Dallas and More Tours

Welcome to our page for Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex area tours.  The minimal length of a tour is 3 days of which two days are spent driving to and from Dallas.  The maximum length tour is up to your discretion.  The most popular tour lengths are 4 and 5 days.  One has many options that can be mixed and matched.  Tours depart from Houston at 8:00 AM and on the final day return by 6:00 PM.

We normally start each day’s tours at 9:00 AM and finish between 5:00 and 5:30 PM.

Dallas is 239 miles/385 kilometers from Houston.  Allow a minimum of 4 hours to drive there including a bathroom stop en route.

Dallas is 36.1/58.1 kilometers miles to Fort Worth or about a 41 to 90 minute drive depending on traffic.

Dallas is 21.0 miles/33.8 kilometers to Six Flags Over Texas or about a 28 to 40 minute drive depending on traffic.

Dallas is 56.7 miles/91.3 kilometers to Corsicana or about a 66 to 80 minute drive depending on traffic.

The daily options have different themes:  the Kennedy assassination and Dallas history; art museums, sculptures, and a cathedral; a science and nature museum and park; the Holocaust and aquarium museums; flora and fauna; a driving tour of many parts of Dallas, western television and heritage; George W. Bush; an amusement park, and Fort Worth.

As we enter Dallas, we tour the old Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park.  Old City Park is the oldest park in Dallas, dating to 1876.  The Village has 21 historic buildings in it.  It is closed in January and August.  In January and August, we go to Pioneer Village in Corsicana.  Pioneer Village Historical Museum is a re-creation of pioneer days in Corsicana and Navarro County with historic log structures and information about Navarro County. It is also home to the Lefty Frizzell Statue and Museum.

Leaving Dallas, we stop for about 1 hour in Corsicana, Texas and visit the Collin Street Bakery.  This bakery is world-renown for its fruitcakes.  It also has many other treats.  Corsicana also has a factory for Russell Stover, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s candies and chocolates.  Do you have a sweet tooth?

 

Daily Options include:

  1. 1 day focusing on former President John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Dallas history. Go to:
    • The Dallas Visitor's Center.
    • The Sixth Floor Museum.  This is where Lee Harvey Oswald was located when he allegedly shot and assassinated President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
    • The grassy knoll by the train tracks where someone or 3 hobos might have been hiding.
    • Dealey Plaza where the Kennedy entourage was in the process of passing.
    • The Triple Underpass where President Kennedy was approaching.
    • The John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza by the great architect and artist Philip Johnson.
    • The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured.  
    • The 1841 replica of the John Neely Bryan cabin.  Bryan was the first European resident of Dallas and a replica of his cabin is located in between The Sixth Floor Museum and the JFK Memorial Plaza. 
    • Old Red, that was the Dallas County Courthouse when built in 1892.  Its stone construction makes it one of the most distinctive buildings in Dallas.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Now, it is the home of the Dallas County History & Culture Museum. 
    • Lunch is at a restaurant in the West End.
  2. 1 day focusing on the arts. Go to:
    • The Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive and Pioneer Cemetery.   The Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive is world famous.  It covers 4.2 acres on split level terrain, and has 3 life-size cowboys and 50 steer.  
    • The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA).  The DMA has four floors of exhibits in over 500,000 square feet. 
    • The Nasher Sculpture Center (NSC).  Renzo Piano designed The Nasher Sculpture Center and Peter Walker designed the gardens.  It opened on October 20, 2003, and has more than 300 sculptures. 
    • The Trammel Crow Collection of Asian Art.
    • The Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe (CSVG).  The Cathedral was dedicated on October 26, 1902.  It has beautiful stained-glass windows.  Nicholas Clayton, the greatest architect in Texas history, designed it. 
    • Lunch is at the café in either the DMA or the NSC. 
  3. 1 day at the Dallas World Aquarium (DWA) and the Dallas Holocaust Museum.  Both museums are in the West End. Go to:
    • The DWA opened in 1992.  It is one of the two best aquariums in Texas.
    • The Dallas Holocaust Museum is the oldest such museum in Texas.  It was found in 1982.
    • Lunch is at one of the two DWA restaurants or a restaurant in the West End.
  4. 1 day at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Klyde Warren Park. Go to:
    • The Perot Museum opened on December 1, 2012.  Five floors house 11 permanent exhibit halls containing state-of-the-art video and 3D computer animation with thrilling, life-like simulations.  It has the world’s largest dinosaurs.
    • Klyde Warren Park was built over a highway.
    • Lunch is at the museum or at an El Fenix Mexican restaurant across the street.
  5. 1 day at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and the Dallas Zoo.  Also tour around White Rock Lake. Go to:
    • The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a 66-acre botanical garden located at 8617 Garland Road in east Dallas, Texas, on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake.
    • The Dallas Zoo is a 106-acre zoo located 3 miles south of downtown Dallas, Texas in Marsalis Park. Established in 1888, it is the oldest and largest zoological park in Texas and is managed by the non-profit Dallas Zoological Society.
    • Lunch is at one of three restaurants/cafes at the Botanical Garden including the Restaurant DeGolyer, the Lula May Slaughter Dining Terrace, and the Café on the Green on Friday through Sunday, or one of the 3 restaurants in the zoo:  the Zoofari Food Court, the Wilds of Africa Grill, or the Serengeti Grill.
  6. 1 day touring Dallas. Go to:
    • See the old mansion homes in the Swiss Avenue-Munger Place area.  This area of old mansions dates to 1905.
    • Tour through the historic Sparkman-Hillcrest Cemetery (perhaps, the most prominent in Dallas).
    • Drive through Deep Ellum – the home of many jazz and blues bars in the 1920s.
    • Go through Lower and Upper Greenville and its many mom and pop stores as well as more upscale boutiques.
    • Drive through Oak Lawn.  This is the most prominent gay area of Dallas. 
    • The Fair Park area where the 1936 World’s Fair was held, the Cotton Bowl Stadium is located, and home of the State Fair, and downtown.  Fair Park has the largest collection of art deco exhibit buildings, art, and sculpture.  The Music Hall at Fair Park is a popular concert venue.  Fair Park has a few museums in it including the Texas Discovery Gardens which has a butterfly exhibit, insectarium, native wildlife pond, scent garden, shade garden, and heirloom rose garden.  The Hall of State highlights famous historical Texans. 
    • In downtown, see the Farmer’s Market.
    • City Hall designed by I. M. Pei.
    • The classic 1921 Majestic Theatre.
    • Philip Johnson’s design of Thanks-Giving Square.  Thanks-Giving Square is more of a triangle.  It is a wonderful place to relax and to be grateful for all that is good in our lives.  It has a variety of cascading waterfalls. 
    • We will also drive by Fountain Place.  This is another tranquil place with a water theme at the fifth tallest building in Dallas.  It has 62 floors.  I. M Pei was the architect. 
    • Lunch is at the Old Mill Inn Restaurant inside Fair Park, one of the restaurants along Greenville Avenue, or the Zodiac on the 6th floor of Neiman Marcus in downtown.
  7. 1 day outside of the city of Dallas, but in the metropolitan area, to visit:
    • The Southfork Ranch in Parker, where scenes of the 1978 to 1991 television show Dallas were filmed. 
    • Later, we visit Robert Glen’s The Mustangs of Las Colinas in Irving.  This is one of the largest equestrian sculptures in the world.  It was put on display in 1984. 
    • The Mustang Museum.  It is only open on Wednesday through Saturday.
    • The Ruth Paine House Museum.  This was the home where Lee Harvey Oswald spent his last night.  It is only open Tuesday through Saturday.
    • We will also see the first billion-dollar stadium, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.  It ultimately cost $1.1.5 billion.  It has a retractable roof and one of the largest high definition video screens.  It has a seating capacity of 80,000, but has had 105,000 fans including standing room patrons.  It opened on May 27, 2009. 
    • Lunch is at Spring Creek Barbeque in either Richardson or North Dallas.
  8. 1 day at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and surrounding areas.  We tour:
    • The GWB Presidential Library and Museum opened on May 1, 2013.
    • Southern Methodist University (SMU).
    • The Park Cities (Town of Highland Park and the City of University Park).
    • The Preston Hollow neighborhood in Dallas where former President George W. Bush lives.  
    • Lunch is at the restaurant in the Museum building.
  9. 1 day at Six Flags Over Texas amusement park in Arlington.
  10. 1 or more days touring Fort Worth.  Fort Worth can include:
    • Downtown Fort Worth.
    • The Fort Worth Water Gardens.
    • The Fort Worth Stockyards.
    • Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky tonk.
    • The Kimball Art Museum.
    • The Amon Carter Art Museum.
    • Lunch is at Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant

