy., 972-263-RACE), with simulcast betting year-round. For a different kind of horsepower, NASCAR Winston Cup and Indy-style professional racing is at Texas Motor Speedway (State Highway 114 and I-35 W, 817-215-8500).
In Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Fire play hockey at the Will Rogers Memorial Center and Tarrant County Convention Center (817-336-1992). In Mesquite, championship rodeo goes on at the Mesquite Rodeo (1818 Rodeo Dr., 972-285-8777) every Friday and Saturday, April through October.
There’s also the excitement of collegiate sports.
For the ticket office of Texas Christian University athletics, call 817-92l-7967;for Southern Methodist University, call 214-768-2902.
FAMILY FUN AND GAMES: ANNUAL EVENTS
JANUARY
The Kidfilm Festival; 214-82 i -6397. AMC Glen Lakes Theatres. The largest children’s media festival in the United States-with speakers, kid-directed movies, new and vintage family films.
Dallas Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament; 214-739-3636. Various sites, Dallas. A prestigious youth soccer tournament. The finals aie televised on ESPN.
Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show and Rodeo; 817-877-2400. Fort Worth. The largest stock show and rodeo in the country.
APRIL
Imagination Celebration; 214-823-7601. Artist Square, Dallas Ans District. A free children ’sait festival featuring hands-on activities and performing groups celebrating several cultures through dance, music, and song.
MAY
Scarborough Faire; 972-938-1888. Waxahachie. A 16th-century village comes alive every spring with jousting, chess games, craft shops, and food. Free admission for kids under 5. Through June.
JUNE
Cooper Center Summer Youth Sports Camps; 972-233-4832. Cooper Fitness Center, 12100 Preston Rd. Through August.
JULY
Summer An Camp; 817-275-4600. Arlington Museum of An, 201 W. Main St., Arlington.
Fort Worth Fourth ! On [he banks of the Trinity River, Fort Worth. 817-870-1692.
Ringling Brothers and Barnum& Bailey Circus; 214-939-2770. Reunion Arena.
AUGUST
American Junior Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show; 817-871-8150. 3401 W. Lancaster Ave.. Fort Worth.
SEPTEMBER
State Fair of Texas; 214-565-9931. Fair Park, Dallas. One of the largest state fairs in the United Stales. Through October.
Southwestern Bell Piano Balloon Festival: 972-867-7566. Three-day event at Bob Woodruff Park in Piano. Balloons launch each day at 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Pioneer Days; 817-625-9715. Fort Worth Stockyards. Three-day event celebrating the city’s Western heritage. Activities include a parade, ans and crafts, country music, and street dances.
OCTOBER
Boo at the Zoo; 817-871 -7050. Fort Worth Zoo.
NOVEMBER
Holiday Tree-Lighting Festival; 214-748-4801. West End Marketplace. Dallas. Day-long family and holiday entertainment.
Parade of Lights; 817-870-1692. Downtown Fort Worth.
Fair Park Light Festival; 214-670-8400. Fair Park, Dallas.
Holiday in the Park.; 817-640-8900. Six Flags Over Texas. Arlington. Through January.
DECEMBER
The Neiman Marcus/Adolphus Children’s Parade; 214-742-8200. Downtown Dallas. The televised event benefits Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.
