The best things to do in Dallas

This immersive venue shows games on an 87-foot-diameter, 12K+ LED dome that makes you feel like you’re sitting right next to the action. Check the schedule, then go for soccer games, NBA playoff games, and other events, like Cirque du Soleil shows and select movies. When you’re not being awestruck with visuals, head to the beer garden for drinks, a full food menu and lawn games.

Time Out tip: Tickets go fast for big games, so if there’s something you want to see, reserve your seat early.

Address: 5776 Grandscape Blvd, The Colony, TX 75056

Pricing: Varies by event.

Stay cool this summer at Lee Harvey’s adjacent pool bar. You can lounge in shady cabanas, wade in the water and avail yourself of the bar and restaurant. It serves summer staples like burgers and fish tacos, plus Aperol spritzes, vodka-spiked cherry limeades and several frozens. An icy margarita or piña colada in the pool is scientifically proven to make summer better.

Time Out tip: Membership comes with priority access to the pool and cabanas, and other perks like free yoga classes.

Address: 1315 Beaumont St, Dallas, TX 75215

Pricing: $350 for the season, $20 for a day pass

Think Topgolf, but for soccer. London-based TOCA Social hopped the pond and opened its first stateside venue at Grandscape, giving you 22 private boxes where you can kick soccer balls at interactive screens across various games—perfect your shot or just kill some zombies. When you’re not pretending that you’re Messi, load up on wings, tacos and wraps, and stay hydrated with beers and spritzes.

Time Out tip: TOCA offers two 90-minute happy hours each weekday, with $5 beers, cocktails and select bites. The first is from 5 to 6:30pm, and the other is from 9:30 to 11pm.

Address: 5740 Grandscape Blvd suite 110, The Colony, TX 75056

Pricing: Box reservations start at $16 per person.

Dallas has several walkable neighborhoods, but none are quite as charming as Bishop Arts. 1920s-era bungalows house restaurants, bars and shops, so there’s plenty to keep you entertained for an afternoon or the whole evening. Itinerary permutations are endless, but a few good stops include The Wild Detectives to browse books with a glass of wine, and We Are 1976 to stock up on Japanese stationery and art. When you’re hungry, treat yourself to oysters and cocktails at Hugo’s Seafood Bar followed by dinner at Lucia, then bring it all to an energetic close and dance to vinyl DJs at Ladylove Lounge & Sound. 

Time Out tip: Keep your head on a swivel for the many vibrant murals in the area.

Address: West Davis Street and North Bishop Ave, and several surrounding blocks.

This trippy, immersive art installation hails from Sante Fe and debuted in DFW in 2023 as the brand’s fourth permanent exhibit. Dubbed “the Real Unreal,” it tells the story of a suburban family that went missing after unlocking portals to a different world. You can explore their home, where nothing is as it seems, to unravel a series of clues across more than 30 rooms. It’s weird, wild and worth a visit.

Time Out tip: Check the website calendar for special events and performances.

Address: 3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy Suite 253, Grapevine, TX 76051

Pricing: $35 and up

Dallas-Fort Worth is loaded with great barbecue joints, so set aside a weekend to feast on brisket and ribs. Some of the best options across the metroplex include Cattleack, Smokey Joe’s and Slow Bone in Dallas; Goldee’s and Panther City in Fort Worth; Zavala’s in Grand Prairie; and Vaquero’s in Allen. Try them all—and maybe mix in a salad once in a while.

Time Out tip: Lines are common at the most popular spots, like Cattleack and especially Goldee’s, so show up early to ensure you get all your favorite cuts.

DFW is stocked with breweries, so you’ve got plenty to choose from. Fortunately, some of the city’s best beer makers are congregated around downtown and the Design District, so you can make a day of it and check out spots like Community, Peticolas, Manhattan Project and Pegasus without spending all day in the car. 

Time Out tip: We mean someone else’s car, obviously—this is a job for Uber or Lyft.

Take streaming culture into the real world at the interactive Netflix House. Squid Game: Survive the Trials lets you compete in five high-stakes games where you (probably) won’t die, and Stranger Things: Face the Dark is an immersive walk-through experience that’s like stepping straight into Hawkins.

Time Out tip: Grab a bite at Netflix Bites, an on-site cafe serving show-inspired food and drinks.

Address: 13550 Dallas Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75240 (at Galleria Dallas)

Pricing: Free to enter; select experiences are ticketed

The Great Trinity Forest, just south of Downtown Dallas, is one of the largest urban forests in the country. It’s also home to the Trinity Forest Adventure Park, where you can partake in aerial adventures like zip lining, ropes courses and military-style obstacles. Race through the treetops from 50 feet above the ground on more than 30 zip lines, test your balance across wobbly bridges and tight ropes and see nature in whole new ways.

Time Out tip: The park limits capacity, so reserve your spot ahead of time.

Address: 1800 Dowdy Ferry Rd, Dallas, TX 75217

Pricing: $50 and up

The Sixth Floor Museum chronicles the life and assassination of JFK from a historical, social and cultural perspective. Poke through more than 90,000 artifacts and stand in front of the window from which Lee Harvey Oswald fired his rifle. Afterward, head to the Grassy Knoll to see the “X” in the street where JFK was fatally shot before making your way to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza a few blocks away.

