Day Trips from Dallas

Dallas is the third largest city in the state of Texas, with an active cultural and commercial life. There are many fun things to do in Dallas, which is why it is a strategic place to stay and take tours to get to know its surroundings.

From taking a trip to the Wild West visiting Forth Worth, to visiting the ranch of the legendary Dallas series, there are a variety of options that you can't miss. You can also find more challenging activities like jumping into a wind tunnel or testing your wits in an Escape Room, so the whole family will surely find an interesting tour to do from Dallas. I'll tell you about those tours in this article.

If you are curious about how they lived in the Wild West, you can take a tour to Forth Worth from Dallas, to the place that used to be a must stop for cowboys driving cattle up the Red River in the 19th century. Forth Worth is about half an hour from Dallas, and is the 12th largest city in the United States.

The Forth Worth tour is a half-day tour, and usually starts early in the morning. It is done with small groups of people, and you will be accompanied by a historian guide who will tell you about the life of the cowboys in old Texas, while you walk through the streets of the Wild West in the Stockyards district. It's a tour that kids can join too, and they're sure to love it.

Some of the sites that are often included in tours to Forth Worth are:

• Hell's Half Acre: a place where there were whorehouses and cowboys got drunk and got into fights.
• The Stockyards National Historic District, a place where harnessing is done twice a day (except for some holidays), and there are some 46 historic buildings, plus the city's famous sign.
• The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, which used to be a horse and mule stable, and was built in 1888.
• The Cowtown Coliseum, where rodeos are held.
• The Livestock Exchange Building, built in 1902, which today houses a historical museum.

Details of interest

• Price: about 74€ per person.
• Duration: 4-5 hours approximately.
• Means of transportation: minivan.
• Advantages of this option: you will get to know the city that has preserved the Far West spirit and its historic buildings from the 19th century.
• Disadvantages of this option: lunch is not included.

Fans of the Dallas series can't miss the Southfork Ranch, where the famous series was filmed, which today has become a tourist attraction, museum and event center. The mansion is located in Parker, a half-hour drive from downtown. The 17-season series was created by David Jacobs and had millions of viewers worldwide.

The Southfork Ranch tour includes a minivan transfer to the ranch's visitor center, where you will take a streetcar to the mansion. Once there, you will embark on an expert-guided tour of the mansion, where you can relive the most memorable scenes from the series.

At Southfork Ranch there are exhibits where you will find objects that appeared in the series, such as Lucy's wedding dress or the gun that killed JR. You can also tour the ranch from the outside, where you'll find Jock's 1978 Lincoln car. In addition, you can buy souvenirs related to the series in the store on the ranch.

Details of interest

• Price: about 74€ per person.
• Duration: about 3 hours.
• Means of transportation: minivan.
• Advantages of this option: you will visit the mansion where the series Dallas was filmed and you will see many objects that were used during the filming of the series.
• Disadvantages of this option: rescheduled due to bad weather. Lunch and drinks are not included.

If you are a fan of American soccer, or sports in general, you will definitely be interested in visiting AT&T Stadium, one of the most important stadiums in the National Football League, where the Dallas Cowboys play their home games. It is a stadium with a capacity for more than 80,000 people, where music concerts are also held.

The tour includes round-trip transportation from downtown Dallas, and can be done every day at different times. A guide will give you a tour of the stadium and tell you all about it. You will be able to tour the entire stadium, from the playing field to the locker rooms and even the press room.

AT&T Stadium is located in Arlington, about 20 miles from Dallas, and first opened in May 2009. It was initially called Cowboys Stadium and was renamed AT&T Stadium in 2013. It has one of the largest screens in the world, 55 meters long and 22 meters wide, and has a retractable domed roof.

Details of interest

• Price: about 98 € per person.
• Duration: about 2 hours.
• Means of transport: van.
• Advantages of this option: you will know the stadium in detail thanks to the guide of a professional.
• Disadvantages of this option: does not include meals and drinks.

For those who enjoy gambling and want to test their luck, you'll be pleased to know that near Dallas is WinStar World Casino, one of the largest in the world. It is located in Tackerville, Oklahoma, about an hour's drive from Dallas.

The tour includes round-trip transportation from Dallas to the casino, and you'll have several hours to enjoy the games before returning. Some companies offer transfer from a meeting point and others offer pick-up from your hotel, so please check beforehand. The excursion is done without a guide and with not very large groups of people.

In the casino you will find more than 50 poker tables, about 100 game tables such as BlackJack, and roulette, and more than 8,500 electronic machines. Inside the casino you will also see recreations of famous monuments such as the Roman Colosseum, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the Statue of Liberty.

Details of interest

• Price: about 74€ per person.
• Duration: about 4-5 hours.
• Means of transport: minivan.
• Advantages of this option: you will arrive at the casino in a comfortable car and you will have time to enjoy the games.
• Disadvantages of this option: does not include lunch or drinks.

