Dallas/Downtown

Downtown Dallas is the Central Business District of the city of Dallas. Traditionally defined as the area within the belt of freeways surrounding the centre, it is now deemed to have expanded to an area known as Uptown, north of the Woodall Rodgers Freeway thanks to the new walkable Klyde Warren Park, while in the east the center spills across US-75 into the Deep Ellum neighborhood.

Downtown includes most of Dallas' extant historic buildings, its modern skyscrapers, and the majority of its historic institutions. There are no official administrative subdivisions of Dallas, but a local organization, Downtown Dallas Inc., took it upon itself to redefine, develop and advocate the interests of Downtown.

Understand

Uptown is the young, affluent area bounded by I-35E to the west, US-75 to the east, Woodall Rodgers (and central Downtown) to the south, and Turtle Creek to the north.

Deep Ellum, named for its place on the far eastern ("Deep") end of Elm Street ("Ellum"), consists of a 5-to-10-block-long stretch along Elm, Main, and Commerce streets east of Central Expressway. It can be reached easily via Commerce or Main Streets, northern parts of Dallas via Central Expressway to Good-Latimer, or eastern parts of Dallas via I-30 to First Ave/Exposition Ave.

Get in & around

By train
  • DART serves Downtown Dallas with several light-rail and commuters lines running through downtown with lines running in all directions. The furthest commuter lines run to Denton and Fort Worth (with a stop just south of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Other lines go to Plano, Richardson, Garland, and south Dallas.
  • To get to Deep Ellum on DART, take the Green Line to Deep Ellum or Baylor Stations.
  • Street parking in Deep Ellum is free during weekday business hours, but the meters are active on nights and weekends, and there are several pay lots in the area.
  • The free-to-ride M-Line Trolley (streetcar) runs from the northern part of Downtown straight through the middle of Uptown, where it connects to DART's Uptown Station (Blue, Red and Orange Lines.)
  • Amtrak has a station on the west side of downtown and shares a station with DART's commuter rail lines and 2 of the light-rail lines.

By car

Several expressways meet in downtown Dallas, forming a loop around the neighborhood. I-35E (going south to north) and I-30 (going east to west cross I-45 (from Houston), US-75 (to Sherman and Tulsa), and Woodall Rodgers (connecting I-35E to US-75.)

