Everything is bigger in Dallas. The Big D can be an EXciting place to visit. Grab a pair of cowboy boots, get ready to taste some Tex-Mex fare, and have fun.
Dallas may be a large city, but there are a number of places for EXile. Escape to the Dallas Arboretum (214-515-6500; www.dallasarboretum.org) and rediscovery peace while walking around 66 acres of gardens. Decompress while walking the gardens and viewing the sculpture art at Nasher Sculpture Center (214-242-5100; www.nashersculpturecenter.org).
Put on your walking shoes and EXplore different parts of Dallas. Learn about the city’s art scene by taking part in the Art District Stroll, a guided tour on the first Saturday of each month, sponsored by the Arts District Friends. The Dallas Historical Society (214-421-4500; www.dallashistory.org) offers interesting tours, such as the JFK Tour: In the Steps of Lee Harvey Oswald and the Legend of Bonnie and Clyde Tour. Just a few minutes away in Fort Worth, you can take a guided walking tour of the famous Stockyards (817-625-9715; www.stockyardsstation.com). If you like to walk at your own pace, Dallas Foundation (www.dallasfoundation.org) has available printable maps for self-guided walking sculpture tour.
EXhale as you reach the top of Dallas’ famous Reunion Tower. Perhaps the most recognizable symbol in the Dallas skyline, the 68-second elevator ride takes you up 55 stories to the public observation deck for a 360-degree view of Dallas. Along with the restaurant and lounge, all rotate at the rate of one revolution every 55 minutes.
Get your EXercise at Move Studio (www.movestudio.com) that features Pilates, Yoga, Ballet, NIA, and much more. Drop-ins are welcome. Lace up your skates and hit the Ice Skating Center (972-392-3361; http:// galleriaiceskatingcenter.com) at Galleria Dallas (www.galleriadallas.com). Don’t worry if you haven’t ice skated in forever (or never), adult classes are available.
EXperience Dallas by visiting such sites as Southfork Ranch (972-442-7800; http://southfork.com), home to that oil-barren television clan of the early eighties, the Ewings on Dallas. Do more than window shopping at Nieman Marcus’ flagship store located downtown (214-741-6911). Opened in the early 1900s, the store features a fifth floor museum that tells the story of the retailer. If you are a historical buff, the 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza (214-747-6660; www.jfk.org) was once the location of the old Texas School Book Depository. Today it is now a museum and educational exhibit chronicling the life, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. You can view the window area where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shots that led to the assassination of Kennedy.
