Three Perfect Days in Dallas—and Yes, There Will Be Line Dancing

People think they know Dallas, land of the eponymous TV show from the ’80s, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Manhattan-sized DFW airport. But not enough people really know Dallas. It’s not just “the world of 10-gallon hats and horse-drawn carriages” that most people expect, says Zane Harrington, director of communications at Visit Dallas. Beyond the surface, Dallas is much harder to categorize.

It's a diverse and ever-changing city, where gleaming skyscrapers and high-end hotels live side-by-side with street art, dive bars, and taco stands. The neighborhoods are as varied as the people who inhabit them. “It’s a cosmopolitan destination,” says Harrington.Dallas is welcoming to new people and new ideas, which breeds an influx of talented musicians, chefs, and artists from around the world.
 
The typical Dallas to-do list might include barbecue, The Sixth Floor Museum (where the bullet that killed JFK was shot), a visit to the Dallas Aquarium, and a morning at the Dallas Museum of Art, which Harrington calls a “crown jewel” of the city—all good things. But there's more happening here than what you'll find in the average guidebook.

“Dallas is really full of so many surprises,” says Harrington, like the Latino Cultural Center and the Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection. This guide’s picks come from our local staff's on-the-ground experience, with preference for stops that value quality over hype. We’ve got an omakase dinner you won’t soon forget, jazz, a giant eyeball, cricket, and tours that showcase the city’s diversity and history.

See: A sporting event. The options to catch a match here are endless, with pro football, hockey, soccer, and baseball teams that all call DFW home. If you love an Americana ballpark, go a Frisco Rough Riders game. Enjoy tennis? Get tickets for the Dallas Open. If you want a superfan experience, try Major League Cricket in Grand Prairie.

Touch: A pair of custom cowboy boots at Miron Crosby in Highland Park Village. Founded by sisters Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means, the luxury fashion boot outfitter can customize your boots for you, from the leather to the boot pulls. Further afield in Fort Worth, City Boots is another custom boot destination.

Smell: The tulips at the Dallas Arboretum during Dallas Blooms. Each spring, the sprawling botanical garden plants 500,000 tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths for the public to enjoy. Sniff the varietals, sit under a cherry tree, wander the manicured paths, or gaze out at White Rock Lake.

Hear: The band get funky at Revelers Hall, where you can sip a New Orleans–inspired cocktail, get lost in brassy jazz music, and swing your partner on the dance floor every night of the week at this Bishop Arts District bar.

Taste: The nose-to-tail tasting menu at Petra and the Beast. Chef Misti Norris’ innovative restaurant—now in its newer, bigger era after a relocation—is a love letter to Texas ingredients, from house-cured hog to handmade pasta paired with eggplant skin licorice. The dishes are always rotating, which makes this tasting menu the perfect way to understand Dallas dining with Norris at the driving wheel.

Did you know that Dallas was once a mecca for jazz? Or that it has some of the best architecture in the country? Some may consider coastal cities like New York or Los Angeles as the hotspots for art in the U.S., we urge you to not count out Dallas. The city is bustling with artists of every medium, with phenomenal art fairs throughout the spring, dozens of studios around town, and local theater companies ready to entertain. Here’s how to plan your whole day around the local art scene and make some yourself.

10 am - Wander the exhibition halls of the Dallas Contemporary.
For more than four decades, this Dallas Design District museum has been rotating in and out innovative and exciting modern art exhibits from local and international artists. And whenever there’s an open gallery, the museum opens the space for performance artists to exhibit or showcase their own events.

12 pm - Take a self-guided mural and food tour of Deep Ellum.
Just east of downtown, Deep Ellum began its life as a Freedman’s Town more than 150 years ago. Since the 1980s, the neighborhood has established itself as a visual arts haven, too. Stop into one of the galleries, like Frank Campagna’s Kettle Art Gallery. Or take this self-guided walking tour, which will lead you past the neighborhood’s 40-odd murals, plus a few spots to eat, too.

2:30 pm - Listen to jazz in Deep Ellum Community Center’s Listening Room.
During the 1920s, Deep Ellum flourished as a hub of culture and jazz, producing singers like Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Listen to their records and perhaps record your own music in the Deep Ellum Community Center, which opened in 2023.