See
  • 🌍 Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture, 100 S Houston St, ☏ +1 214 745-1100, fax: +1 469 227-8417. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. Tells the story of the development of Dallas County from pre-historic times to the present day. This museum opened in May and the quality of the exhibits and explanations is unusually high. Very much worth a visit if you want to understand the historical context of Dallas. In the restored 1892 Courthouse Building, a few minutes' walk from the Sixth Floor museum. Adults $8. 
  • 🌍 Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood St, ☏ +1 214 922-1200. Tu-Su, 11AM-5PM, Th 11AM-9PM, closed Mondays, New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Great works of art from eastern and western cultures, from all ages. Free to most exhibits. 
  • 🌍 Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St, ☏ +1 214 242-5100. This collection of sculpture provides a fantastic outdoor oasis in the heart of the downtown arts district. The Renzo Piano designed facility pulls in the surrounding light and energy of the district but does not overwhelm. The indoor-outdoor collection of renowned Dallas collector Raymond Nasher is truly astounding. Ask about the combined admission ticket to see the Nasher and the Dallas Museum of Art, directly across Harwood St. 
  • 🌍 Dallas World Aquarium, 1801 N Griffin St, ☏ +1 214 720-2224. More than just an aquarium, this unique zoo tour starts at the canopy level of a rain forest. Visitors wind their way down past many types of animals to find the aquarium at the bottom. $15.95 adults and $8.95 children. 
  • 🌍 Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, 411 Elm Street Suite #120, ☏ +1 214 747-6660, toll-free: +1-888-485-4854, fax: +1 214 747-6662. Daily 9AM-6PM. An unfortunate part of Dallas' history is that it is the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The Texas Book Depository is the site where shots were fired by Lee Harvey Oswald, and the museum is on the sixth floor of the same building, with an extra exhibition on the seventh. It is a moving experience with videos, full-wall descriptions and photographs, along with artifacts from the event. The museum's gift shop is in a different building. Adults $13.50. 
  • 🌍 Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, 211 North Record St, ☏ +1 214-741-7500. M-F 9:30AM-5PM, Sa Su 11AM-5PM. The core exhibit covers the Jewish Holocaust during World War II. $10 adults, $8 students/seniors. 
  • 🌍 Klyde Warren Park. 6AM-11PM. In many ways this park is redefining the city's character. The Klyde Warren Park is a privately-funded public space over the underground section of the Woodall Rodgers Freeway which forms the northern boundary of Downtown. With greenery and performance/event spaces, it is one of the rare places in Downtown which allow outdoor recreation and enhances walkability towards Uptown. It is named after a living person, the son of its primary benefactor, Dallas billionaire Kelcy Warren. (updated Aug 2016)
  • 🌍 Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla St, ☏ +1 214-670-3111. Constructed in the early 1970s, the City Hall of Dallas is a unique architectural monument, shaped by its architect I.M. Pei as an inverted pyramid placed in the centre of a large open plot of land. While constructed of uncovered concrete, the building is not obnoxiously brutalist, as the colour of the concrete was carefully chosen to match the earth tones of the surrounding grounds. Unusual when constructed, it now provides a unique retrofuturistic vibe, which lent it to star, e.g. in Robocop as a dystopian corporate headquarters. (updated Nov 2020)
  • Dallas Museum of Illusions, 701 Ross Ave, ☏ +1 214-432-1582, . Sunday to Thursday-10:00am to 8:00pm Friday and Saturday-10:00am to 9:00pm. Located close to Dallas World Aquarium, this museum will take you from reality to the world of imagination, fusing fun with education. (updated Jul 2022)

Do

AT&T Performing Arts Center

Traditional performing arts in Dallas are housed in a complex of purpose-built objects next to the Klyde Warren Park. Construction was financed by private donations over the 2000s, and design attracted architects of international fame, with every building an architectural point of interest in itself. The major performing arts companies moved to the new buildings, each bearing a name of its principal sponsor, while also leaving space for guest performances, which provides for busy and varied schedules.

  • 🌍 Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Home of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Choir, features a busy schedule of classical music performances (updated Aug 2016)
  • 🌍 Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. Home of the Dallas Opera company and Texas Ballet Theater, both with wide repertoires, and also welcoming guest performances by acclaimed artists from all over the globe. (updated Nov 2020)
  • 🌍 Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre. Unorthodox in its design, the Wyly Theatre has its functions "stacked" one upon another, creating a relatively tall twelve-storey block, covered with anodized aluminium rods on the outside, with main stage seating for up to 600 spectators. The home company is the Dallas Theater Center. (updated Aug 2016)

Apart from the above, the square between the opera and symphony hall is sometimes used for outdoor performances and named Annette Strauss Square for the former mayor of Dallas who championed the arts.

American Airlines Center

The 🌍 American Airlines Center is a large arena that can seat more than 20,000 people, depending on the arrangement and event. It is most known as the home field for Dallas' basketball and hockey teams. The brick retro arena is just north of Downtown, adjacent to the Victory Park DART and TRE (Trinity Railway Express) rail stations, at address 2500 Victory Ave.

  • Dallas Mavericks. Dallas' professional basketball team, playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ticket prices vary from $10 up to $240 for a seat very close to the action. In 2011, the team won the NBA championship. Though the centerpiece of that team, Dirk Nowitzki, has long since retired, the Mavs remain relevant thanks to Luka DončiΔ‡. 
  • Dallas Stars. Dallas' professional hockey team, playing in the National Hockey League (NHL). 

Other activities

Buy

There are some good antique stores in the Knox-Henderson area.

Eat

There are tons of restaurants, or a couple dozen anyway, including Dick's Last Resort, Hooters, and what was the original Spaghetti Warehouse. There are several popular local establishments as well. This area does not make the list of must-see places in Dallas but is a convenient place for dinner or a drink if you are already in the area.

