Walkable, fun neighborhood in Dallas for a weekend trip

May 25, 2024 9:45 AM

This is sort of a funny question since I have family in Dallas and have gone there my whole life but I'm wondering whether I could have a fun vacation weekend there.

I know (and have some fond feelings for) the endless sprawl of Dallas, but what I'm wondering is if there's a central part where I could go for a day or two and walk around and maybe take DART a little and be reasonably well entertained. Cafes, record stores, maybe a movie theater? I feel like by reputation this used to be Deep Ellum but now there's like...sort of an arts district? I just do not know central Dallas at all and am wondering if it's worth a look. (I live 3.5 hours away so it's pretty low stakes as trips go.)

posted by less-of-course to Travel & Transportation around Dallas, TX (2 answers total)

I think the Bishop Arts district may be an option for what you’re looking for!
posted by MadamM at 9:57 AM on May 25 [4 favorites]

The Central, walkable part of Dallas is called Arts District/Uptown, with extra districts called Knox Henderson, Oak Lawn, Bishop Arts, and Oak Cliff. You can take DART and the McKinney Trolley to get to uptown. The basic stops from DART are Pearl/Arts District and then take the trolley towards Uptown. The problem with Dallas is that most of the uptown area is kind of hard to get to without a lot walking or driving. The train is more a commuter thing than useful for navigating much of Dallas. The second stop is Deep Ellum, with the Deep Ellum Station, and Bishop Arts station.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:51 PM on May 28