Your Favorite Things To Do In Dallas (First-Time Visitor)
Posted by doeeyedfinalgirl@reddit | askdfw | View on Reddit | 12 comments
Hi all,
So my partner and I will be in Dallas (well, a bit outside) for five days later this month. We were technically there last year, but the friend we were (and are) visiting/staying with had a 9-month-old, so we didn't really do a ton besides get good BBQ, hang out with a baby, and go to the arboretum. Loved the arboretum, but in terms of "touristy" stuff, we'd like to do a lot more this time. Would love your suggestions of your fav things to do, please, as well as potentially feedback to a few things we're considering.
- Fort Worth/the stockyards: was wondering if this might be a good thing to bring the (nearly) two-year-old to? I imagine he'd get a kick out of the cattle walk (and so would we)
- The Sixth Floor Museum
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science
- on this note, i noticed the Dallas City Pass. We'd likely use it for Perot, Reunion Tower, and the Zoo, and then maybe one of the other two museums if there's time. Are any/all of the above worth visiting, and then what about the George Bush museum or the Holocaust/Humans Rights Museum?
- We love visiting national/state parks, any particular recommendations? don't mind a bit of a drive
- Six Flags Over Texas: we like roller coasters and get in free with our Knott's passes, so we will likely do this on Friday, Sat, or Sun when it's open
- if you think that Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Frontier City, or another amusement park is a better use of our time, would be open to hearing any arguments.
- Dallas Museum of Art
- Kylde Warren Park
if you have any other ideas, either for my partner and I to do by ourselves, with our friend and her son, or for nightlife places for us to see if our friend can leave her baby with the husband, I'd be really appreciative!
Thanks in advance!
CajunAsianTexan@reddit
https://fossilrim.org/
https://nvmusa.org/
doeeyedfinalgirl@reddit (OP)
I've seen with fossil rim it's recommended to do the safari over self-drive, do you agree? esp. with a 2-y-o in the car
have you been to the videogame museum, by chance? i love pokémon and my partner has a few videogames that are big (zelda, kirby, nancy drew), but i'm not sure how many of the big hits we know. do you recommend it to people even without a super deep video game background?
Cedosg@reddit
Seems like the POGO pass would be something that would interest you.
That said, ASTC Passport Program is useful if you have it and includes the Perot, etc.
Bank of america museum on us too
https://about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/museums-on-us-partners
CajunAsianTexan@reddit
I’ve gone twice and have always done the self-drive, so I can’t say which is better than the other.
If you are planning on going, then also check out Dinosaur Valley SP in the area if you have time: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/dinosaur-valley
You know, I’ve lived in Frisco for 25 years and never been, LOL. I’ve only heard that it’s a groovy place to check out.
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
All those look good. The nearest national park is 8 hours away, but Cedar Hill State Park can be sorta pretty if you arrive during bluebonnet season. If the flowers aren’t in bloom, it’s just a bunch of prairie grass and birds.
Also, Dallas isn’t the best place to visit for touristy attractions, which is why everyone just recommends the Stockyards.
doeeyedfinalgirl@reddit (OP)
yeah, i'm so spoiled with public land in california:/ have you (or anyone else) been to the Waco Mammoth NM? Or big thicket or amistad, though those are more or a drive. Less fussed about what we do in a NPS area than the exploration itself
NintendogsWithGuns@reddit
We have a lot of good state parks as well. The issue is that North Texas is literally just grasslands, so there isn’t much to see outside of prairie grasses up here. We’re probably the second ugliest part of the state to be honest, save for when the flowers start blooming and we become a bluebonnet destination. That being said, the nearest state parks that I’d actually recommend year round are Caddo Lake, Enchanted Rock, and Palo Duro. The issue is that those are 3, 4, and 5 hours away respectively and are all in opposite directions from each other.
All of the parks you listed are far away as well, but if you’re down for a road trip across all of Texas then go for it. Big Thicket is an hour outside of Houston, so it’s going to be a 5 hour drive from Dallas. The Waco mammoth is cool if you’re on your way to Austin, but I wouldn’t drive out there specifically for it. Amistad is about 7 hours from Dallas, but it’s only about 2 hours from Big Bend and is sorta on the way if you take the scenic route.
If you want to see the most parks in one fell swoop, then you’re gonna drive down towards Austin / San Antonio and stop at Waco for the mammoth and maybe Dr Pepper Museum on the way. From there, you’re either going to Fredericksburg for Enchanted Rock State Park. After that, you drive to Del Rio and camp a night at Lake Amestad. From there, you’re going west towards Big Bend. After that, you’re about 8 hours from Dallas, but you can stop by Marfa and whatnot on the way back.
RandomRageNet@reddit
Free Play Arcade! Curated barcade with an all you can play admission price. All ages until night when it becomes adults only. Several metro locations, each with its own vibe. The Dallas location is the biggest with the best selection of pinball and large games.
doeeyedfinalgirl@reddit (OP)
oh that looks cool! would you recommend going on a weeknight or weekend?
RandomRageNet@reddit
Depends! Weeknights tend to be less crowded and more chill. They also sometimes have tournaments, leagues,and other events.
diiane5@reddit
If you’re closer to the Fort Worth side of things their zoo is 100% better but if you want to do the city pass I think it would be worth it! The stockyards during the day are definitely kid friendly, and I think a 2 year old would love it.
doeeyedfinalgirl@reddit (OP)
ahh darn i hadn't even seen there was a FW zoo too (we'll be slightly east of dallas, though). we won't be there on wednesday, unfortunately, flying out tuesday night! but will definitely consider the fort worth zoo regardless, thanks!