Night Options include:

  • Shopping at the Galleria.  It has over 200 stores, including 9 anchors.  As of July 2014, the anchors include Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Banana Republic, H&M, and Belk.  It also has an ice-skating rink and many restaurants.  It opened in 1982.  It is open until 9:00 PM on Monday through Saturday and until 6:00 PM on Sunday.
  • Mesquite Rodeo from Memorial Day Weekend through August on Friday and Saturday nights, from 7:30 to 9:45 PM.
  • Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.  Enjoy a night in a castle, eating dinner off pewter plates and drinking from goblets while you cheer on your favorite knight who is riding and jousting with a potential enemy.  Shows run for two hours.  On Sunday they begin at 5:00 PM.  On Monday through Thursday, they begin at 7:30 PM.  On Friday, they begin at 6:00 and 8:30 PM.  On Saturday nights, shows begin at 5:00 and 7:45 PM.
  • Observation Deck or dinner in Reunion Tower.  The Reunion Tower Geo-deck observation deck is 470 feet above ground.  It has interactive screens to zoom in on what you are viewing.  A gift shop is at the base of the tower.  It is open until 10:00 PM.  Perhaps, you would like to have dinner at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck.  The name derives from the height of the restaurant – 560 feet high.  This is a revolving restaurant.  Make reservations for the restaurant.  The restaurant opens each night at 5:00 PM.  It closes at 10:00 PM on Sunday through Thursday and at 11:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.  The dress code is business casual.  Allow $50.00 to $100.00 per person for dinner.  (A luncheon restaurant called Cloud Nine Café is available during the day.  It costs about $10.00 to $12.00 per meal.)
  • Dinner Theater – The Texas Star Dinner Theater in Grapevine Texas has a dinner and murder mystery.  The doors open at 7:00 PM, dinner starts 7:30 PM, and the show starts at 8:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.  Allow 35 to 60 minutes to get there on a Friday night.
  • Comedy Club – The Hyena’s Comedy Nightclub has top named entertainment of comedians who may have seen on television or in movies on Thursday through Saturday nights.  Shows are about 1.5 hours and start at 7:30 PM on Thursday and Friday and at 7:00 PM on Saturday.  A second show opens on Friday and Saturday at 9:00 PM.

These night options are above and beyond the basic tour.  Your tour guide needs to be able to take care of paperwork from each day’s tours, get 8-hours of sleep, and be able to prepare for the next day.   You might want to call a taxi to go to any of the above places.