What to do in Dallas

[simba928]

My friend and I are looking at doing a short trip to Dallas. Neither one of us has ever been there. We are going for a concert. What all is there to do there? Any don't miss things. We're up for shopping as well as touristy things. Just keep in mind, we are both broke college students so anything too pricey is out (though we do enjoy window shopping at places we can only day dream about!)

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Funny. I'll be in the same boat this weekend. I thought about taking my son to Six Flags but figured I would really be let down after WDW. I guess we'll go to the concert, sleep in the hotel, and come home. The Rangers are out of town, too.

 

[simba928]

Let me know if you find anything good to do! We're flying in from PA so we're going to go for a few days.

Our other issue is that we won't be renting a car so we need to find a hotel convenient to the airport, concert venue, and things to do so we aren't paying a gazillion dollars in cab fares.

 

[Aristocath]

Where is the concert? To be honest, this is a very hard area to be without a car. Public transportation is limited and cabs aren't plentiful.

Shopping is a big thing to do in Dallas. We find the 6th Floor Museum very interesting and the Dallas Aquarium is fun. You can take the train to Fort Worth and see the zoo, I think it is better than the Dallas one. The stockyards are fun and fortWorth has great museums. We like the Dallas Museum of Art, too.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

We are driving from the Houston area. I wouldn't try Dallas without a car. Aristocath is right about that... If you've never been to Texas before one thing that you will find out is that it is as B-I-G as they say. Cars are the norm. Public transportation is, for the most part, for people who can't afford cars.

I think we'll head home Sunday morning after Saturday's concert and relax at home for the holiday. We are pretty boring. You sound young and exciting. Best of luck to you!

 

[malibuconlee]

I agree that I wouldn't do Dallas without a car.

What airport are you flying into? Where is the concert?

The real "downtown" portion of Dallas really is geared toward businesspeople and the streets roll up at night. NOt much going on there.

What days will you be there? Are you old enough for the clubs? If so I highly recommend getting into one of the big country dance halls there like Cowboys Red River or the small Top Rail to watch some country couples dancing. Nothing like it, you can watch for hours!

 

[damone]

If you meet a guy named JR, don't fall for his charms. He's wealthy and handsome, but he's a sneaky one.

 

[Kirby]

Like other posters have said, it is really hard to do Dallas without a car. DFW is inbetween Dallas and Ft. Worth. Love Field is just north of the downtown area.

 

[m&m's mom]

OK what concert am I missing?
Dallas is very spread out. It is going to be very difficult to get around without a car. Where specifically are you staying and where is the concert?

 

[simba928]

We will probably be flying into Lovefield. The concert is at superpages.com center. We won't be getting a car because we are both 20 and, therefore, too young to rent one. Any reccomendations on where to stay (or where not to stay)? How about any areas of town to stay away from in general? We are known for getting ourselves into interesting situations...

We are just starting the planning stages right now. We decided to go last night and the concert is 2 months away. We are not very good at planning. Two years ago, my friend and I went to NYC to see this band and it took us forever to plan it. We started off planning the trip to NYC, then Cleveland, then Cincinatti, then we were going to just stay here, then it was Hershey, and we finally decided back on NYC. Last year when we went to see this band, we didn't have tickets. I texted her on my way home from work around 5:30 saying that I felt like we should be there, she texted back saying she agreed, I told her to get online and see if we could still get tickets. By time I got home 20 minutes later, she had bought the tickets so I had 10 minutes to change and picke her up and we got to the venue just in time. We joke about our lack of planning skills so any and all advice would be much appreciated.

 

[m&m's mom]

Well at least the airport andSuper Pages are relatively close to each other.
What is your budget for a hotel? The area can be very dicey so be very wary of a cheap hotel.

 

[simba928]

We don't really have a set budget. Affordable is what I'm saying. We don't really want to spent 200$ a night, but we don't necessarily want to go for the cheapest motel we can find. We would probably stick with a hilton or marriot hotel (or one of their chains).

 

[Aimeedyan]

Some suggestions.

Driving is key; I suppose you aren't within driving distance? Be prepared to spend $$ on cabs. And I'd stay in a hotel with a concierge that has easy access to cabs or shuttles.

