Top Ten Things To See and Do In The Dallas Area

Go Biking on the Katy Trail which extends 3.5 miles from Airline Road to the American Airlines Center. The path will eventually link the Mockingbird DART station to the West End. It will feature a 12-foot-wide concrete bike trail and an 8-foot-wide parallel, soft-surface running path around White Rock Lake. The Friends of the Katy Trail keep this safe and clean for all of us to enjoy. White Rock Lake is a unique town lake with biking and hiking trail around the entire lake. It also has designated bird watching areas and numerous picnic sights.
Enjoy the Lakes – Lake Grapevine offers camping, trails for biking, hiking and equestrian use, water recreation, picnic facilities, pavilions for large gatherings, hunting, and it is a popular sail boating and windsurfing lake. Or Lake Lewisville has many facilities for overnight camping and fishing. There are five marinas: Eagle Point Marina, Pier 121, Cottonwood Creek Marina, Dallas Cornthian Yacht Club, and Lakeview Marina, and two restaurant/bars: Sneaky Pete’s and Charlie’s. Ray Hubbard is excellent for fishing, boating, and is renowned for sailing. There are four marinas, three public boat ramps, a couple fun bars and restaurants, and a yacht club famous for sailing regattas. Check these links for fishing guides and boat rentals on these lakes.
Camping at the Vineyards Campground & Cabins on Lake Grapevine is an outstanding campground and in a perfect location if you want to explore Grapevine or the Dallas Fort Worth area. They have cabins; tent sites; pull throughs; and a wide choice of sites on the water, in the trees, or on a bluff with a water view. Hickory Creek Park on Lake Lewisville is very clean and well-maintained Corp of Engineer park with good access to the water.
Visit the attractions in Dallas and the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. There are a variety of attractions and activities that simply can’t be found elsewhere. From world-class zoos and museums to Texas-sized honky-tonks, the DFW area has it all. Don’t forget the aquarium, Fair Park, Six Flags, Dallas Arboretum, the water parks, Dallas Arts District, and much more. Check this map for locations to all these fun activities.
Sporting Events – The Dallas area is the Southwest’s only metro area to host teams from five major professional sports leagues. Its passion for sports runs wide and deep, extending to amateur, collegiate, recreational and spectator.The American Airlines Center hosts many sporting events like the Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Sidekicks, and the Dallas Desperados. Or you might want to attend a Cowboys or Rangers game at the new stadium. You just couldn’t stay in Dallas without attending the Mesquite Championship Rodeo at the ultra modern covered facility.
Enjoy the nightlife in the trendy and diverse areas such as Deep Elum, Lower Greenville Avenue, or Uptown. Dallas is actually a place where the nightlife scene is just about as hip as anywhere else in the country. Twenty-somethings and SMU students have their beer-slamming havens, thirty-somethings have plenty of wine and martini bars, and everyone who has an insatiable appetite for dancing has their pick from plenty of dance clubs that offer every type of music you can move your feet to.
Shopping in Dallas with its moderate temperatures throughout the year, can offer shopping indoors and out as a fun activity to be enjoyed year-round. Dallas has elegant malls, vintage districts and high-end streets filled with hundreds of retailers. Areas like Knox-Henderson and the West Village are filled with savvy shopping options and ultrachic boutiques. Retro-lovers & people who are fans of antiquing can head to the West End, which features over 80 stores that reside in restored buildings and redbrick warehouses. Greeneville is filled to the brim with eclectic shops & amazing restaurants where shoppers can stop.
The Dallas restaurant scene offers a wide variety of cuisines. Make no mistake, though: sizzling steaks and tender beef brisket are what made the city famous. You can choose anywhere from the trendy warehouse district of the West End to the chic McKinney Avenue and Knox-Henderson areas are home to many of the city’s best restaurants.
Kids Activities – the Medical Center of Dallas has one of the largest permanent two story train displays in the country. Kiest Park has Fantasy Landing, Dallas’ first public playground for well and disabled children, a unique and special highlight of the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. Through art projects, scavenger hunts, NasherKids Live! Performances and storytime, children learn and develop their creative skills at Nasher Sculpture Center.
Dallas Farmers Market – Every day brings something new and different, from the first vegetables and fruits of a new season to special events, classes, festivals, and much more. Stay informed about special events at the Market, what’s in season, and the latest tips about healthful eating. Open 7 days a week local farmers display and sell a mouth watering and eye-pleasing selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs and floral plants. A perfect open-air market to leisurely stroll, take in the colorful, and glorious sights.
Go Golfing because Dallas and the Metroplex are home to over 100 golf courses and some of the best in Texas. You’ll find some great municipal courses (like Grapevine or Cedar Crest) with very affordable rates and good conditions, some very challenging tracks like Woodbridge Golf Course, and some higher end courses with top notch service and near perfect conditions (The Tribute and Cowboys Golf Club for instance) and plenty of excellent private courses. Use this Dallas Golf Map to find a course and read our review of the course.

Texas Outside’s Top Ten Favorites In The Dallas Area

• Love & War In Texas is an excellent country music venue with great food (a chicken fried chicken that’s the best), good service, and one of the best margaritas
• Lake Lewisville had good camping at Hickory Creek, a fun party cove, plenty of boat rentals, a good golf course and disc golf course that you can boat up to, and a couple fun bars and restaurants with live music.
• Cedar Crest Golf Course is a favorite within the Dallas city limits and it has affordable rates, good conditions, and fun holes. In the nearby Dallas metroplex, Old American has to be one of the favorites.
• Biking Around White Rock is a must – scenic, easy, paved, and good for kids but crowed on the weekends
• Dallas World Aquarium is very well done and a fun place to spend some time
• Reunion Tower soars 560 feet above Dallas and is the iconic signature of the downtown skyline, a good place to get a panoramic view of Dallas, and one of the best (and expensive) restaurants with a 360 degree panoramic view
• Dallas Uptown Entertainment District is the more upscale place for a variety of fun – great restaurants, fun and lively bars, good shopping, and a trolley to take you around
• The Vineyards Campground on Lake Grapevine is a favorite place to camp and explore the Dallas Fort Worth area
• Poor David’s Pub is one of the best places to enjoy a variety of live music
• The Dallas Zoo is a great place to spend a few hours and it never gets old

“The Top Ten Attractions in Dallas according to Distinctly Dallas are:”