3 days in Dallas with family - what to do?

[Minnesota!]

I swear I already posted this, but can't find it.

SW has amazing prices to Dallas so we are throwing around the idea of going for a long weekend in October.

Would come in late on a Wednesday night, leave early Sunday morning.

Places to stay/stay away from?

I don't know too much about Dallas outside of JFK and the Grassy Knoll. My older son is big into presidential history, so we would for sure go visit that.

Other ideas to fill up Thurs/Friday/Saturday?

Any fantastic, family friendly, restaurants that capture the essence of Dallas?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Micca]

For those interested in JFK, there's The Sixth Floor Museum in the old Texas Book Depository. Highly recommended.

 

[Mizzoufan]

If you are a fan of the TV show Dallas. You can go see the house that was shown.

 

[aprilgail]

We were just in Dallas this month- can't imagine staying there for three days though. We did go to a cool bbq place but I forget the name of it sorry! I have never seen so many pick up trucks in one area as I did there! We did go to reunion tower and from there you have a good view of the Grassy knoll and book depository. But otherwise not much interested us in Dallas- there was an amusement there but it was 106 when we were there so that was out!

 

[Neesy228]

Fort Worth Stockyards are fun. Reunion Tower is neat, but pricy.
The Texas State Fair runs thru October 18th if you want a true taste of Texas!
The arboretum is a pretty place to stroll through.
Food...well, there's the requisite What-a-Burger on every corner. Lots of good places to eat if you look hard enough. Check yelp and tripadvisor for some suggestions.
We had a tough time finding a hotel that we didn't think was a little gross, which may be the first time we've ever had that problem in a big city. Finally found a nice place out by the airport.
There's plenty of things to keep you busy if you're not there when it's miserably hot!

 

[aprilgail]

We had a tough time finding a hotel that we didn't think was a little gross, which may be the first time we've ever had that problem in a big city. Finally found a nice place out by the airport.
There's plenty of things to keep you busy if you're not there when it's miserably hot!

We stayed in a Marriott that was ok- it was Courtyard Dallas Central Expressway.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We went years ago to visit friends. Our DS was only 3 at the time, but we enjoyed:

The Dallas World Aquarium
The Dallas Arboretum
The Science Place
The Railroad Museum at Science Fair Park
The Hall of State
and Pioneer Plaza.

 

[Minnesota!]

Thanks, all. My older son has been obsessed with Texas for a while, wants to visit. At under $100 RT, I have no problem indulging that. Honestly, he would be happy seeing the Book Depository and then swimming...so as long as we have a good pool at our hotel, it should be good!

I am actually shocked that I have not found more "stuff" to do there. I swear there was a trip report on here a few years ago about Dallas...and I thought it looked so fun. I will have to see if I can dig that up from the depths

Love pickup trucks and BBQ, so it sounds fantastic to me

 

[pcstang]

We stayed downtown in a new home wood suites. Very clean and only a couple of blocks from the JFK area. I highly suggest doing a Segway tour. If your interested, I'll send you the name of the company we used. We did a private tour with our group of four. Doing a private tour gives you the option to pick the time you want to go. It was over last years Labor Day weekend and was HOT! We opted to head out at 6:30 pm and had a fantastic guide and time.

 

[Planogirl]

The Dallas World Aquarium is very nice. Don't confuse it with the Dallas Aquarium in Fair Park.

There's also a Ripley's and a Medieval Times. You could spend a night at the Great Wolfe Lodge.

There are plenty of places to shop including quaint shops in historic little communities. It really depends on what you enjoy.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I lived in Dallas (well, Valley Ranch and Irving) for six years and I adored it. Sunrises and sunsets can be amazing. Don't miss Fort Worth and the Stockyards if you have any interest in cowboys and what I think of as the "real" Texas. Dallas is a modern, clean city, but not much going on downtown entertainment wise. They do have some nice museums. Don't miss the grassy knoll, the 6th floor museum, and Pioneer Plaza.

I grew up watching Dallas, so I enjoyed Southfork. It's not much to see if you have no connection with the show, but definitely worth it if you ever liked JR Ewing. It's a little north of the city in the Plano area.

In October there are some cool haunted houses if your family has any interest in that. In fact, for those who really love Halloween, there is a Halloween theme park called Screams that is about 45 minutes south of the city. Fun for teens and young adults.

There are always concerts and theater performances going on in the area.

Personally, I just loved driving around and noting the scenery that is so different from the area where I grew up.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

And for a restaurant, I loved Saltgrass Steakhouse. Went there again and again. It felt very "Texas" to me. It is a chain, but they are mostly located in the West and Southwest. Their Range Rattlers, an appetizer of deep fried jalapeños stuffed with cheese and shrimp, are out of this world.

Cattlemen's in Fort Worth is quite famous and very unique-to-Texas.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I second Fort Worth...super fun there. I would tour AT&T stadium where the Cowboys play (but then again, I'm a Cowboys fan...I've heard the tour is really good though. Is the George bush presidential library there? I think it is and my parents liked it. I used to have a client in the medical district and my favorite place to eat was Mike Anderson's BBQ. Get a spudzilla with brisket.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I used to live in the Dallas area but it was a while ago
The Texas State Fair will be until Oct. 18. Its always alot of fun.
The places the others have mentioned are fun.
For bbq you can check out Colters, Sonny Bryans or Spring Creek
The Fort Worth Zoo is fun
You can check out the Fort Worth Stockyards Calendar to see what events are happening when you are there.