For great shopping, I'd hit North Park http://www.northparkcenter.com/. It's the largest privately owned mall in the country and it's full of great art that is all owned by the family that own the mall. It's upscale, though after the expansion now has some lower priced stores. Dr T and the Women filmed at this mall - it's where high society women have always shopped (near the swanky part of town).

The Galleria is huge, and has several hotels attached to it. It's more N Dallas though. It's upscale as well, with an ice skating rink. I just don't think of it as unique as North Park.

If you end up downtown, or are just curious, the flagship Neiman Marcus is downtown. Be sure and eat at The Zodiac Room while there; it's delicious!! http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/info/store.jhtml?storeId=01/DT&_requestid=38368 Be aware that NM only accepts their store card, AMEX, check, and cash. I always write a check when I dine there. The North Park NM has changed their Zodiac to a Cafe that looks good but I haven't been there yet.

Downtown Dallas has tried to be more than all business and has mostly failed. Fort Worth has figured it out; they have a great mix of business, condos/apartments, bars/clubs, restaurants, and retail along with great live music. You can take the TRE train http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/ to Fort Worth and visit the zoo, the museum district, or Sundance Square (downtown area - http://www.sundancesquare.com/). You could always visit the Stockyards or Billy Bob's (world's largest honkytonk LOL - http://www.billybobstexas.com/).

As far as hotels,I would avoid staying near Fair Park. Downtown Dallas would be okay if you are okay with knowing there won't be much within walking distance. We stayed at The Magnolia a few years back and it was awesome. They had a free shuttle to West End so we took that to grab a bite to eat but there wasn't much else. But, being downtown would likely mean access to a shuttle or constant cabs. Downtown Dallas to Downtown Fort Worth is really only about 30 miles, too (or abt an hour on the train).

Also know that in 2 months, it's going to be hotter than hell here. Plan air conditioned activities until late evening if possible. (maybe find a great hotel with a nice pool?)

Good luck planning!

 

[simba928]

Aimeedyan, thank you so much! Great suggestions that I will definitely have to check out.

How far is superpages.com center from downtown dallas? Someone said Lovefield and the venue are close to eachother. Would we be better off staying near there or staying downtown (or somewhere else)?

 

[MichelleVW]

I'm still wondering who you are flying across the country to see?

Honestly I can't imagine staying in the DFW area without a car.

 

[matt98378]

Do not stay near the venue (Fair Park) and do not do much exploring down there... get in and get out. There will be plenty of traffic for the concert, but try not to get lost. Also, I would not take the Dart bus down there... if you can't rent a car, I would take a cab. If you do rent a car, park inside the gates... not at one of the homes where people are flagging you down. It is not in a very good part of town. (I'm assuming that the state fair will not be going on when you are here... things are a little different when that is going on.)

Love Field is probably about 15-20 minutes or so from there. It's in a better part of town, but still not awesome. The area around Northpark is very nice.

 

[simba928]

I'm still wondering who you are flying across the country to see?

Honestly I can't imagine staying in the DFW area without a car.

Haha...Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato...lame, I know, but it's become somewhat of a tradition over the past couple years.

 

[MichelleVW]

Haha...Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato...lame, I know, but it's become somewhat of a tradition over the past couple years.

Lol, that's who I was thinking it was! If that's lame then call me lame too...my girls and I will be there too! The girls have seen JB in Raleigh, Alabama, Orlando, DC, Nick Jonas at the House of Blues in Dallas and this summer it's JB in Dallas. This will be my first show!

Be careful about where you stay. Like someone said, the area around Fair Park is pretty scary.

 

[MichelleVW]

oh, and if you like baseball at all The Rangers will be in town the day after the concert.

 

[m&m's mom]

I am going to say the SP and Love Field are 5-10 miles apart with downtown Dallas being more or less in the middle.
If you can find a decent rate, I would suggest staying in downtown. It is not a hopping downtown and do not go out with your friend alone to just walk around at night. There are some homeless people in that area.
I have worked in that area for 20 years but do not hang around after dark.
There is an Embassy Suites pretty close to Love that is on interstate 35. I have stayed there sheen there is bad weather and could not get home to the 'burbs.