Dallas is a business city in northern Texas, on the Trinity River, forming with its neighbour Fort Worth the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Founded as a trading post in 1841, it grew on the railroad and cotton, got rich on the East Texas oilfield of the 1930s and today is one of the regions of the country with the most corporate headquarters. The shooting of President Kennedy in Dealey Plaza on 22 November 1963 is the best known moment in the city's history. The Arts District, with its museums gathered within a single walk, is the largest urban arts district in the United States; Texas barbecue, football and enormous shopping malls are part of daily life.
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See flights to Dallas →When to visit Dallas
March to May and October to November are the easiest periods, with daytime temperatures of 20C to 27C and the arboretum in bloom in spring. From June to September days pass 35C with humidity, and 38C is normal in July and August, so sightseeing shifts to air conditioned interiors. December to February is mild at 10C to 16C, with a few cold snaps and rare ice. April and May are storm season, with short violent downpours in the afternoon.
Things to do in Dallas
Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
The sixth floor of the former Texas School Book Depository overlooking Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was shot in 1963, became a museum in 1989 together with the window from which Lee Harvey Oswald fired. The exhibition tells the assassination, the investigations and the America of the period through photographs, film and audio. Two white X marks on the road in the plaza show where the car was hit, and tickets are bought in advance.
Reunion Tower
Opened in 1978, the 171 metre tower with its illuminated ball at the top is the emblem of the Dallas skyline, and its 259 LED lights change colour on special nights. The GeO-Deck observation level has both an open and an enclosed 360 degree terrace, with telescopes reaching as far as Fort Worth. The revolving restaurant above it is booked for dinner, and sunset is the busiest hour.
Dallas Arboretum
Spreading over 26 hectares on the eastern shore of White Rock Lake, the garden is known for the Dallas Blooms festival, when hundreds of thousands of tulips and daffodils open in spring; the pumpkin village built in autumn from more than 90,000 pumpkins draws as many people. There is a separate eight hectare discovery garden for children. The city skyline shows across the lake, and parking is reserved ahead at weekends.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The cube shaped concrete building designed by architect Thom Mayne and opened in 2012 carries a 54 metre glass escalator on its outer face. Eleven permanent halls run from dinosaur skeletons to the energy geology of Texas and an earthquake simulator, and an Alamosaurus skeleton greets visitors at the entrance. It stands at the northern edge of downtown and families set aside half a day.
Fort Worth Stockyards
The old livestock market of Fort Worth, 50 kilometres west of Dallas, is the living quarter of the Texas cowboy past: on brick paved Exchange Avenue a herd of longhorn cattle is driven by mounted cowboys every day at 11.30 and 16.00. Billy Bob's is known as the largest country music hall in the world and rodeo is held at weekends. It is an hour from Dallas on the TRE train.
Klyde Warren Park
Built in 2012 over the Woodall Rodgers freeway, the two hectare park links downtown to the Arts District and has become the outdoor living room of Dallas. Food trucks, free yoga and concerts, a playground and chess tables are busy every day. The permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art opposite is free, and the garden of the Nasher Sculpture Center is next door.
Flights from Turkey to Dallas
Direct flights to Dallas from Turkey leave from Istanbul Airport, operated daily year round by Turkish Airlines, and take about 12 hours 50 minutes. Departure is in the morning or afternoon and, thanks to the time difference, arrival is the same afternoon; the return lands the following day. Dallas/Fort Worth Airport lies between the two cities, about 30 kilometres northwest of downtown Dallas, and the DART Orange Line train reaches the centre in 50 minutes.
Dallas FAQ
How many days do you need in Dallas?
Dealey Plaza, the Arts District, Reunion Tower and the arboretum take two days. A third goes to the Fort Worth Stockyards. Adding the three hour drive to Austin or San Antonio stretches a Texas trip to five or six days.
How far is the airport from the city centre?
Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is about 30 kilometres from downtown Dallas. From the station attached to Terminal A the DART Orange Line train reaches the centre in 50 minutes, while a taxi or ride hailing car takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Downtown Fort Worth is the same distance away and is reached by the TEXRail train.
Do you need a visa for the United States?
A Turkish passport needs a United States visitor visa. The application consists of an online form and a consular interview, and appointment waiting times can stretch a long way in some periods, so planning should start months before the travel date. Those who hold the visa need no further permit on arrival.
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