RSS
Home
72 Hours in Dallas
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
As much as most of us would probably like to take a one-week vacation every time we need to get away, it is not always possible, and just a few days are all that we can manage. Nevertheless, 72 hours can be fun and fruitful if you have some idea of where to go.
This time around, we’re off to Dallas!
72 Hours in Dallas
From historic districts to local and national historic landmarks, arts and culture, family activities and more, Dallas--the top tourist destination in Texas--has something for everyone.
Before you go, check out the Dallas Convention & Visitor’s Bureau website, providing a wealth of information on things to see and do, dining, accommodation, shopping and event options in “Big D.”
Once in town, a good place for an overall historical perspective of the city is the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture. Housed in a stunning structure originally constructed in the Richardson Romanesque style in 1890 that once served as a county courthouse, the museum features 600 artifacts, interactive touch screens, 1,000 photos, four theaters and more, each offering a different perspective of county history from business to sports, medicine and music.
A wealth of African American history
The last time I was in Dallas, I was interested in exploring the numerous historic sites and attractions dotted around the metropolitan area of African American interest.
In what was once the Freedman’s Town area--a small Dallas community formed by Blacks freed from slavery in the mid-1860’s—you will find one of the largest Freedman Cemeteries in the country, as well as the Freedman’s Cemetery Memorial. Featuring larger-than-life-size figures cast in bronze by African American artist David Newton, the memorial was built in late 1990 to commemorate this important site, and it is now an historic and state landmark (North Central Expressway between Lemmon Avenue and Hall Street).
Built in 1922, the Booker T. Washington School at 2501 Flora Street, is the oldest traditionally African-American school in Dallas, and was Dallas’ only high school for African-American students for 17 years.
If in or near Fort Worth, be sure to check out the James E. Guinn School (1200 S. Freeway). Originally the South Side Colored School, it was the city’s first African American public school where in 1900, Gunn, the son of former slaves who grew up in Fort Worth, took the helm as principal.
Developed as the sixth stop on the interurban train line, the Stop Six Historic African American Neighborhood (originally known as Cowanville) encompasses a number of early 20th Century subdivisions with a range of housing forms and building types (roughly bounded by Rosedale, Loop 820 S. and Miller Street).
The first statue in the country erected to honor a black rodeo cowboy is the Bill Pickett Statue at 121 E. Exchange Avenue in front of the Cowtown Coliseum. Pickett is the inventor of the sport of bulldogging (or “kissing the bull”) and was the first Black man inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
At Young and Griffin Streets adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center is Pioneer Plaza. Situated on a four-plus acre landscaped area, the plaza represents the largest public open space in the central business district, and is second only to Dealey Plaza as the most-visited landmark in downtown Dallas. The Plaza commemorates Dallas’ beginnings by celebrating the trails that brought settlers to Dallas with a series of bronze figures.
Located in Fair Park, the African American Museum has stood for the past 35 years as a cultural beacon to understanding the African American experience, with emphasis on Dallas and the Southwestern U.S. From the shape of the building—an Ethiopian cross that symbolizes the intersection of the “four winds of the universe”—to the east Texas yellow pine that makes up the dome of the museum, every aspect of the building is representative and symbolic of the struggle and achievements of Blacks. A visit here is unlike that of any other museum.
You just could not go to Dallas without a visit to the John F. Kennedy Monument (Main and Houston Streets downtown), or The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. The latter is located in the former Texas School Book Depository where the shot that killed Kennedy rang out, and features educational and permanent historic exhibits encompassing over 400 photographs, artifacts, displays and award-winning videos about the life, times, death and legacy of President Kennedy.
The Districts
Dallas is chocked full of colorful and historic districts, each lending its own unique flavor and flair to the city.
