Various tours, both guided and unguided, are in place for you to explore the architecture, historic sites, nature and other unique areas of interest in and around Dallas. Grey Line Tours and Longhorn Tours are excellent places to start, but if you’re more interested in touring the city at your own pace, the tours below will give you a sampling of what Dallas has to offer.

Experience Dallas

If your sightseeing time is limited, Downtown Dallas offers several historical and cultural venues within an 8- to 10-city-block radius. Start with the Sixth Floor Museum, located in the Texas School Book Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot and killed President Kennedy. Then visit the John F. Kennedy Memorial and Dealey Plaza, where the horrible event actually took place. For a glimpse at turn-of-the-century Dallas history, visit Old Red Courthouse, built from red pecos sandstone and Arkansas blue granite.

Next, head west for a trip through time with the vintage streetlights, horse-drawn surreys and cart vendors that line the streets of West End Marketplace, home to shops, restaurants and a movie theater. After that, peruse the historic homes of the Swiss Avenue Historic District and get a taste of Dallas’ residential lifestyle during the city’s early years. The Dallas Museum of Art offers an inviting tour of this 22-block neighborhood on cassette, perfect for touring the area either by car or foot.

Museums Galore at Fair Park

History and science abound at Fair Park, where you could easily spend an entire day with the whole family. Built in 1936 to house the Texas Centennial celebration of independence from Mexico, the park encompasses 227 acres and includes an inviting array of museums. Start with the African American Museum, where you’ll find a variety of exhibits featuring one of the largest African- American folk art anthologies available. The Science Place utilizes the solar system, honey bees, dinosaurs and sound waves to teach children about their complex senses; meanwhile, the museum’s planetarium and IMAX theater are must sees, portraying larger-than-life true adventures that are sure to captivate young minds.

History buffs will love the Dallas Museum of Natural History, founded in 1936 and featuring numerous exhibits of rocks and minerals and extinct wildlife, as well as the first mounted dinosaur in Texas. Ongoing exhibits include Prehistoric Texas, a paleontology lab, a wildlife diorama and Lagoon Nature Walk. After touring these exhibits, stroll over to the Age of Steam Railroad Museum to view freight and passenger cars from years gone by. Massive locomotives, as well as rare and unique pieces from numerous American railroad cars, articulately portray the nation’s transportation heritage.

A Sense of Art in Dallas

For a day of deep thoughts, head to the Dallas Arts District, another walking tour opportunity bounded by Ross Avenue, Routh Street and St. Paul Street. The Dallas Museum of Art is known as the mainstay of this district, housing renowned collections of both impressionist and contemporary paintings. Located across the street is the Trammel and Margaret Crow Asian Art Museum, which includes more than 300 paintings, sculptures and architectural items from the personal collection of real estate czar Trammel Crow and his wife. While some artifacts in the collection are less than 400 years old, the most noteworthy objects date back as far as 3,500 B.C.

After touring these museums, stop for lunch at Plaza of the Americas, an upscale shopping center featuring more than 40 restaurants, shops and services. Then wander over to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center; a glimpse at the beautiful architecture surrounding the Lay Family Organ is worth the trip in itself. It’s one of the largest mechanical-action organs ever built for a concert hall, spanning the entire height of the concert chamber at the back of the stage. Public tours of the center begin at 1pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Family Fun

Need to keep the whole family entertained for the day? Get up close and personal with sharks, stingrays and hundreds of reef fish in the 80,000-plus gallons of saltwater at the Dallas World Aquarium, which features living coral reef ecosystems from various oceans around the world. Or, visit your favorite wildlife at the world class Dallas Zoo. The 85-acre park features the Exxon Endangered Tiger Habitat, the Kimberly-Clark Chimpanzee Forest and the Wilds of Africa, which allows animals to roam freely in their natural habitats while humans observe from the Monorail Safari ride.

You don’t have to travel Hollywood to tour an active movie studio. Simply drive 30 minutes west of Dallas and visit the Movie Studios at Las Colinas, where you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the “magic of movies.” The interactive special-effects show captivates audiences, and the extensive collection of movie memorabilia delights guests’ sensibilities. Well-known movies such as Robocop, Silkwood, Leap of Faith and JFK were all filmed here. Noteworthy memorabilia includes Dorothy’s dress from the Wizard of Oz and the costumes worn by the Von Trapp family in the classic The Sound of Music.

Sports fans will marvel at Texas Stadium, home to the five-time world champion Dallas Cowboys. The venue’s tours will give you an insider’s view of every facet of the stadium; you’ll enter the stadium through the players’ tunnel and have a chance to stand in the center of the field as you imagine your field goal kick soaring through the goalpost and winning the game. You’ll also get to peek into a luxury suite and into the Dallas Cowboys’ locker room.

Public Expanses

With more shopping per capita than Los Angeles or New York City, it’s no wonder that Dallas features two highly successful megamalls. Stonebriar Centre opened in August 2000 to record-breaking sales. Located in the north of Dallas in Frisco, this 1.6 million square foot entertainment complex is anchored by Nordstom’s, Foley’s, JCPenney and Sears; it features 180 shops, a 24-screen movie theater and an ice-skating rink. If you’re staying near DFW International Airport, visit Grapevine Mills, which boasts 200 brandname manufacturer and retail outlet stores, such as Gap Outlet, Off 5th-Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet, Mikasa Factory Store and Burlington Coat Factory. The entertainment complex also features an arcade and unique restaurants such as the Rainforest Café and Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Grill.