1) Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza provides a comprehensive exhibit on the life, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Opening February 16, 2009, "A Photographer's Story: Bob Jackson and the Kennedy Assassination," presents the captivating work of the former Dallas Times Herald photographer who won a Pulitzer Prize for his image of Jack Ruby shooing Lee Harvey Oswald. Open: 7 days a week 10 AM- 6 PM Tuesday-Sunday, Noon-6 PM.
2) The Public Artwalk is a 3.3 mile route highlighting thirty pieces of art and architecture in the Arts District and downtown Dallas., see enclosed map. link to artwalk.pdf
3) Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park. Nestled in 13 wooded acres just south of downtown Dallas, Dallas Heritage Village provides visitors, young & young at heart, a unique museum experience. The mission of Dallas Heritage Village is to collect, preserve and teach the history of Dallas and North Central Texas. Located in historic Old City Park, the museum uses its collections of historic buildings and furnishings, representing the period 1840-1910, to sponsor research, publications and exhibits, and to present educational programs and special events for diverse audiences of children, families and adults.
4) The Dallas Arboretum one of the most beautiful outdoor attractions in Dallas, features 66-acres of spectacular display gardens that showcase incredible seasonal flowers, ornamental shrubs, trees and plant collections in a serene setting on White Rock Lake. The Arboretum is home to seasonal outdoor festivals, concerts, art shows and more. Throughout the year, guests enjoy both indoor and outdoor dining in either our historic DeGolyer House cafe or on the dining terrace overlooking downtown Dallas.
5) The Dallas World Aquarium is a unique event facility in the Historic West End District. Features 80,000 gallons of saltwater exhibits including sharks, stingrays, and hundreds of reef fish all in living coral reef ecosystems. Guests are surrounded by tropical plants and animals from around the world.
6) Bishop Arts Merchants Association. Come and see the historical district where Dallas originally started. Revitalized, the district offers a culinary experience with a wide variety of casual and upscale restaurants, unique shops and services. It's one of Dallas' best-kept secrets! Enjoy shopping, dining, listening to live music or relaxing with a vintage soft drink.
7) The Dallas Arts District is the largest arts district in the nation, spanning 68 acres and 19 contiguous blocks. The district is comprised of museums, performance halls, corporate offices, residences, restaurants, churches and even a school. The Arts District has been a thirty year plan in the making and now boasts buildings by four Pritzker Prize-winning architects within a span of several blocks. The district?s architectural richness extends beyond that, however, with examples of significant buildings erected as far back as the late 1880?s, just 40 years after Dallas? founding.
8) The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) was founded in 1903. In 1984 the Museum moved into its current location, the 370,000-square-foot Edward Larrabee Barnes-designed building, as the first arts organization in the newly designated Arts District. Today, the Dallas Museum of Art ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and groundbreaking educational programs. The Museum?s collections contain over 24,000 works of art spanning 7,000 years of human creativity. The DMA is the only "encyclopedic" (art from all cultures and periods) art museum in North Texas. The Museum is especially known for its arts of the ancient Americas, Africa, Indonesia, and South Asia; European and American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; and American and international contemporary art.
9) The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain. With works dating from the 10th to the 21st century, the internationally renowned collection presents a broad spectrum of art covering a thousand years of Spanish heritage. The Meadows Museum collection includes masterpieces by some of the world?s greatest painters: El Greco, Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo, Goya, Miró and Picasso. Highlights of the collection include Renaissance altarpieces, monumental Baroque canvases, exquisite Rococo oil sketches, poly-chrome wood sculptures, Impressionist landscapes, modernist abstractions, a comprehensive collection of the graphic works of Goya, and a select group of sculptures by major 20th-century masters, including Auguste Rodin, Jacques Lipchitz, Henry Moore, Claes Oldenburg, David Smith and Fritz Wotruba. At the base of the plaza is a 40-by-90 foot moving sculpture, Wave, designed by Santiago Calatrava.
10) The Dallas Opera. Since its glittering 1957 inaugural concert with the legendary Maria Callas, the Dallas Opera has made a national and international name for itself by discovering new world-class talents and enhancing the careers of important artists, directors and designers.