<p>We’re planning a trip to Dallas this summer, and most of the family is not into sports or amusement parks, so wondering what there is to do in the area other than that.</p>
<p>We’ll be near the Arlington area, and since that’s where Six Flags and the Ballpark and the Death Star are located, wondering if there is anything of interest for us there.</p>
<p>I spent a weekend in Fort Worth and would like to head over there for the cattle run, but looking for something a young, college age person would like to do.</p>
<p>College age boy is not outdoorsy, but is more into history, museums, aerospace, astronomy, video games, technology, and music.</p>
<p>We will probably head over to Dallas to see Dealy Plaza and the book repository, but don’t know what else would be of interest to the college boy there.</p>
<p>You must go to the Book Depository! It’s a wonderful collection of things regarding JFK’s assassination. Fascinating, at least to those of us who lived through it.</p>
<p>We tried to go right when it opened and couldn’t get tickets. Plan ahead. I think it is suppose to be great. Should be right up your son’s alley.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, Dallas isn’t just filled with cool, touristy things to do. I lived there for 28 years (loved it), but when people came to visit, the main pasttime was shopping. AWESOME shopping! And eating. The usual suspects have been mentioned.</p>
<p>Make sure to visit the Perot Museum. Try to find an “off” time to go, because there are lots of interactive tech-y, science-y, music-y things to do, and he doesn’t want to have to have to push the tiny tots out of line.</p>
<p>The art museums in Ft. Worth are nice.</p>
<p>The Mesquite Rodeo has events in the summer. Pretty fun (unless one is morally opposed.)
[Mesquite</a> Pro Rodeo | Resistol Arena | Mesquite Rodeo | Resistol Arena | Championship Rodeo](<a href=“http://www.mesquiterodeo.com/]Mesquite”>http://www.mesquiterodeo.com/)</p>
<p>There is live theatre and live music at various venues. I would recommend going onto the Ticketmaster web site and typing in your dates to see who/what is in town at the time.</p>
<p>Yeah, the book depository museum is called The Sixth Floor Museum. It’s terrific. And the area behind it, the West End, is more interesting than the rest of downtown. </p>
<p>The Kimball Art Museum is also worth seeing.</p>
<p>The Kimball is in Fort Worth, and houses an amazing collection of art, mainly from Europe but expanding in art from other parts of the globe. Next door is the Modern, with (wait for it…) modern art. Across the lawn (except for the construction zone of the Kimall addition) is the Sid Richardson museum of American Art. Unfortunately I’m not aware of any discount Multi-venue admission relationship to visit them all. The Richardson is free, though.
For aviation, there is the CWPost American Airlines museum along 360 north of Arlington. I’ve only been to events there, never as a museum visitor.
Dallas has an aquarium, but if you visited the NOLA Aquqrium of the Americas pre-Katrina you won’t be impressed.
And if anyone suggests Southfork from the old Dallas TV show, no. Nothing to see there.</p>
<p>Dallas-
I too highly recommend the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. It is very popular. Make sure you purchase the tickets online in advance. From there you can walk a couple of blocks to the Klyde Warren Park.</p>
<p>Fort Worth-
U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing-One of the only two facilities (the other one is in D.C.). I have never been there but I know people who went really enjoyed the experience.
[U.S</a>. Bureau of Engraving and Printing - Fort Worth, TX Tours](<a href=“Home | Engraving & Printing”>Home | Engraving & Printing)</p>
<p>Great ideas! Thanks! We took a trip to Washington state a few years ago and son loved seeing the planes at both the Museum of Flight and the Boeing plant. </p>
<p>We missed the Mint in DC because it was so hard to get tickets. Will have to check out the Fort Worth location.</p>
<p>We may be doing some college tours: SMU, TCU and any other engineering colleges in the area, so if there’s any neat museums near there, please chime in!</p>
<p>If you are on the SMU campus, check out the Meadows Museum of Spanish Art. It is small, but excellent. I didn’t think I would be interested in just Spanish art, but I’ve been three times and loved it. I would also recommend the cafe in the museum, but I think it’s closed for renovations. It may be open by the time you get there.</p>
<p>In Fort Worth - The art museums are great - but don’t laugh at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. My D loves it (but she’s a real cowgirl). Also the rodeo at the stockyards is fun (but small). Mesquite Rodeo is bigger, but a much farther drive if you are staying Arlington. Best Restaurant in Arlington - Cacharel. It is hard to find (on the top floor of an office building), only seats about 30 - but the food is wonderful. It is at 2221 E Lamar Blvd - very close to most hotels.</p>
<p>When your plans are firmer, let us know more specifics and we can make good restaurant recommendations. Like MOWC said, what people really do in Dallas is shop and eat out.</p>
<p>UT Dallas would be good to visit if there is an interest in engineering. Research the school, however, before making the trek out there because it’s not for everyone.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that the Museum of Biblical Art is nice, if that’s up your alley. (I’ve never been.)
[url=<a href=“http://www.biblicalarts.org/]Museum”>http://www.biblicalarts.org/]Museum</a> of Biblical Art, Dallas, Texas<a href=“If%20you%20are%20interested,%20it’s%20only%20a%20few%20miles%20from%20SMU.”>/url</a></p>
<p>Are you from a place where it is very warm in the summer?</p>
<p>If you’re interested in “cowboy art” (e.g., Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, et al), the Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth should be on your list. They feature American art in general, but the R&R stuff is a specialty.</p>
<p>I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the Nasher Sculpture Center – a definite must see and great this time of year. [Nasher</a> Sculpture Center - Home](<a href=“Nasher Sculpture Center”>http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/) Nearby is the fabulous Crow Collection of Asian Art. [The</a> Crow Collection of Asian Art : Home](<a href=“http://www.crowcollection.com/]The”>http://www.crowcollection.com/) Dallas also has a small, but worthwhile Holocaust Museum. It is different than many Holocaust museums in that it focuses on one particular day in the Holocaust. As previously mentioned, there is also an aquarium in the West End, nice, but pricey – and there are better aquariums in other cities and more things to do that are unique to Dallas.</p>
<p>While in the arts district you can also see the Meyerson Symphony Center, the Wyly Theater and the Winspear Opera House if you are interested in architecture. Another fun thing to do is ride the McKinney Avenue Trolley from the Dallas Museum of Art over to the Uptown or the West Village for lunch. Add in a visit to the Klyde Warren Deck Park – be sure to visit the food trucks – the Perot Museum, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Book Depository and you can easily spend three full days exploring downtown Dallas – and much of it will be free. (If you feel you must shop in Dallas, the original flagship Neiman’s is downtown as well.)</p>
<p>After reading all of these posts - who could ever say that DFW is boring or doesn’t have any culture?? I’ve lived hear for 30 years and it just keeps getting better all the time. </p>
<p>Also, check out the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge designed by Calatrava and the Omni Hotel at night (you either love it or hate it!) Oh and Fuel City for tacos.</p>
<p>The observation deck at the top of Reunion Tower is closed at present time but you can eat at the revolving Wolfgang Puck restaurant for the views.</p>
<p>If your family is tired of museums and wants something different, Speed Zone has car racing games for all ages, video game room and putting golf.</p>