Arts and museums The
Arts District in the northern section of
Downtown is home to several arts venues and is the largest contiguous arts district in the United States. Notable venues in the district include the
Dallas Museum of Art; the
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, home to the
Dallas Symphony Orchestra and
Dallas Wind Symphony; the
Nasher Sculpture Center; and the
Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art. The
Perot Museum of Nature and Science, also in Downtown Dallas, is a
natural history and
science museum. Designed by 2005 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate
Thom Mayne and his firm Morphosis Architects, the facility has six floors and stands about 14 stories high. Venues that are part of the AT&T
Dallas Center for the Performing Arts include
Moody Performance Hall, home to the
Dallas Chamber Symphony; the
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, home to the
Dallas Theater Center and the
Dallas Black Dance Theatre; and the
Winspear Opera House, home to the
Dallas Opera and
Texas Ballet Theater. Not far north of the area is the
Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University. In 2009, it joined up with Madrid's
Prado Museum for a three-year partnership. The Prado focuses on Spanish visual art and has a collection of Spanish art in North America, with works by de Juanes, El Greco, Fortuny, Goya, Murillo, Picasso, Pkensa, Ribera, Rico, Velasquez, Zurbaran, and other Spaniards. These works, as well as non-Spanish highlights like sculptures by Rodin and Moore, have been so successful of a collaboration that the Prado and Meadows have agreed upon an extension of the partnership. The Institute for Creation Research operates the
ICR Discovery Center for Science & Earth History, a creationism museum, in Dallas. The former
Texas School Book Depository, from which, according to the
Warren Commission Report,
Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President
John F. Kennedy in 1963, has served since the 1980s as a
county government office building, except for its sixth and seventh floors, which house
the Sixth Floor Museum.
The American Museum of the Miniature Arts is at the Hall of State in
Fair Park. The Arts District is also home to
DISD's
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, a magnet school that was recently expanded.
City Center District, next to the Arts District, is home to
the Dallas Contemporary.
Deep Ellum, immediately east of Downtown, originally became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime
jazz and
blues hot spot in the
South. Artists such as
Blind Lemon Jefferson,
Robert Johnson, Huddie "
Lead Belly" Ledbetter, and
Bessie Smith played in original Deep Ellum clubs such as the Harlem and the Palace. Today, Deep Ellum is home to hundreds of artists who live in lofts or operate in studios throughout the district alongside bars, pubs, and concert venues. A major art infusion in the area results from the city's lax stance on
graffiti, and a number of public spaces, including tunnels, sides of buildings, sidewalks, and streets, are covered in murals. One major example, the Good-Latimer tunnel, was torn down in late 2006 to accommodate the construction of a
light rail line through the site. Like Deep Ellum before it, the
Cedars neighborhood to the south of Downtown has also seen a growing population of studio artists and an expanding roster of entertainment venues. The area's art scene began to grow in the early 2000s with the opening of Southside on Lamar, an old Sears Roebuck and Company warehouse converted into lofts, studios, and retail. Current attractions include Gilley's Dallas and Poor David's Pub.
Dallas Mavericks owner and local entrepreneur
Mark Cuban purchased land along Lamar Street near
Cedars Station in September 2005, and locals speculate he is planning an entertainment complex for the site. South of the Trinity River, the Bishop Arts District in
Oak Cliff is home to a number of studio artists living in converted warehouses. Walls of buildings along alleyways and streets are painted with murals, and the surrounding streets contain many eclectic restaurants and shops. Dallas has an Office of Cultural Affairs as a department of the city government. The office is responsible for six cultural centers throughout the city, funding for local artists and theaters, initiating
public art projects, and running the city-owned
classical radio station
WRR. The
Los Angeles-class submarine USS Dallas was planned to become a museum ship near the Trinity River after her decommissioning in September 2014, but this has since been delayed. It will be taken apart into massive sections in Houston and be transported by trucks to the museum site and will be put back together.
Libraries The city is served by the
Dallas Public Library system. The system was created by the Dallas Federation of Women's Clubs with efforts spearheaded by then president
May Dickson Exall. Her fundraising efforts led to a grant from philanthropist and steel baron
Andrew Carnegie, which allowed the library system to build its first branch in 1901. Today, the library operates 30 branch locations throughout the city, including the 8-story
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in the
Government District of
Downtown.
