Across the city
Things to Do in Dallas
A starting list of parks, museums, districts, and public spaces, built from what each place says about itself rather than a generic top-ten roundup.
Parks and the outdoors
TheDallas Park & Recreation Departmentdescribes itself as one of the largest municipal park systems in the nation, offering athletics, arts, aquatics, and fitness programming through recreation centers, athletic fields, swimming pools, and other facilities. Two of its trail systems run long distances along the Trinity River: the 8.1-mile AT&T and Trinity Forest Trails, and the 11.6-mile Trinity Skyline Trail. White Rock Lake, about five miles northeast of downtown, is a 1,015-acre city lake with a 9.33-mile hike-and-bike trail.
Klyde Warren Park, a 5.4-acre deck park in downtown Dallas, isn't run by the city. It's privately managed by the nonprofit Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. Thepark's own sitedescribes its programming as free and open to the public and states it serves more than 2 million visitors a year, a figure the park reports about itself rather than an independently verified count.
Museums and arts institutions
TheDallas Museum of Artoffers free general admission, per the museum's own materials, covering the collection galleries and most exhibitions (some ticketed special exhibitions may still require a reserved ticket even when free). ThePerot Museum of Nature and Scienceorganizes its exhibits across five levels of hands-on discovery, guided by its stated mission "to inspire minds through nature and science." TheNasher Sculpture Centerlists Free First Saturdays, free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., presented by Target, on its own site. TheDallas Arboretum's official hours are daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, though admission there is paid; seeFree Things to Do in Dallas for the discount programs available.
Museum hours, free days, and sponsor arrangements change. Confirm current details on the institution's own site before visiting.
Districts worth wandering
Deep Ellum, in Old East Dallas, is represented by theDeep Ellum Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that manages public and private funds to advance the neighborhood, including its Public Improvement District. The Bishop Arts District in North Oak Cliff is represented by theBishop Arts District Merchants Association, a local business advocacy group. Downtown, theAT&T Discovery Districtis a public plaza operated by AT&T that hosts free public events, including live music, markets, and large-screen sports viewing, according to the district's own promotional material.
Markets and civic spaces
TheDallas Farmers Market's outdoor vendor market, The Shed, operates Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., per the market's own site; its indoor food hall, The Market, is open daily 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. TheDallas Zoois a 106-acre nonprofit zoo about three miles south of downtown, home to more than 2,000 animals representing over 406 species. Fair Park, a277-acre siteeast of downtown, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. As of September 2025, day-to-day operations and general management of the Fair Park campus were returned to the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department, according toFair Park First's own site, a recent change worth reconfirming if you're researching who runs a specific Fair Park venue.