Travel Info

Dallas is a wonderful place with a great deal to offer and an immense and diverse set of attractions, food and people. From the ultra-up to date and posh Uptown and Victory developments, to the old-world elegance and upper-crust attitude of Turtle Creek, to the “real life” feel of largely-suburban North Dallas, it is virtually impossible to neatly categorize Dallas beyond this: it is one of the largest cities within America, and a metro region where more and more people are choosing to work and live every year. With that within mind, you should enjoy visiting Dallas for all the same reasons why others determine to live there. Districts * Downtown, including the customary West End. Home to a burgeoning residential and nightlife district. * East Dallas – This is the oversized region north of I-30 and south of Mockingbird, extending from Central Expressway to White Rock Lake and beyond. The closer-in areas are some of the “streetcar suburbs” located from the teens to ’30s, with quaint bungalows and neighborhood strips that are flourishing with restaurants, taverns, coffeehouses, wine bars, and vintage shops. A oversized oasis of laid-back within a sometimes uptight city, homey-but-hip East Dallas is a great place to mingle with locals. Contained within East Dallas are Lower Greenville and Deep Ellum. * Lake Highlands, a largely residential region bordering Garland on the north and Mesquite on the east. * North Dallas and Preston Hollow, including the areas along the south side of northern I-635 loop (LBJ) but extending up around the borders of the North Dallas Tollway and Addison. Made up of a fair amount of upscale neighborhoods, north of the Park cities and mostly south of LBJ. * Northwest Dallas, home to Koreatown and to Dallas Love Field, the city’s second biggest airport. * Oak Cliff, a oversized low-income, mainly residential region southwest of downtown. North Oak Cliff or “Kessler Park” is another “streetcar suburb” and is home to upscale homes, from vintage 1930′s bungalows, to mid-century modern, to new contemporary. The Bishop Arts District, centered on Bishop and Davis streets, is one of the City’s hottest areas for new restaurants, cafes, and boutiques, drawing an eclectic crowd within which the creative class and the gay region are well-represented. North Oak Cliff is a slice of Austin within Dallas. * Oak Lawn, north of downtown, Oak Lawn includes authentic Turtle Creek highrise living, a good amount of Parks and restaurants, dense, urban neighborhoods of mostly townhomes, apartments, and condos, and also includes the gay region of Cedar Springs. * South Dallas, home to the Texas State Fairgrounds, Fair Park is open all year and is home to a fair amount of museums. The Cotton Bowl is at Fair Park, and the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma face off on the gridiron here every year within the fall during the Texas State Fair. The Exposition Park neighborhood across from Fair Park and the DART Fair Park stop, is a little hamlet of hipster bars, clubs, and restaurants. * Uptown – Immediately east of the Oak Lawn region — a playground and shopping grounds for the attractive people of the city. Extends from Woodall Rodgers on the south to Haskell on the north, and from Central Expressway on the east to the Katy Trail on the west. Immediately north of Uptown, and sometimes thrown in as part of it, is the Knox Park neighborhood, which includes cafes and a plethora of upscale home furnishings shops. “Knox/Henderson” is a split personality urban neighborhood worthy of its own designation. The Knox side west of Hwy 75 is the more upscale half, with a good amount of cafes and upscale home decor shops. The Henderson side lagged behind its Knox half, but is now just as trendy, with a more low-key, relaxed vibe. Henderson sweltering spots now line Henderson all the way from Hwy 75 to Ross. Knox and the western half of Henderson are very pedestrian friendly. Knox/Henderson is just a fleeting meander up the Katy Trail from West Village. * Dallas/Highland Park and University Park. One of the wealthiest areas of the city, the “Park Cities” are mostly residential, but also offer world-class shopping opportunities at Highland Park Village (corner of Mockingbird and Preston) and elsewhere. North Park mall is on the northern edge of the Park Cities. University Park is home to Southern Methodist University (SMU), the Meadows Museum at SMU, and the under-construction George W. Bush Presidential Library. * West Dallas is largely a blighted region of poverty, but it does feature the one-of-a-kind Belmont Hotel, which has arguably the highest views of downtown. West Dallas is easily connected to the Oak Cliff area, and is poised for re-development as part of the Trinity River Project, and the under-construction Hunt-Hill Bridge across the Trinity River, designed by famed Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. Some region venues often thought of as Dallas venues are actually located within the suburbs, notably the following: * Addison, almost surrounded by North Dallas, has a good amount of cafes and shopping  filled into its 4 square miles. * Arlington, home to the new Cowboys Stadium, Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, and the ballpark of the Texas Rangers. * Irving, former home of the Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium, it serves as the gateway to the massive DFW airport. * The suburbs of Carrollton and Lewisville, north along I-35E have less to offer within terms of attractions, but deliver a good amount of tourist accommodations, a good amount of restaurants, and are reasonably in proximate adjacency to any Dallas destination. The same might be said for Richardson and Plano, which lie north from Dallas along US-75. * Grapevine has a nice customary leading road region and a good amount of wineries. The heaviest concentrations of hotels can be found within North Dallas along I-635 and North Central Expressway and within Northwest Dallas along I-35E, while Downtown offers more high-end accommodations. Some travelers may come upon it more acceptable to reprieve within Irving closer the DFW airport, within Arlington proximate the play parks, or within one of the northern suburbs such as Lewisville, Carrollton, Plano, or Richardson.