Places of interest •
Adolphus Hotel •
African American Museum •
American Airlines Center •
Arts District •
AT&T Performing Arts Center •
Bishop Arts District •
Cedars •
Cotton Bowl •
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden •
Dallas Baptist University •
Dallas Chamber Symphony •
Dallas Hilton, the world's first modern
Hilton •
Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & Tolerance •
Dallas Municipal Building •
Dallas Museum of Art •
Dallas World Aquarium •
Dallas Zoo •
Dealey Plaza •
Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre •
Design District •
Exposition Park, Dallas •
Fair Park •
Farmers Market •
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas •
Frontiers of Flight Museum •
Galleria Dallas •
George W. Bush Presidential Center •
Highland Park Village •
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial •
Kalita Humphreys Theater, designed by
Frank Lloyd Wright •
Katy Trail •
Kirby Building •
Klyde Warren Park •
Majestic Theatre •
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge •
Meadows Museum •
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center •
Munger Place Historic District •
Museum of Biblical Art •
The Nasher Sculpture Center •
Neiman Marcus Building •
NorthPark Center •
Pioneer Plaza •
Perot Museum of Nature and Science •
Reunion Tower •
Ronald Kirk Bridge •
Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza •
South Boulevard-Park Row Historic District •
Southern Methodist University •
Southfork Ranch as seen on
Dallas (1978) and
Dallas (2012) •
Swiss Avenue historical district •
Texas School Book Depository •
Texas Theatre •
Thanks-Giving Square •
Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art •
Trinity River Audubon Center •
Two Bit Circus •
Victory Park •
White Rock Lake •
House of Blues Cuisine Dallas is known for its
barbecue, authentic
Mexican, and
Tex-Mex cuisine. Famous products of the Dallas culinary scene include the
Frozen margarita machine by restaurateur
Mariano Martinez in 1971. in
Fair Park Events The
State Fair of Texas has been held annually at
Fair Park since 1886, and generates an estimated $50 million to the city's economy annually. The
Red River Shootout, a football game that pits the
University of Texas at Austin against the
University of Oklahoma at the
Cotton Bowl, also brings significant crowds to the city. The city also hosts the
State Fair Classic and
Heart of Dallas Bowl at the
Cotton Bowl. Other festivals include several
Cinco de Mayo celebrations hosted by the city's large
Mexican American population and a
Saint Patrick's Day parade along
Lower Greenville Avenue,
Juneteenth festivities, Taste of Dallas, the Deep Ellum Arts Festival, the
Greek Food Festival of Dallas, the annual Halloween event "The Wake", and two annual events on Halloween, including a Halloween parade on
Cedar Springs Road and a "Zombie Walk" held in
Downtown Dallas in the
Arts District. With the opening of
Victory Park,
WFAA began hosting an annual New Year's Eve celebration in AT&T Plaza that the television station hoped would be reminiscent of celebrations in New York's
Times Square; New Year's Eve 2011 set a new record of 32,000 people in attendance. After the discontinuance of the "Big D NYE" festivities a few years later, a new end-of-year event was started downtown, with a big fireworks show put on at
Reunion Tower, which has since aired on
KXAS and other TV stations around the state and region. Also, several Omni hotels in the Dallas area host large events to welcome in the new year, including murder mystery parties, rave-inspired events, and other events.
Sports , home of the
Dallas Cowboys with the Mavericks hosts the annual
Red River Showdown.
Downtown Dallas is home to two major league sports teams that play at the
American Airlines Center: the
Dallas Mavericks (
NBA), who won the
NBA Championship in
2011, and the
Dallas Stars (
NHL), who won the
Stanley Cup in
1999. Nearby
Arlington is home to the
Dallas Cowboys (
NFL), who play at the
AT&T Stadium and have won five
Super Bowls, the
Texas Rangers (
MLB), who play at
Globe Life Field and won the
World Series in
2023, and the
Dallas Wings (
WNBA), who play at
College Park Center.
MLS team
FC Dallas plays at
Toyota Stadium in
Frisco and won the
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1997 and 2016. The newest team in Dallas is
Dallas Trinity FC, the first professional women's soccer team that plays at the historic
Cotton Bowl (stadium). The city is home to several minor league and college sports programs in the area. Since joining the league as an expansion team in 1960, the Cowboys have enjoyed substantial success, advancing to eight
Super Bowls and winning five. The Cowboys are financially the most valuable sports franchise in the world, worth approximately $4 billion. In 2009, they relocated to their new 80,000-seat stadium in Arlington, which was the site of
Super Bowl XLV and is set to host the most matches during the
2026 FIFA World Cup. The Cowboys are currently part of the
East Division of the
National Football Conference (NFC). The Texas Rangers won the American League pennant in 2010, 2011 and 2023, and won the
World Series in 2023. The franchise relocated from
Washington D.C. in 1972. They play in the
West Division of the
American League. The Dallas Mavericks joined the league as an expansion team in 1980. They won their first
National Basketball Association championship in 2011 led by
Dirk Nowitzki. They play in the
Southwest Division of the
Western Conference. The Dallas Stars moved to North Texas in 1993 as a relocation from the former team, the
Minnesota North Stars. The Stars have won eight division titles in Dallas, two
Presidents' Trophies as the top regular season team in the NHL, the
Western Conference championship three times, and in
1998–99, the
Stanley Cup. The team plays in the
Central Division of the
Western Conference.
