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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
Join RALF to share your own tips and traps
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New postThe Statler opened in 1956 as the Statler Hilton, closed in 2001 and was nearly demolished before a restoration brought it back as a hotel. An AIA Dallas guide called its glass and porcelain midcentury block the best of 1950s architecture in the city. Crews found an original 1956 mural by Jack Lubin in the former…
The Adolphus opened in 1912, built by brewing magnate Adolphus Busch in the Beaux-Arts style, and it is still a working hotel on Commerce Street in downtown Dallas. It is a Dallas Landmark and on the National Register. Afternoon tea in its French Room, which keeps original marble floors, is popular and should be…
Dallas' Original Pumpkin Day is held every October in The Shed at the Dallas Farmers Market. Past editions had Texas-grown pumpkins, live music, a pumpkin painting station, kids' crafts and face painting. The market's own fall list also includes sweet corn, sweet potatoes, pecans and more than 20 pumpkin varieties…
Dallas has proclaimed every April as Arts Month since 2013, when it started as Arts Week, with hundreds of events across the city. Besides the Deep Ellum arts fair, the lists have included the Dallas Art Fair and film festivals. Costs vary by event, so check the Arts Month calendar and book early for ticketed ones…
The Granada opened as a movie house in 1946 and has been a concert hall on Greenville Avenue since the mid-2000s, run by the same owners since 2004. Check the calendar on its website for upcoming shows, and buy ahead for popular acts. Arrive early and eat nearby on Lower Greenville first, where the patios fill after…
The Kessler is a former neighborhood movie house in Oak Cliff's Winnetka Heights, restored as a live-music theater. Touring and regional acts play most weeks, and popular nights show as sold out, so buy tickets ahead from the venue's calendar. Listening-room style evenings suit people who want to hear the band, not…
First Monday Trade Days in Canton, about an hour from Dallas, is a huge flea market that runs from Thursday to Sunday before the first Monday of each month. Go on Thursday or Friday when crowds are lightest, wear comfortable shoes and bring cash, since many vendors and food stalls do not take cards. There are ATMs on…
The Shed at the Dallas Farmers Market is open on Saturdays and Sundays all year, with more than 100 local producers selling produce, honey, eggs, meat, bread and cut flowers. Arrive early on Saturday for the best selection, and ask the information booth about the bag drop while you shop. The Market food hall next door…
Fair Park holds one of the largest collections of 1930s Art Deco exposition buildings in the United States, and the Hall of State stands at the end of the long Esplanade and its reflecting pool. Most visitors come during the 24-day State Fair, so aim for another time of year when the buildings are easier to frame…
Trinity Overlook Park, a shaded pocket park at 110 W. Commerce, gives a clear view of downtown and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, and it opens onto the Trinity Skyline Trail. For a closer angle, walk the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge, which looks over the river and the bridge. Go in the late afternoon for warm light…
The Dallas Museum of Art in the Arts District has free general admission, in place since 2013, so you can see one gallery or spend a morning. Besides the Impressionist and contemporary works, look for the Reves Collection, about 1,400 works shown in a reproduction of the Villa La Pausa. Pair it with the Nasher next…
The Nasher Sculpture Center in the Arts District pairs a Renzo Piano building with a roughly two-acre garden by Peter Walker, and the garden is included in a ticket. Admission is free on the first Saturday of every month, with family programming in the morning, and the museum stays open late on the third Friday…
Two of downtown Dallas's most visited museums are closed on Tuesdays: the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, and the Nasher Sculpture Center, which is also closed on Mondays. Both post holiday closures on their own sites, so check the calendar for your dates. Build your museum days around Wednesday to Sunday…
The Trinity Railway Express links downtown Dallas and Fort Worth, but it has two fare zones split at CentrePort station. A trip that crosses the county line needs a regional ticket, while a local ticket covers only one side. Buy before boarding at the platform machines or in the GoPass app, because inspections are…
The Katy Trail is a 3.5-mile greenbelt on an old railroad line, running from the American Airlines Center in Victory Park to the SMU area and linking Uptown with Oak Lawn. Dallas locals use it for running and biking, and it is known as the place to see and be seen. In summer go early in the morning, before the heat…
White Rock Lake in east Dallas has a paved trail of about 9 miles around the shore, used for running, biking and walking. It passes the Bath House Cultural Center, a bird-watching area and boat houses with kayak rentals. Weekends bring many cyclists and lakeside events, so go on a weekday or early morning for more…
Texas liquor stores, the shops that sell spirits by the bottle, are closed every Sunday. Supermarkets and convenience stores can still sell beer and wine on Sunday from 10 a.m., and restaurants and bars may serve alcohol with food from 10 a.m. and without food from noon. If you want a bottle of Texas whiskey to take…
Pecan Lodge is a Deep Ellum barbecue counter on Main Street where the line can reach the door and the kitchen serves until the meat sells out. Plan a late-morning visit and order the brisket and the jalapeno sausage by weight. Ask for the Hot Mess, a sweet potato topped with barbacoa and chipotle cream. Check the…
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