In the early 1800’s, the Deep Ellum District was settled as a “Freedmens’ Town” by former slaves after the Civil War. The “Ellum” part of its name is a reference to how the African Americans—many from the South--pronounced “Elm” back in the day. Today, it is a popular district on Elm Street east of downtown, where locals and visitors alike enjoy some of the finest dining, shopping, arts and entertainment around.
Situated on Romine Avenue between Octavian and Latimer Streets, the Romine Avenue Historic District in South Dallas was built exclusively for African Americans as segregated housing in the early 20th Century. The 17 houses in the district, built between 1928 and 1940, were the first in the area to be constructed of brick and stone and were historically occupied by prominent African American educators, hotel proprietors and Pullman porters.
Consisting primarily of wood frame bungalows dating from 1916 to the mid-1930s, the Wheatley Place Historic District is one of Dallas’ first planned residential areas for Black families. Constructed in an effort to segregate African American housing in Dallas in the early 20th Century, the district is named for the 19th Century American poet Phyllis Wheatley, and attracted Black ministers and business leaders who made up the African American community’s middle class (bounded by Warren, Atlanta, McDermott, Meadow, Oakland and Dathe Streets).
Referred to by some as “a theme park of the arts”, The Dallas Arts District www.artsdistrict.org is a unique, 17-block, 60-plus acre neighborhood representing the heart of Dallas’ cultural environment. The District is home to numerous impressive facilities and organizations including the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Annette Strauss Artist Square, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and other entities.
This, of course, is just the top of the iceberg of things to see and do in Dallas. However, if you only have 72 hours, it is a good place to start!
More About:
Cultural Travel ·
Texas ·
African American Heritage ·
Multicultural ·
Dallas ·
Deep Ellum
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
I have to say that McAllen is an unexpected surprise. I had no idea what to expect, but went with an open mind and found it to be a charming little …
In our first sojourn to the Rio Grande Valley, we learned that the area offers a great deal for both residents and tourists alike, with shopping and …
- American Cowboy Museum - Houston, Texas
- Black American West Museum - Denver, Colorado
- George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center – Phoenix, Arizona
- Museum of Afro-American History - Boston, Massachussets
- New Orleans African American Museum of Art, Culture and History - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum - Kansas City, Missouri
- Denver Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Detroit Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Puerto Rico Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Shreveport-Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau
- Antoine's Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Besh Steakhouse - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Brennan's Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Cafe du Monde - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Caffe Sport - San Francisco, California
- Charlie’s Bar & Restaurant - San Nicolas, Aruba
- Columbia Restaurant - Tampa, Florida
- Court of Two Sisters - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Devito's Restaurant - Eureka Springs, Arkansas
- Dominique’s Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- El Charro Café - Tucson, Arizona
- Eric’s Restaurant - - San Francisco, California
- Galatoire’s Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Garibaldi’s on Presidio - San Francisco, California
- Grand Isle Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Healdsburg Bar & Grill - Healdsburg, California
- House of Blues - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Justin's Restaurant - Atlanta, Georgia
- K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Kuleto's Restaurant - San Francisco, California
- Local Flavor - Eureka Springs, Arkansas
- Lüke Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Mélange Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Olivier’s Creole Restaurant - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Ralph's on the Park - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Sparky’s Roadhouse Café - Eureka Springs, Arkansas
- Sushi on the Rocks - Indianapolis, Indiana
- Swett’s Restaurants – Nashville, Tennessee
- Taverna Santi - Geyserville, California
- Terra Cotta Restaurant - Tucson, Arizona
- The Gumbo Shop - New Orleans, Louisiana
- The Jazz Kitchen - Indianapolis, Indiana
- The New Orleans Cooking Experience
- Trattoria Contadina - San Francisco, California
- Vino Libro Wine Bar & Bistro - Atlanta, Georgia
- The Eisenhower Presidential Library
- The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
- The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum
- The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum
- The Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum and Library
- The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum
- The Jimmy Carter Library & Museum
- The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
- The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
- The Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace
- The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
- The William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