Central Downtown/West End

The area around West End (North Market Street) and further east along Main Street are the best places to start looking. On Sundays check out the food vans parked long the road by Klyde Warren Park.

Uptown/McKinney

It must be said that a bona fide "foodie" would be remiss to skip the fabulous restaurants that line McKinney Avenue and environs -- if there's one arena in which Dallas merits its own pretentions to "world-class" status, it's in its varied, creative restaurants, where quasi-celebrity chefs hold forth with true flair. Just to the north of McKinney is the Knox-Henderson area. It is similar but more laid-back. The west side of highway is Knox Street. This is just on the edge of Highland Park, and it features a plethora of home-decorating boutiques as well as eateries and watering holes. Cross the freeway and Knox becomes Henderson -- bastion of hip but laid-back eateries, check out Fireside Pies for one.

  • 🌍 Bread Winner's. Good Cinnamon Bread. Great customer service. 
  • 🌍 Gloria's, 3223 Lemmon Ave.. El Salvadoran/Tex-Mex in Dallas with many locations.Great food & Margaritas. Try a Meltdown. Very cheap. 
  • 🌍 Mi Cocina, 3699 McKinney Ave, ☏ +1 469-533-5663. Excellent Tex-Mex. Great frozen margarita. The flagship restaurant is Highland Park Village. Mi Cocina has other locations throughout Dallas. 
  • 🌍 Nick & Sam's Steak and Fish House, 2305 Cedar Springs Rd, Suite 405, ☏ +1 214 871-7444. A great steakhouse with very good service, be sure not to miss the bone-in filet. Dark, romantic atmosphere. Dress code enforced. It also has a great bar scene for anyone over thirty that wants something a little more sophisticated. 
  • 🌍 Nobu, 400 Crescent Ct, ☏ +1 214 252-7000. Excellent sushi. 
  • 🌍 Old Warsaw, 2512 Maple Ave, ☏ +1 214-528-0032. French dining with a distinctly old-fashioned feel. A Dallas institution since 1948. 
  • 🌍 State & Allen, 2400 Allen St., ☏ +1 214 239-1990. A place for a quick cocktail, or impeccably prepared food accompanied by a selection from an impressive wine list. (updated Aug 2016)

Deep Ellum
  • 🌍 Cane Rosso, 2612 Commerce St (just east of the 75, almost downtown), ☏ +1 214 741-1188. Excellent pizzas for main course and desert. 
  • 🌍 CafΓ© Brazil, 2815 Elm St. The Deep Ellum location of the Dallas favorite. 
  • 🌍 Pepe and Mito's, 2935 Elm St, ☏ +1 214 741-1901. This restaurant truly has some of the best Tex-Mex in Dallas. Try the tacos norteΓ±os, the fried taquitos, or the shrimp enchiladas verdes. You can't go wrong; there's not a bad choice on the menu. Everything is homemade, even the chips & sauce. 

Drink

Central Downtown

Uptown
  • 🌍 The Nodding Donkey, 2900 Thomas Ave, ☏ +1 214 922-8898. A casual place to drink beer and eat some good southern style food with your friends. 
  • 🌍 Concrete Cowboy (McKinney Avenue Area), 2512 Cedar Springs Rd, ☏ +1 214-934-1959. Dallas's newest party bar. Unbelievably crowded on the weekends and extremely popular. Typical 20s-30s crowd. 
  • 🌍 Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa, 2332 Leonard St, ☏ +1 214-550-9500. In Uptown Dallas, Dragonfly is a trendy bar and lounge that attracts an eclectic mix of Hollywood celebrities and world travelers. Open year round, the lounge offers a chic, poolside retreat. 

Deep Ellum
  • 🌍 Club Dada, 2720 Elm St. Shows W-Su. One of the oldest live music venues in Deep Ellum. They have a nice patio in back. 
  • 🌍 Sons of Hermann Hall, 3414 Elm. On the far east edge of Deep Ellum. This venue hosts live music of all types from local and national acts. 

Sleep

Mid-range

Splurge

Connect
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