Best Things to Do in Dallas: 13 Picks a Local Would Send You

At a glance

• Where: Dallas, Texas: Downtown, the Arts District, East Dallas, Deep Ellum and Oak Cliff
• Picks: 13, every one inside the City of Dallas
• Time needed: Three days covers the anchors and the neighborhoods; one day covers the top four
• Cost: Mix of free (Klyde Warren Park, Crow Museum of Asian Art, Dallas Museum of Art general admission) and ticketed; check each official site before you go
• Getting around: DART light rail reaches Downtown, the Arts District, Deep Ellum and Fair Park; a car or rideshare helps for the Arboretum, the Zoo and Bishop Arts

The best things to do in Dallas, Texas are The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Klyde Warren Park, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Fair Park and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, followed by a few meals and walks in Downtown, Deep Ellum and the Bishop Arts District. All 13 picks below sit inside the City of Dallas, and each was checked against its own official site in November 2026.

This is the list we give a friend who has a weekend and wants the real city, not a postcard of it. Dallas is spread out, so the picks are grouped by area.

How we chose

We started with the places Dallas is known for, then kept only those that are open today on their own official sites and genuinely inside the city limits. We favored picks that give you a reason to be in Dallas specifically, and we left out chains and anything we could not confirm. Hours and prices change, so treat the numbers below as typical and check the official site before you go.

What are the five anchors you should not skip?

The five anchors are The Sixth Floor Museum, Klyde Warren Park, the Dallas Arboretum, Fair Park and the Perot Museum, and together they show you Dallas history, green space and science.

1. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (Downtown)

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, at 411 Elm Street in Downtown Dallas, tells the story of President John F. Kennedy's assassination and legacy from the building overlooking the plaza. Entry is by timed ticket and the museum is typically open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry around 4:15 p.m. Adult tickets are typically $24 online and $27 at the door, and children five and under are free.

Allow two hours inside, plus time to walk the plaza outside. Local tip: buy the timed ticket online ahead of your visit, because the online price is lower than the door price. Start your Downtown day here. More on the area is in our Downtown guide and West End guide. Official site: jfk.org.

2. Klyde Warren Park (Downtown and the Arts District)

Klyde Warren Park is a 5.4-acre park built over Woodall Rodgers Freeway that stitches Downtown to Uptown, with the Nancy Best Fountain, a dog park, a children's park and food trucks. The park's programming is described by the park as free. Plan an hour to a whole afternoon.

Local tip: arrive hungry and treat the food trucks as lunch, then walk next door to the Nasher or the Dallas Museum of Art. Official site: klydewarrenpark.org.

3. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden (East Dallas)

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, at 8525 Garland Road on the shore of White Rock Lake, spreads over 66 acres of display gardens. It is typically open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ticket prices vary, so check the official site.

Give it two to three hours. Local tip: the seasonal shows change the garden completely, with the spring Dallas Blooms festival as the headliner, so pick your month on purpose. Pair it with the lake below. See our East Dallas and White Rock Lake guide. Official site: dallasarboretum.org.

4. Fair Park (East Dallas)

Fair Park, at 3809 Grand Avenue, is the 277-acre home of the State Fair of Texas, known for its art deco exhibit buildings. Several attractions inside have their own hours and prices.

Our three stops inside the gates: the Hall of State, built for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition and run by the Dallas Historical Society, typically open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; the Texas Discovery Gardens, at 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with its two-story Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House and Insectarium, typically open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and the African American Museum of Dallas, at 3536 Grand Avenue, where admission is free (check its site for current hours before you go).

Plan three hours for a taste, longer if a fair or event is on. Local tip: go on a quiet weekday, when you can photograph the art deco facades nearly alone. Food at the State Fair of Texas, including the Fletcher's corny dog that dates to 1942, is its own reason to visit in the fall. More in our Fair Park guide. Official site: fairparkdallas.com.

5. Perot Museum of Nature and Science (Arts District edge)

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, at 2201 N. Field Street, is Dallas's big natural-history and science museum, with exhibit halls such as the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall and the Rose Hall of Birds. It is typically open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and special closures are posted on the museum's site.

Plan two to three hours, and more with kids. Official site: perotmuseum.org.

Which Dallas museums are worth the time?

The Arts District has the best cluster of museums, and two of them are free or close to it.

6. Nasher Sculpture Center (Arts District)

The Nasher Sculpture Center, at 2001 Flora Street, is a museum and garden of modern and contemporary sculpture in a building designed by Renzo Piano. It is typically open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free on the first Saturday of each month. Otherwise adults typically pay $10.

Give it 90 minutes. Local tip: time your visit for a first Saturday to see it free, and read the garden as a living room, not a gallery: people sit, linger and draw. Official site: nashersculpturecenter.org.

7. Dallas Museum of Art (Arts District)

At the Dallas Museum of Art in the Dallas Arts District, general admission is free, though every visitor needs a ticket and special exhibitions may cost extra. It is typically open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday.

Plan two hours. Local tip: reserve your free ticket online first. If you want a third free stop on the same block, the Crow Museum of Asian Art of the University of Texas at Dallas, at 2010 Flora Street, is typically open Tuesday through Sunday with free admission. Our Dallas Arts District guide maps the whole walk. Official sites: dma.org and crowmuseum.org.

What should you do Downtown?

Downtown Dallas rewards a half day on foot, with the aquarium and the farmers market as the two most distinct stops.