 

[sk!mom]

Thanks, all. My older son has been obsessed with Texas for a while, wants to visit. At under $100 RT, I have no problem indulging that. Honestly, he would be happy seeing the Book Depository and then swimming...so as long as we have a good pool at our hotel, it should be good!

I am actually shocked that I have not found more "stuff" to do there. I swear there was a trip report on here a few years ago about Dallas...and I thought it looked so fun. I will have to see if I can dig that up from the depths
Love pickup trucks and BBQ, so it sounds fantastic to me

I'm in the metroplex know and tbh it's my least favorite Texas city since it's "just a big city" but you should be able to fill a weekend pretty easily.

If he's obsessed with Texas then skip Six Flags and Ripleys and visit Texas stuff...
Day one- history- Head to Dealey Plaza and the 6th floor museum. Then over to the Bush Presidential library.

Day two-stereotypical Texas- visit the Fort Worth Stockyard. You could even park at Grapevine and take the vintage train if that interests you. Or just drive to the stockyards look around and get tickets for the Wild West Show.

Day three- hopefully you are planning the trip during the State Fair. Nothing says Texas like Big Tex and the Fair. If I'm going to Fair Park, I like to stay in an area where I can jump on DART to avoid parking at Fair park.The fair would easily fill a day.

I know many people who have loved the Cowboy stadium tour. If you do it be sure and pay for the tour that gets you down on the field.

If I'm in Dallas, It's normally for a concert or event so check Ticketmaster to see what's happening the weekend you choose.

Food: If I was trying to do "Texas" I'd get TexMex one night (Chuy's is our choice- had it tonight- get the house margarita on the rocks!.) Then barbecue one night- no recommendation as I'm not a fan. Then Steaks one night- Saltgrass is excellent but ask around for a non chain/local place.

ETA- If you decide on the Grapevine train, I've heard good things about the Grapevine Opry on Saturday nights.

 

[mulanshaircut]

-Perot Museum of Nature and Science
-Dallas World Aquarium
-Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth
-Fort Worth Stockyards Cattle Drive
-Uncle Julio's for great Tex-Mex

 

[tcufrog]

I live in the area and this is what I recommend. In October the the Dallas Arboretum has an amazing pumpkin display that's wonderful for seasonal portraits of the kids. They also have a really cool children's garden that's probably unlike anything you've ever been to. Admission though is separate and I recommend getting tickets to it in advance. The Texas State Fair is the largest state fair in the US. It's really hard to imagine the size until you've gone. The Dallas World Aquarium isn't a typical aquarium consisting of rows of fish tanks. The centerpiece is a multistory recreation of a rain forest canopy and the main part of the aquarium winds around the display. My family loves aquariums and it's our favorite. October 23-25 is Boo at the Zoo at the Fort Worth Zoo. There will be all sorts of special Halloween activities included with zoo admission. Even if you don't go to Boo at the Zoo the zoo is still worth the price of admission. I don't recommend the Dallas Zoo but the Fort Worth Zoo is awesome. I do recommend getting there close to opening if possible because the parking stinks and it's a very popular zoo. The Fort Worth Stockyards are a fun place to walk around. Everyday at 10 am and 4 pm there's cattle drive reenactment through the district and every Friday and Saturday night there's a rodeo.

I can post more things to do but I think all of this would fill up more than a weekend.

 

[janette]

If your older son likes presidential history go to the George W Bush Presidential Library; he can take his picture in the oval office. Also has a display of the dogs of different presidents or at least it did when I visited. If they are interested in science go to the http://www.perotmuseum.org/ - it is close to the Aquarium so you might be able to visit both in the same day.

For hotels if you want to splurge there is a Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine; lots of fun for younger kids. If you want something more central to Dallas my daughters have stayed in http://www.sheratonsuitesdallas.com/ The Market Sheraton is all suites so gives them room to stretch out. Not many restaurants right by the hotel but they aren't too far away.

For Restaurants I'd suggest http://www.rosascafe.com/; more of a quick service but good Tex/Mex. Sonny Bryan's or http://www.risckys.com/ in the Stockyards are good for BBQ. The Stockyards in Fort Worth will be the best place to go for a real "Texas" experience. Check the calendar and make sure you are there for the cattle drive http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/Event.aspx?eId=5

 

[soniam]

There's the new Natural History Museum (I think) done by Ross Perot in downtown. We haven't been yet, but it looks awesome. The science museum at Fair Park is really cool. The State Fair is great. You have to ride Big Tex and get strudel. Joe T Garcia's in Ft Worth is good. Chuy's is my favorite, but they are technically an Austin restaurant and have a location in Dallas. Sonny Bryan's is supposed to the bet BBQ, but I think Dickey's is good too. Babe's Chicken Dinner House, which has a few locations, is excellent. There's also Six Flag's in Arlington.

 

[Rhombus]

Dallas in October?

It's obvious.

State Fair.
Six Flags Over Texas during Fright Fest
Tour Cowboys Stadium and even the nearby Texas Rangers stadium, whatever it's called these days.
Perhaps the Dallas Stars hockey team has a game while you're in town.