4 pm - Take an art class at Trade Oak Cliff.
In town for a bachelorette or family reunion? Sign everyone up for a workshop at Trade Oak Cliff. This casual Polk Street studio hosts classes, workshops, and series in pottery, fiber arts, embroidery, jewelry making, and more with local artists.A post-clay beer awaits just around the corner at Oak Cliff Brewing Co.

8 pm - See a show in the Dallas Arts District.
Less than a square mile, the Dallas Arts District has some of the best architecture in the country—with six different venues, like the Wyly Theatre and Winspear Opera House, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects. As spectacular as the buildings are, so are the myriad arts companies in town. Goggle as the Texas Ballet Theater corps leap across the stage, enjoy a night with the Dallas Opera, which has hosted international stars like Montserrat Caballé, or take in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which is over 120 years old.

10 pm - Take a line dancing class at the Round-Up Saloon. Oak Lawn, the self-proclaimed gayborhood of Dallas, is home to the best line dancing in the city. Break in those fresh cowboy boots and take a beginner two-step lesson—all lessons are free—on Tuesday. Or just try your luck any day of week for some good old-fashioned boot-scootin’.

Dallas is famous for steaks, barbecue, and Tex-Mex, and for good reason — it's one of the best cities in the world to indulge in these comforting treasures. So, ignore them at your own peril. But leave room to explore Dallas's diverse culinary landscape, which is teeming with excellent Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and other world cuisines, along with a bevy of fun bars, ranging from loveable dives to high-end cocktail dens and well-stocked mezcalerías.

9 am - Coffee at Wayward Coffee Co.
Start your day with a kick of caffeine from this sunny shop located just outside the Bishop Arts District (or its second locale in the Design District). The friendly baristas nail all the classics (Americano, cortado, cappuccino) and feature a rotating selection of single-origin beans enlisted for meticulous pour-overs.

10 am - Breakfast tacos at Resident Taqueria
Breakfast tacos are the most important meal of the day, and some of the city's best breakfast tacos hail from Resident Taqueria. Order at the counter, then claim one of the seats inside the small dining room or on the front patio, and bask in tortilla-wrapped chorizo, eggs, Oaxacan cheese, and fresh pico de gallo.

1 pm - Lunch at Cattleack BBQ
This local favorite serves lunch Wednesday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month, and its beef ribs are worth planning your trip around. Show up early, because there will be a line, then supplement those ribs with perfectly smoked brisket and snappy sausages. If you've got room, fill any remaining space with sides like hatch chili mac and cheese and burnt end beans.

4 pm - Gelato snack at Botolino
Channel Italy at this authentic gelato shop, where owner Carlo Gattini enlists organic dairy, fresh ingredients, and family recipes to create a wide selection of flavors, like black sesame, matcha, and mascarpone and fig. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, try an affogato, and they'll pour an espresso shot over your gelato of choice (get the White Coffee for a doppio dose of caffeine).

7:30 pm - Omakase dinner at Tatsu
One of Dallas's most exciting chefs, Tatsuya Sekiguchi, serves reverent omakase dinners consisting of a couple appetizers, more than a dozen pieces of perfect nigiri, a hand roll, miso soup, and dessert. Sitting at his counter is to observe a master of his craft at work.Other compelling Japanese restaurants include sushi standouts Shoyo and Namo, and Tei-An, which serves sushi alongside wagyu beef and handmade soba noodles.

10 pm - After-dinner drinks at Saint Valentine or Las Almas Rotas
Score a great drink and a dose of local culture at two of our favorite bars. Saint Valentine's welcoming barkeeps pour craft cocktails alongside a fun selection of beer and shot pairings. Las Almas Rotas serves an extensive selection of mezcals, tequilas, and other Mexican distillates, with a focus on small producers and additive-free spirits.

Dallas was established in 1841 by John Neely Bryan, just a few years before Texas joined the U.S. But if you think the city hasn’t been able to do that much in less than 200 years—or if the only moment worth remembering is President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963—you’re seriously underestimating the fighting spirit of this town. Dallas has been a hub for oil, cotton, and finance over the years. It has one of the oldest zoos in the country, and notorious outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow called this city home. Spend your visit here learning all about Dallas history, from the earliest days to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.

10 am–2 pm - Take the Soul of DFW food and Black history tour.
Schedule your trip around a Soul of DFW food and Black history tour. The four-hour bus adventure showcases local historic landmarks across Dallas and Fort Worth and local Black-owned restaurants, where you can taste the fare. Food historian Deah Berry Mitchell founded the bus tour back in 2018, and since then, she’s launched themed events, like Black cowboy history, Juneteenth, Pride, and more.

