Explore Downtown Dallas: 2 Days Travel Itinerary

3/11/2019

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My weekend Dallas trip was successful. I say this because I planned accordingly & everything fell in place. This was my second solo trip but first road trip which was pretty exciting. My first solo trip was to Chicago, if you want to check it out. The weather was sunny & windy which is perfect if you are going to explore. You already know downtown parking can be a hassle, right? That's why I parked my car in a public parking lot and walked around the downtown. Dallas downtown is large but all these activities you can do are nearby, max. of walking 30 minutes. Not bad, actually, if you enjoy exploring around. Plus, who cares, & there were a lot of people who were doing the same thing as me. So with that said, let's get right into 2 days itinerary for downtown Dallas.

1. Trinity Groves/The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

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You get to see the beautiful and iconic views of downtown Dallas. You should be able to cross the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge but when I went there, it was closed for construction. A local photographer told me the bridge is for children playground and building blocks. So I took a photo on the road which you can see on the 2nd photo. The last photo is from another angle which is pretty cool as well.

2. Joule's Eyeball

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This giant eyeball is so big you cannot miss it. The details of this giant eyeball is so realistic, it feels like it's looking at you. This is located in the garden of The Joule Hotel.

3. Forty Five Ten

Mirador

This fashion designer boutique shop in downtown Dallas in one of my favorites! Forty Five Ten, a high-end retailer, is a 5-story building with everything in it. First floor on your left, there is a cozy cafe with a mural, 2nd - 4th have clothing, bags & furnitures, and on the 5th floor, there's an American restaurant/bar called Mirador. If you love art and fashion, this is a perfect for you to look around & shop.

4. Ascension

A cute coffee shop to relax a bit. I got their iced almond latte & wind down from walking around downtown Dallas all day! The cafe is quiet and cozy, the staffs are welcoming as well. Tall glass windows brightens the inside and it's well decorated.

5. The Joule

If you love art & beautiful hotel lobbies, The Joule is definitely a great stop. Their lobby has so many art pieces starting from the entrance, you just want to buy them all and hang them in your house. They have an underground bar that opens at 5pm, restaurant, cafe, book shop & beauty shop. You will definitely have so much fun wandering around the hotel and checking out new things. The beauty shop has many cute accessories, so definitely check it out!

6. Dallas Fish Market

I went into this place thinking it would be small fish markets in one area, but that was just a name. Dallas Fish Market is a fancy seafood restaurant/bar. I wasn't hungry so I just went in and took some photos since their interior is gorgeous. Their menu includes a lot of fresh seafood plates, so if you love seafood, this is the place for you! I definitely want to check it out next time.

7. Commissary

A bakery cafe. I checked this place out because of their cute blue interior and tall glass windows. Seems like many of the downtown Dallas cafe or restaurants here have beautiful exterior and interiors, which brightens up our mood! I love it!

8. Westin Downtown Hotel

Another hotel you want to put on your checklist for the day. Compared to The Joule, it's less grandiose, but it's still contemporary and modern. Their main lobby and second floor bar lounge is well-designed. You can also dine at the creole restaurant they have.

9. Dallas Museum of Art

If you can, go on Thursdays, for free admission. There are some beautiful art hanging in the museum. Most of them are traditional ones but it's a great museum of art to check out. I always try to go to many museums as possible when I travel because they all have their unique art pieces. You never know which ones will surprise you!

10. Klyde Warren Park

Beautiful and relaxing park with art, water fountain & playground for kids. Not to mention, a lot of food trucks to keep you full and restaurant/bar called Savor is in place.

11. Historic West End Area

I didn't see much going around here. There are a lot of public parking lots, which I parked my car here and walked around. The public parking lot I chose was called Star Parking, and it's $10 for 24 hours, which I think is a pretty good deal. Few restaurants and bars here and there as well.

12. Perot Museum of Nature & Science

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This nature and science museum in downtown Dallas is definitely worth checking out. The amount of information and value contained in this museum... you will learn a lot! It's for all ages. This museum is the building with a cool architecture. Each floor showcases different topics like animals, space, gem, etc and it is an interactive museum which gives you unforgettable experience. The animals look so realistic, it surprised me! Took me about 3-4 hours to read and look around. Make sure to check out the special limited exhibition, The Art of The Brick. This was my favorite exhibition. All the art is made of LEGO bricks and they did a great job. Super creative and relatable ones are here. You can also see downtown views from this museum as well.

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Celebrate difference. If everybody looked and was the same, it wouldn't be very interesting world, would it? Which shape and color are you?

13. Nasher Sculpture Center

Relaxed & calm sculpture center with contemporary art. Outside there's a garden and other larger sculpture are in place. My favorite one is this giant fork. It's right by Klyde Warren Park and Dallas Museum of Art. Right now there's on-going exhibition called Sterling Ruby: Sculpture.

14. Renassiance Dallas Hotel

The hotel I stayed in, and is located in downtown Dallas, close to all of these museums, restaurants and activities within 20 min. My stay was awesome and I would want to stay in this clean and modern hotel again! I'd rate solid 10 out of 10. Their elevators are unique where there are no buttons inside of the elevator. Instead, there is a touch pad outside of the elevator, where you enter your floor number, and it will choose the elevator for you. As you can see, I got this gorgeous room with stunning downtown view. Room was spacious and quiet which I really liked about.