8. The Dallas World Aquarium (West End)

The Dallas World Aquarium, at 1801 N. Griffin Street in Downtown's West End, is built around rainforest habitats and exhibits such as the Cloud Forest Trek, Mundo Maya, Orinoco and Borneo. It is typically open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. Adult tickets are typically about $35, with lower prices for seniors and children aged 3 to 12.

Plan two hours. Local tip: it is a walkable pairing with The Sixth Floor Museum, so do the museum in the morning and the aquarium after lunch. Official site: dwazoo.com.

9. Dallas Farmers Market (Downtown)

The Dallas Farmers Market, at 920 S. Harwood Street, has two parts: The Market, an indoor food hall and shops typically open daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and The Shed, an open-air pavilion where Texas growers sell on weekends. The Shed is typically open Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Plan an hour or two. Local tip: go on a weekend morning so you get both the growers and the food hall in the same trip. See our Dallas Farmers Market guide. Official site: dallasfarmersmarket.org.

Where do you eat and wander in Deep Ellum and Bishop Arts?

Deep Ellum and the Bishop Arts District are the two neighborhoods we send everyone to once the anchors are done.

10. Pecan Lodge (Deep Ellum)

Pecan Lodge, at 2702 Main Street in Deep Ellum, is a Texas barbecue restaurant, and brisket is the order. Hours are typically 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, until 9 p.m. Friday and Sunday, and until 10 p.m. Saturday.

Plan an hour including the wait. Local tip: groups should look at the shareable platter on the menu, and the line is shorter at off-peak times. Then walk Deep Ellum's murals along Elm, Main and Commerce streets, in a neighborhood that dates to 1884 and was a blues and jazz hub. Read more in our Deep Ellum guide. Official site: pecanlodge.com.

11. Emporium Pies (Bishop Arts District, Oak Cliff)

Emporium Pies, at 314 N. Bishop Avenue in the Bishop Arts District, is a pie shop at the center of Oak Cliff's walkable shopping and dining streets. The shop is typically open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Plan 20 minutes for pie and an hour or two to browse the boutiques, galleries and coffee shops around it. Local tip: Oak Cliff was its own city from 1891 until residents voted to join Dallas in 1903, which explains why the neighborhood feels like a small town inside the big one. See the Bishop Arts District guide and Oak Cliff guide. Official site: emporiumpies.com.

Where do you get outside?

Two big outdoor options sit at opposite ends of the city, one around a lake and one with animals.

12. White Rock Lake Park (East Dallas)

White Rock Lake Park, a City of Dallas park off Garland Road in East Dallas, circles a 1,015-acre lake with a hike-and-bike trail of about 9.3 miles. The park is open daily, typically from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Budget one to three hours, depending on whether you walk, ride or sit. Local tip: combine it with the Arboretum on the same side of the lake, and go early to beat the heat in summer. Official site: dallasparks.org.

13. Dallas Zoo (Oak Cliff)

The Dallas Zoo, at 650 S. R. L. Thornton Freeway, typically opens daily at 9 a.m. (closing times vary, so check the official site), with tickets that start around $18 and must be reserved online; children two and under are free. Some animal habitats close on a schedule for maintenance, so check what is on view.

Plan three to four hours. Local tip: reserve online before you go, as tickets are required in advance, and arrive at opening for the most active animals. Official site: dallaszoo.com.

What does a three-day Dallas route look like?

Here is the route to screenshot and send to your group.

1. Day one, Downtown and the Arts District: The Sixth Floor Museum in the morning, The Dallas World Aquarium after lunch, then Klyde Warren Park for food trucks and sunset.
2. Day two, museums and Deep Ellum: The Nasher, the Crow Museum and the Dallas Museum of Art on one block, then the Perot Museum, then barbecue at Pecan Lodge and a Deep Ellum mural walk.
3. Day three, East Dallas and Oak Cliff: Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake in the morning, Fair Park in the afternoon, then pie in the Bishop Arts District.

Frequently asked about Dallas

See the questions below for quick answers on cost, timing and getting around. To browse every neighborhood, see our areas page.

One fact we like to pass on: the frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas in 1971 by restaurateur Mariano Martinez, and his original machine is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Go find a frozen margarita after your day of sightseeing.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top things to do in Dallas?

The top things to do in Dallas are The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Klyde Warren Park, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Fair Park and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. After those, add Deep Ellum, the Bishop Arts District and Downtown.

How many days do you need in Dallas?

Three days is enough to see the main anchors and the neighborhoods at an easy pace. With one day, do The Sixth Floor Museum, Klyde Warren Park and the Arts District museums, which sit close together.

What free things can you do in Dallas?

Klyde Warren Park's programming, the Crow Museum of Asian Art and general admission at the Dallas Museum of Art are free, though the Dallas Museum of Art requires a reserved ticket. The Nasher Sculpture Center is free on the first Saturday of each month, and the African American Museum of Dallas at Fair Park has free admission.

Do you need a car to visit Dallas attractions?

You can reach Downtown, the Arts District, Deep Ellum and Fair Park with DART light rail, but a car or rideshare is easier for the Dallas Arboretum, the Dallas Zoo and the Bishop Arts District. Check dart.org for current routes and fares.

Where is the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas?

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is at 411 Elm Street in Downtown Dallas. It uses timed-entry tickets, so book online before you visit.