Today I want to bring you my travel itinerary for spending 1 day in Dallas, Texas. This city has a lot to do and see, from museums to shopping and restaurants.
1 Day in Dallas
Dallas has a car culture. On my first long layover in Dallas, I refused to give into it, opting instead for public transport.
I had a good time visiting, but it didn’t take me long to realize the city was spread out enough that a car would’ve been helpful.
My second long layover in Dallas, which came on my way home from Chile, was different.
It happened to fall on a Sunday, when a generous local friend offered to show me around her city by car. I was excited to spend 1 day in Dallas with her.
Morning in Dallas
I arrived in Dallas at 7am after a 10-hour flight from Santiago. Dizzy with sleep, I dragged myself into the lounge at DFW airport, took a shower, and caught up on emails.
At 9:30am my friend pulled up outside baggage claim and I hopped into her car. In what felt like 30 seconds, we were downtown and on our way to her boyfriend’s apartment.
It was a very different experience than my previous trip to Dallas, when I took the much slower bus-and-train combination from the airport to the city.
Brunch in Dallas
At 11am, my friend, her boyfriend, and I again got in the car and my 1 day in Dallas continued as we drove to meet some of their friends for brunch at a restaurant called State & Allen.
It had been months since I’d last eaten a true American brunch, and I was excited to discover what unique twists Dallas would put on the meal.
The standard fare was all there. Bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys quickly filled the table, and brunch staples dotted the large menu page.
But there were also some great Southern and Texan specials, including several dishes with biscuits and gravy, and my Tex-Mex favorite, chilaquiles.
Soon the food arrived and the conversation covered everything from popular TV shows to the entire table’s shock when I told them there was a way to get from DFW airport to downtown Dallas without ever setting foot in a car.
JFK Sites in Dallas
After the meal my 1 day in Dallas continued as one of the brunch group, who was a Dallas native, offered to take me and my friends on our own personal Dallas sightseeing tour. In a car. Naturally.
As we drove from State & Allen to downtown Dallas, I began to see why Texans are so fond of their motor vehicles.
It was easy to get around, street parking was plentiful, and not all of Dallas’ main attractions were close to one another. It also didn’t hurt that the driver knew the area well.
The first stop on my 1 day in Dallas was perhaps the most famous sightseeing destination in the city: the JFK Memorial.
As we got out of the car, my guide pointed out the route along which President John F. Kennedy’s car was driving the day he was fatally shot in 1963. An X marked the spot on the road where he was first hit.
On the corner, the building from which his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, fired the tragic shots, still stood.
Even the grassy knoll of Dealey Plaza, around which many conspiracy theories about a second gunman swirl, was marked by a rather irreverent yellow sign.
Next to the street was the Sixth Floor Museum, which was dedicated to the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy.
One block away was the JFK Memorial Plaza, which featured a large stone monument to the fallen head of state.
Dallas Cattle Drive Sculpture in Pioneer Plaza
When we were done paying homage to our country’s history, we climbed back into the car and continued our 1 day in Dallas with a trip to Pioneer Plaza.
There’s a monumental work of art there by Robert Summers that depicts a cattle drive with 3 horse-riding cowboys and dozens of longhorn steers.
The sculpture commemorates the 19th-century cattle drives that took place in Texas, and it’s a popular visitor attraction.
While we were there, hordes of young cheerleaders (yes, the Texas cheerleading stereotype proved true that day) worked diligently to climb on top of the sculptures to pose for photos.
Neiman-Marcus
Moving on, our 1 day in Dallas took us to see the first Neiman-Marcus in America. The high-end department store was founded in Dallas, and now enjoys a national reputation as a purveyor of luxury fashion.
Its window displays were up to the company’s haute standards, but the Sunday closure meant we didn’t get a chance to see if the inside was, too.
Nasher Sculpture Center
From Neiman-Marcus our 1 day in Dallas continued as we pulled into the spacious parking lot of the Nasher Sculpture Center. After parking the car, we walked across the street to the museum.
On the way I noticed a sculpture of a man sitting high up on a raised platform. It was just like the ones I’d seen in Place Massena in Nice a few months back. Small world.
We visited the Nasher to see an Alexander Calder exhibition that featured many of the artist’s famous works.
The real highlight, though, was the sculpture garden outside. We liked a number of the works there, but the unanimous favorite was James Turrell’s Tending, (Blue).
Housed in black granite blocks, the “skyspace” sculpture formed a small square room with a large square hole cut into the ceiling.
After passing through a lighted entry, we could sit on a bench that lined the perimeter of the room and look up at the sky as interior lights changed with the atmosphere.
The effects were so mesmerizing none of us could take our eyes off the sky.
When we finally left Tending, (Blue), we continued our 1 day in Dallas by having coffee and a giant Texas-size chocolate chip cookie at the Nasher Sculpture Center cafe.
1 Day in Dallas
Afterwards it was time for me to head back to the airport. My guide generously offered to drop me off, and a quick 30 minutes later I was back in the lounge, pre-flight glass of wine in hand.
Reflecting on my two very different layovers in Dallas, I had to admit the city had a car culture for a reason. Although I didn’t mind taking the train from DFW airport to Dallas, it was easier to get around by car than it was by public transport.
But the real advantage of my second trip to Dallas wasn’t just the vehicle. It was the friends who’d taken me around their city and shown me the best of it during my 1 day in Dallas.
Car or no, I would’ve enjoyed my day with them immensely.
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2 Comments on Lady’s Itinerary for 1 Day in Dallas, Texas
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Thanks for sharing. I lived in Dallas for a few months and in Fort Wort for about 2 years. You seemed to hit most of the places I would take guests to see. It was nice to revisit those places!
The car culture drove me nuts there too. People would drive for hours and not think twice about it. They would drive long distances just to go out at night. People wouldn’t visit locations without parking lots.
Now that I’m in London, commuting seems to take just as long except I’m doing it mostly on public transport or foot. It feels almost like I’m back there – where you meet someone who lives in DFW, but as soon as you find out which neighborhood, you say “well nice knowing you.”
Great post. We are heading to Austin in May for a wedding, and I am quite annoyed we will need to rent a car. When I travel, the last thing I want to do is drive!