Time Out tip: The museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so plan accordingly.

Address: 411 Elm St, Dallas, TX 75202

Pricing: $27 for adults

This spa resort features wellness rituals from around the world. Partake in more than 40 different mineral hot springs, plus saunas, cold plunges and more, all with purported benefits for your joints, skin and overall wellbeing. It’s organized by region, so you can bounce around the South Pacific, the Dead Sea, Europe, Asia and the Americas, and hopefully leave feeling better than when you arrived.

Time Out tip: Save some money by booking the Evening Pass, which gives you unlimited access from 5pm until close.

Address: 3240 Plano Pkwy, The Colony, TX 75056

Price: $55 and up

This 66-acre botanical garden is one of the top botanical gardens in the country, offering spectacular nature exhibits throughout the year, such as the largest floral festival in the southwest, Artscape (an arts and crafts show) and jaw-dropping pumpkin and Christmas displays in the fall and winter.

Time Out tip: The Cool Thursdays Concert Series brings live shows to the shore of White Rock Lake each spring and fall. Bring a blanket or chairs, and sing along with a bottle of BYO wine and picnic snacks. 

Address: 8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218

Pricing: $22 on weekdays, $26 on weekends

Dallas isn’t known for public transit, but in addition to the DART rail, the city has historic street cars that trundle along McKinney Avenue in Uptown and roll through the Arts District. The trolleys operate daily and are free to ride, so hop on to add a little fun to your commute. 

Time Out tip: Hit a few bars along McKinney Ave, stop at Klyde Warren Park for an al fresco lunch, or learn something new at The Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

Address: Check the route map for pickup and dropoff locations.

Pricing: Free

Embrace your rodeo dreams, or just live vicariously through actual cowboys and cowgirls at the Stockyards Championship Rodeo in Fort Worth, with events each Friday and Saturday night and a Sunday matinee. It’s only about 45 minutes from Dallas but feels like a world away. Watch breakaway roping, team roping and barrel racing, plus bull riding and special showcases that bring in the best talent from across the country. 

Time Out tip: Wander around the Stockyards before or after the rodeo to visit one (or more) of the great restaurants, bars and shops in the area.

Address: 121 E Exchange Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76164

Pricing: $25 and up

Dallas boasts the largest contiguous urban arts district in America: a 118-acre expanse packed with museums, restaurants and theaters. The AT&T Performing Arts Center is a good place to start. It’s a multi-venue music and theater complex centered on the striking drum-shaped Winspear Opera House. Check the calendar often to find original performances and touring Broadway shows. Also, check out the Dallas Museum of Art and Crow Museum of Asian Art (admittance is free at both!), and the Nasher Sculpture Center, with its famous outdoor sculpture garden.

Time Out tip: Get your bearings with a Saturday architecture tour. 

Address: The Arts District covers the northeast corner of Downtown Dallas.

Seattle has the Space Needle, New York has the Empire State building and Dallas has Reunion Tower. This skyline icon is more than just an observatory, although the views from 470 feet up are hard to beat. Check the calendar for yoga classes, sound baths and holiday events, or make a reservation for brunch or dinner at Crown Block, the 360-degree restaurant and bar. 

Time Out tip: Got an important question to ask? The tower offers proposal packages with bubbly, chocolates and a photo shoot.

Address: 300 Reunion Blvd E, Dallas, TX 75207

Pricing: $19 and up

Klyde Warren Park opened in late 2012 and has since become one of the most popular spots in Dallas. This 5.2-acre park stretches across several blocks and connects Uptown and Downtown. You’ll find a playground for kids, a stage that hosts live concerts, and food trucks (Andy’s Frozen Custard is a must when it’s hot out) lining one side of the park. 

Time Out tip: Free daily activities like table tennis, badminton, chess and yoga are supplemented with special events like movie nights and silent discos, so there’s always something to do. 

Address: 2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy, Dallas, TX 75201

Pricing: Free to enter

Check the country-and-western box on your Dallas bingo card with a trip to this iconic gay bar and dance hall. Round Up Saloon has six bars, karaoke, a pool room and a large dance floor perfect for showing off your line-dancing, partner-swinging moves.

Time Out tip: Round Up offers dance lessons multiple times each week.

Address: 3912 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX 75219

Pricing: Free early, $10 cover most evenings.

Shopping is a local sport in Dallas, so if you want to play ball with your credit card, you’ve come to the right place. Highland Park Village—the first outdoor shopping center in the U.S.—is renowned for its Spanish-influenced architecture and is home to high-end shops like Chanel, Dior, Brunello Cucinelli and homegrown favorite Hadleigh’s.

Time Out tip: After shopping, fuel up at Café Dior. The gorgeous restaurant from three Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn is on the second floor of the boutique, serving lunch, afternoon tea and desserts.

Address: 47 Highland Park Village, Dallas, TX 75205

Get a breath of fresh air on this 3.5-mile trail, a route stitching together several Dallas districts that follow the path of the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. While you won’t find any trains along the trail, you will find almost everything else; the Katy Trail is popular among cyclists, dog walkers, inline skaters and runners alike. 

Time Out tip: Finish with a stop at one of the bars and restaurants along the path, like the Katy Trail Ice House and its sprawling patio, or the cozy Rose Cafe.

Address: See the trail map for entrances.