2:30 pm - Get a docent-led tour of Juanita Craft Civil Rights House.
One of the behind-the-scenes stars of the Civil Rights Movement is Juanita Craft. For more than 50 years, the Texas native registered thousands to vote, fought to integrate local schools and the State Fair, hosted dignitaries like Thurgood Marshall, founded more than 180 NAACP chapters, and served on Dallas City Council. In 2023, her former 1,300-square-foot Wheatley Place home opened as a museum, celebrating Craft’s legacy and the history of Civil Rights in Texas. It’s free to visit, but book a reservation ahead of time and opt for a docent-led tour of the home.

3:30 pm - Learn Texas history at Fair Park.
Although most only venture inside Fair Park for the nearly month-long State Fair each October, the park is open year round and boasts several museums. See a jaw-dropping Battle of the Alamo diorama inside the Dallas Historical Society’s art deco-style Hall of State. Get a glimpse of Dallas’ former Freedmen's Towns at the nearby African American Museum. In addition to dozens of children’s programs and its Music Under the Dome series, the museum also houses one of the country’s largest collections of African American folk art.

5 pm - Watch a movie at the Texas Theatre.
Oak Cliff’s Texas Theatre has had a torrid history since opening in 1931. Then, the moviehouse was a triumph of engineering, as the first air-conditioned theater in town. In 1963, after police busted suspected JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald here, the public’s good opinion soured. Since then, the theater has closed several times, caught on fire, and nearly been demolished, and been remodeled. Eventually it was restored as a movie theater, and it expanded to house a second cinema and bar in 2021.

8 pm - Wander through Dallas’ Historic West End on a Dallas Terrors ghost tour.
Learn all about Dallas’ dark and twisted history on this mile-long walking ghost tour. The hour-long event will walk you past local landmarks, like the Adolphus Hotel, the Old Red Courthouse, and Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was shot. And the tour will walk you through the past, to the city’s beginnings, the outlaw era of Bonnie & Clyde, and more.

Hall Arts Hotel ($$)
Dallas boasts the largest contiguous urban arts district in the country. The Hall Arts Hotel is a prime perch for exploring it all, from the renowned Nasher Sculpture Center to nationally touring Broadway shows at the Winspear. When you're inside its walls, keep your head on a swivel for artwork and photography curated from around the world, or join a guests-only art tour every Thursday through Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Hôtel Swexan ($$$)
When Hôtel Swexan opened in Summer 2023, it became the crown jewel of the Harwood District, an always-developing neighborhood that's situated adjacent to downtown and uptown and is dotted with restaurants and high-rise residences. The 22-story tower has all the king-size beds you need for a comfortable stay, but you're really here for the perks—we're talking a rooftop pool and bistro, a steakhouse serving a proprietary line of beef, and a hidden bar known for spontaneous fits of dancing.

The Joule ($$$)
Located across the street from the iconic Eye (it's a massive eyeball sculpture—you can't miss it), the Joule is a charming downtown boutique that's teeming with amenities, including a stunning subterranean spa and a glass-walled rooftop pool that juts out over Main Street. Not to be outdone, Midnight Rambler downstairs is one of the best cocktail bars in Texas.

Thompson Dallas ($$$)
Another downtown favorite, Thompson Dallas is stylish at every turn, with mid-century furnishings and panoramic views of the city. Bounce from Catbird, the10th-floor terrace bar, to wood-fired Italian restaurant Monarch on floor 49, then finish with sushi and drinks at Kessaku just one floor up to get a taste of everything within.

When to visit
With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees (38 Celsius) during summer, it's best to avoid July and August entirely, unless you plan on spending lots of time in pools. In that case, choose your lodging accordingly. Otherwise, temps are pretty mild through spring, fall, and winter, making Dallas an almost year-round destination.

How to get around
DART is a light rail system serving select areas of Dallas, and it can be helpful if you're staying in Downtown or near one of the satellite stations. But your best bet is to rent a car, or just leave the driving to the semi-professionals and hail an Uber, Lyft, or Alto when you need a ride.

Your fun Dallas dinner party fact
The first frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas in the ’70s by Mexican American restaurateur Mariano Martinez, arguably changing happy hours everywhere ever since.

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