FC Dallas play at
Toyota Stadium (formerly FC Dallas Stadium and Pizza Hut Park), a stadium that opened in 2005. They currently play in MLS's
Western Conference. The team was originally called the Dallas Burn and used to play in the
Cotton Bowl. Although FC Dallas has not yet won a MLS Cup, they won the
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1997 and 2016 and the
Supporters' Shield in 2016. Previously, the
Dallas Tornado played in the
North American Soccer League from 1968 to 1981. The Dallas Wings came to
The Metroplex in 2016 after relocating from
Tulsa. There are many notable minor league teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth. The
Allen Americans are a professional ice hockey team headquartered at the
Credit Union of Texas Event Center in
Allen, Texas, which currently plays in the
ECHL. They are the minor league affiliate of the
NHL's
Seattle Kraken. The team was founded in 2009 in the
Central Hockey League(CHL). They have won 4 straight championships, 2 in the CHL (
2012–13,
2013–14) and 2 in the ECHL(
2014–15,
2015–16). The
Dallas Renegades are a professional football team in the
UFL that plays their home games at
Toyota Stadium. The
Dallas Sidekicks (2012) are an American professional
indoor soccer team based in
Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. They play their home games in the
Credit Union of Texas Event Center. The team is named after the original
Dallas Sidekicks that operated from 1984 to 2004. The MLS-affiliated
North Texas SC team is a member of
MLS Next Pro and plays in Frisco at Toyota Stadium; it is the reserve team of FC Dallas. The Dallas Mavericks own an
NBA G League team, the
Texas Legends.
Rugby is a developing sport in Dallas and Texas in general. The multiple clubs, ranging from men's and women's clubs to
collegiate and high school, are part of the
Texas Rugby Football Union. Dallas was one of only 16 cities in the United States included in the
Rugby Super League, represented by
Dallas Harlequins. In 2020,
Major League Rugby announced the
Dallas Jackals as a new franchise.
Australian rules football is also growing in Dallas. The
Dallas Magpies, founded in 1998, compete in the
United States Australian Football League. The only
Division I sports program within the Dallas political boundary is the
Dallas Baptist University Patriots baseball team. Although outside the city limits, the
Mustangs of
Southern Methodist University are in the enclave of
University Park. Neighboring cities
Fort Worth, Arlington, and
Denton are home to the
Texas Christian University Horned Frogs,
UT Arlington Mavericks, and
University of North Texas Mean Green respectively. The Dallas area hosted the Final Four of the
2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament at AT&T Stadium. The college
Cotton Bowl Classic football game was played at the
Cotton Bowl through its
2009 game, but has moved to AT&T Stadium. The
Red River Showdown is an American
college football rivalry game played annually at the
Cotton Bowl Stadium during the second weekend of the
State Fair of Texas in October. The game is played by the
Oklahoma Sooners football team of the
University of Oklahoma and the
Texas Longhorns football team of the
University of Texas at Austin. The 10,000-capacity Forester Stadium, which is used mainly for football and soccer, is also located in Dallas.
Dallas Trinity FC is the first professional women's soccer team in Dallas that plays at the historic
Cotton Bowl (stadium) located in
Downtown Dallas. Originally founded in May 2023 by the Neil family and managed by
Chris Petrucelli, the club kicked off its inaugural season in August 2024 when they played
Tampa Bay Sun FC, ending in a 1 v 1 tie. Following this match was two very significant matches for the club, the friendly match and home opener. The club played their friendly match vs
FC Barcelona Femení where they lost 0-6 and the club's official home match was against
DC Power FC where they tied 1-1. The club finished the season 12–9–7, finishing third and getting eliminated by
Tampa Bay Sun FC by the final score of 2–1 in the semi-finals of the
USL Championship. Following its inaugural season, the teams parted ways with
Pauline MacDonald and
Gavin Beith. Recently, the team announced its State Fair Clasico Match during the
Texas State Fair at
Fair Park on October 18 vs
Club América Femenil.
Major League Volleyball expanded to the Dallas market after announcing plans for a single, unified professional women's volleyball league with the former Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) in 2025. The Dallas franchise of Major League Volleyball was officially named
Dallas Pulse and confirmed
Comerica Center in Frisco as its home court for their 2026 debut. In their inaugural season, the Pulse have clinched a postseason spot with Head Coach,
Shannon Winzer, as they prepare to host the 2026 MLV Championship at Comerica Center. ==Parks and recreation==