If you're interested in decor, organic fabrics and sampling local dishes, you can take a trip to Waco and the Magnolia Market, a shopping complex built in two silos that has the best decor and interior design stores in the area. The complex occupies two city blocks in Waco, and is about an hour and a half drive from Dallas.

The full-day tour includes round-trip car transportation from Dallas, and because it's private, you only go with people in your group of friends or family. During the tour, the knowledgeable guide will tell you about the history of Dallas, Waco and other interesting facts about the market. You will have plenty of time to tour the complex and even visit nearby sites such as the Waco Suspension Bridge.

The Magnolia Market has a beautiful botanical garden and food trucks with dining options for all tastes. It is a place where in addition to buying design objects or gardening products, you can spend a pleasant time with your family.

On the other hand, you can't miss it if you go to Dallas at Christmas time, since you will be able to see the incredible Christmas decoration of the Market, the beautiful Christmas decorations and attend events related to the festivity.

Details of interest

• Price: from 180€ per person, depending on how many people take the tour with you. You can also do it alone, but it will cost you around 550€.
• Duration: 9 hours approximately
• Means of transport: car
• Advantages of this option: you will travel comfortably to the Magnolia Market, and you will have enough time to visit it and other nearby attractions in the city of Waco.
• Disadvantages of this option: Lunch is not included.

There are many fun things to do in Dallas, and this is one of them. It's all about sky diving in a wind tunnel, where you'll be suspended in the air by the force of the wind, which reaches about 280 miles per hour.

It's a safe and fun way to experience the feeling of throwing yourself out of an airplane, and it's ideal for those who want to get a taste of skydiving. It can be done every day, from morning until sunset, and the total experience lasts about 1.5 hours, although the flight itself lasts about one minute.

Before you jump into the tunnel, you will receive training, the proper equipment and all the necessary instructions to make your experience completely safe. Up to two flights can be made per person, and up to 6 people can float in the tunnel at a time.

The Wind Tunnel is located in Frisco, 30 miles from Dallas, and you can reach the site by car or public transportation.

Details of interest

• Price: about 100€.
• Duration: about 1 hour and a half on site.
• Means of transportation: you must arrive on your own.
• Advantages of this option: you will be able to experience jumping from an airplane in a safe and fun way. At the end of the experience you will receive a flight certificate.
• Disadvantages of this option: it does not include transportation.

If you are looking for adrenaline and like challenges, you can sign up for the Escape Room proposal located in Grapevine, 36 km from Dallas. You can become an inmate trying to escape from prison, a detective with a difficult case, a student performing unusual tasks, or immerse yourself in the search for a hidden inheritance.

This experience can be done at any time of the day, even at night, and is designed to be shared with other people, unless your group is 8 people or more. You can choose from 4 game options of varying difficulty, such as Gold Rush, Prison Break, The Heist and Game Zone, and you have one hour to solve it.

This is one of the best things to do with kids in Dallas, although some challenges may be difficult for them, so they will need your help. Grapevine can be reached by car in 25 minutes or about 2 hours by public transportation from downtown.

Details of interest

• Price: about 38 €.
• Duration: 1 hour in the game.
• Means of transport: you must go on your own.
• Advantages of this option: it is a very fun experience to test your wits.
• Disadvantages of this option: Does not include transfers.

Before booking an excursion from Dallas, make sure you have carefully read everything that is included, how long it is approximately and if it can be cancelled or rescheduled. For example, some tours may not include transportation, so you should first find out how to get there on your own, and what is the most convenient time to take the tour. The same if you take a tour in Dallas.

On the other hand, some companies do not include lunch, meals or drinks, so you should bring extra money to pay for it. However, it is always a good idea to bring a bottle of water, snacks, fruit or whatever you prefer just in case. It is also important to bring sunscreen and a hat, especially if you are visiting Dallas in the summer.

It is also important to find out if the tours have an age restriction, especially if you are going to Dallas with children. On the other hand, many tours, even if they allow children to participate, are not suitable for them, as they will not be much fun for them. In this case, it is best that they do not last many hours, and that you intersperse them with activities that are more entertaining for them.

There are many advantages to hiring a guided tour. One of them is that the guide will provide you with first-hand information from having lived in the region that would take you a long time to find out on your own. Especially if you have just happened to arrive in Dallas, and have not had time to research the city or its most representative sites, even if you visit Dallas during the day. Therefore, there is nothing better than a local to introduce you to the city.

On the other hand, some places like Magnolia Market are quite far from Dallas and it will take you a long time to get there if you haven't rented a car. On the other hand, if you hire a tour, you will have the transfer solved and you will travel comfortably. Keep in mind that Dallas is a big city where there is usually a lot of traffic, something that tour companies are experienced in and will be able to handle with ease.