Cheap flights to Dallas Love Field (DAL)

Spring is the storm season, and thunderstorms are typical. Summer brings a hot and dry wind with average highs in the upper 90s (Fahrenheit), and temperatures over 100 are not unusual. The winter can get quite cold, even icy, with average lows in the mid 30s and generally just under three inches of snow.

The main Dallas sights are easy to get to on foot. You can join any of a number of walking tours. Dallas’ public transportation system, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, also called DART, runs buses and light-rail that connects the downtown Dallas Convention Center with the West End and other sightseeing spots. At the downtown Dallas Museum of Art, you can hop on the M-Line Trolley, also called the McKinney Trolley, to get to the historic McKinney Avenue area. It’s still a good idea to rent a car in Dallas. It’s a very big city, and you’ll be glad you have the option should you decide to spend time outside the city. Make sure you know your hotel’s parking policy though. There’s little free parking to be found downtown, and most hotels charge for parking. You will also have to battle rush hour traffic. The highway numbers are easy to find on a map, but many locals refer to them by name, like the Airport Freeway or Central Expressway. If you’re going to Deep Ellum at night, take a taxi.

• The Walking Sculpture brochure (available at the visitors center) details 33 outdoor public sculptures in the downtown area with works by Richard Serra, Ellsworth Kelly, Mark di Suvero, and Henry Moore. On the first Saturday of each month, a guided walking tour is offered.
• Fair Park is a 277-acre venue containing one of the largest complexes of year-round cultural, entertainment, exhibit, and sports facilities in the Southwest. Fair Park is a National Historic Landmark and has a collection of eight museums and art deco architecture. Fair Park also hosts the annual State Fair of Texas.
• The city was devastated by the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. The Sixth Floor Museum, in the Texas Schoolbook Depository, houses exhibits that examine the life, times, death, and legacy of President Kennedy within the context of American history. Historic films, photographs, artifacts, and interpretive displays document the events of the assassination, the findings of the official investigations, and the resulting historical legacy.
• Remember “who shot J.R.” and the infamous shower scene? Southfork, the ranch on the Dallas TV series, welcomes tour visitors. You can visit the Ewing mansion and see the gun that shot J.R. and other show memorabilia.
• Many of the less expensive and least extravagant of Dallas’s 5000 restaurants are on Lower Greenville Avenue.
• To check out what’s happening in Dallas while you’re there, see the Weekend Guide in the Dallas Morning News or the Dallas Observer, a free weekly paper with arts, entertainment, and dining information.
• The biggest event is the annual Texas State Fair in October. The fair runs for several weeks. A sampling of its offerings includes live music, large-gauge model trains, free-flight bird shows, auto shows, truck shows, backyard circus acts, stick-horse competitions, and, of course, animal and livestock exhibits.
• For more insider information visit the Dallas visitor's bureau at www.visitdallas.com