Dallas has plenty of ways to fill an itinerary, whether you're interested in science, history, wildlife, sports, or simply seeing the city from a different perspective. You can explore hands-on exhibits at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, take in the skyline from Reunion Tower, spend a day at the Dallas Zoo, or go behind the scenes at AT&T Stadium.
Whether you're planning a quick getaway or a weeklong stay, this guide highlights some of the most fun things to do in Dallas by interest, including plenty of options for families.
Exploring Innovation at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science packs 11 permanent exhibit halls into five levels of hands-on discovery. In the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall, you can test your speed against a virtual T. rex. On Level 4, the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall displays fossil casts of enormous prehistoric creatures, and the glass-walled Paleo Lab lets you watch museum paleontologists prepare fossils fresh from the field.
A few need-to-know details will help you plan:
- Reservations are required with CityPASS® tickets.
- Your admission covers all exhibit halls plus one film in The Hoglund Foundation Theater.
- Give yourself two to three hours, and aim for a weekday afternoon when field trip groups have usually headed home.
The Perot Museum is a great pick for adults, too. The Lyda Hill Gems and Minerals Hall, the Being Human Hall, and the Expanding Universe Hall offer plenty for grown-ups, and few adults can resist the simulated earthquake in the Dynamic Earth Hall.
Exploring History and Human Rights in Dallas
For travelers interested in history, government, and human rights, Dallas offers two museums that invite a deeper look at events that have shaped the United States and the world.
On the Southern Methodist University campus, the George W. Bush Presidential Museum sits within the George W. Bush Presidential Center and examines the choices behind a modern American presidency. You'll see steel from the World Trade Center, sit behind a Resolute Desk in a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, and step into the Decision Points Theater, where you face real-time crisis scenarios modeled on decisions President Bush made in office. As a nonpartisan civic institution, the museum offers a clear look at how the presidency works.
The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum stands in the West End, part of the Dallas Downtown Historic District, and teaches the history of the Holocaust to advance human rights. The permanent exhibition moves through four wings: Orientation, Holocaust/Shoah, Human Rights, and Pivot to America. Don't miss the Dimensions in Testimony Theater, where you can ask questions of Holocaust survivors and hear their recorded answers. The museum doesn't recommend visits for children under 12, so it's best suited to teens and adults.
Encounters With Wildlife at the Historic Dallas Zoo
Welcoming visitors since 1888, the Dallas Zoo is Texas's oldest and largest zoo, with more than 2,000 animals across 106 acres. Its headliner is Giants of the Savanna, an 11-acre habitat where elephants, giraffes, ostriches, and other African species share space the way they would in the wild. It's the only exhibit in North America where you'll see giraffes and elephants together, and the giraffe feeding platform brings you face to face with the tallest residents.
Conservation shapes the zoo's work, including Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan programs that help protect endangered animals. The Lacerte Family Children's Zoo, with its wading stream and bird feeding area, ranks among the best things for families to do in Dallas.
Most visitors spend two to four hours at the Dallas Zoo. A focused loop of the major exhibits takes about two hours, while families who want to catch a keeper chat, feed the giraffes, and let kids splash should plan for closer to four. Arrive early in warm months, when the animals are most active.
Skyline Vistas and Sports Culture in North Texas
For the best views in Dallas, ride 470 feet up to the Reunion Tower GeO-Deck, the city's only indoor and outdoor observation deck. The 360-degree panorama stretches up to 32 miles, all the way to Fort Worth. High-definition telescopes on the outdoor deck and zoom cameras inside bring landmarks into sharp focus, and the interactive Halo touch screens let you create your own light show. Reservations are required, so book early.
Save the tower for sunset, and you're a short ride from some of the best nightlife in Dallas, from live music in Deep Ellum to rooftop lounges in Uptown.
Football fans should drive to Arlington for AT&T Stadium Tours. The VIP Guided Tour lasts about 90 minutes. Depending on the day, it can include the field, the Dallas Cowboys locker room, the press box, and the postgame interview room. Leave time for the contemporary art collection along the public concourses. Or, swap in a guided tour of The Star in Frisco, the Cowboys' headquarters and practice facility.
Customizing Your Adventure With Dallas CityPASS® Tickets
Dallas CityPASS® tickets include admission to your choice of four of these six attractions, valid for nine consecutive days from your first visit. Here are a few ways to match these fun things to do in Dallas to your interests:
- Science and skyline: The Perot Museum and Reunion Tower are close to downtown, so you can pair them easily in one day.
- History deep dive: Spend the morning at the Bush Museum and the afternoon at the Holocaust Museum.
- Family favorites: Visit the Dallas Zoo in the morning and the Perot Museum the next day.
- Sports and sunset: Tour AT&T Stadium, then catch the evening views from the GeO-Deck.
Pick the four that fit your group, and get Dallas CityPASS® tickets to plan a trip built around what you love.