# What to do with (most of) a day in Dallas? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598 "2023-04-12T23:28:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/21 "2023-04-16T02:21:31Z")
> [@txtumbleweed](#): > > Fort Worth is about a 40 minute drive from there, doesn’t look like the timing will be right, but we drive the Fort Worth Herd through the stockyards everyday at 11:30am and 4pm. If you haven’t seen a dozen or so steers as big as a small cars and twice as wide mosey up a street, it is quite the sight. Hmmm I am tempted to try and do this. Not sure tempted enough to go through the hassle of renting a car though. I’m guessing the chances of doing it by public transit are zero? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/22 "2023-04-16T02:37:44Z")
Nah, not zero, there is a train (the TRE) that goes between Dallas and Ft. Worth. I’ve ridden it a few times to see Stars games when I lived in Ft. Worth. The same train stops in downtown, Ft. Worth, but you’d still need to take a bus ride to the Stockyards. This page covers it pretty well. [https://www.fortworthstockyards.org/get-here](https://www.fortworthstockyards.org/get-here) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/23 "2023-04-16T21:21:06Z")
IMO … the stockyards are historically interesting architecture, and there are several steak or TexMex restaurants there. For all of 5 blocks on one street. The “cattle drive” is 6 fat old cowboys on horses walking with 6 old longhorn steers for a couple blocks then disappearing along an alley. If I had invested 3+ hours trying to public transit from the Dallas Design District to the FtW Stockyards, I’d be mightily disappointed in the effort / reward ratio of what I saw when I got there. The Stockyards are definitely worth seeing as borrowed nostalgia for a bygone era if you already had a car and were already nearby for a museum or other big activity in downtown FtW. Which _is_ a cool area and big enough to spend a day exploring. Unlike the Stockyards. For something completely different … The US Bureau of Printing and Engraving where they make most of the US currency is out on the edge of exurbia ~20 miles NNW of downtown FtW. They have a museum and give tours during the week. Figure 90 minutes at the facility. Pretty cool to watch them making money. Tons and tons of money. From Dallas proper it’s a bit of a drive. But if you were in FtW anyhow and had a couple hours mid-day to fill when it’s hot as hell outdoors, this might be up your alley. I’ve done both the Stockyards & the Bureau. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/24 "2023-04-17T00:33:16Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Hmmm I am tempted to try and do this. Not sure tempted enough to go through the hassle of renting a car though. I’m guessing the chances of doing it by public transit are zero? Haven’t ridden Trinity Railway Express (TRE) in a long time. IIRC, it’s about an hour ride by train between Dallas and Fort Worth and drops you off on the south side of downtown Fort Worth (near the Water Gardens, a nice visit on its own) and you could uber (can I use “uber” as a verb now?) to the stockyards or simply explore downtown from there. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > IMO … the stockyards are historically interesting architecture, and there are several steak or TexMex restaurants there. For all of 5 blocks on one street. The “cattle drive” is 6 fat old cowboys on horses walking with 6 old longhorn steers for a couple blocks then disappearing along an alley. I suppose it depends on what you are looking for. The Stockyards is certainly more shopping, entertainment, and food than anything else. Have dinner down there (I like Cattleman’s Steakhouse or all you can eat beef ribs at Risckey’s Barbecue), have a wander through the shops, and you can easily spend at least 2-3 hours. I’ll admit, I haven’t seen the herd since before covid, but in 2018 it was about a dozen or so longhorns and serious drovers in period dress. [Here’s a youtube from July 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j06q3l74ozs), doesn’t look to have changed much. It’s a sight and some excellent horns on those critters. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2023, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/25 "2023-04-17T05:31:28Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > If it was me, I’d go to Dealey Plaza. Copy-Cat! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/26 "2023-04-30T14:49:17Z")
> [@txtumbleweed](#): > > near the Water Gardens, a nice visit on its own If you do go to downtown Fort Worth and are near the water gardens, you do need to at least check them out since they’re worth seeing for everyone. If you go to Fort Worth in general but are not necessarily close to the water gardens, you should still see them if you are interested in city parks, fountains, or modernist architecture. Every time I drive by Fort Worth I try to see them. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/27 "2023-04-30T15:20:35Z")
The Dallas World Aquarium on Griffin Street is pretty cool. If you have never been to a Buc-ee’s you need to go to one. There are several. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/28 "2023-04-30T15:36:28Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > … the water gardens, you should still see them if you are interested in city parks, fountains, or modernist architecture. Every time I drive by Fort Worth I try to see them. They are also a bit of a homeless magnet the last few times I was there. Which may or may not be a show-stopper for some Doper tourists. They’re much better enjoyed on foot from wiithin the park, rather than passing by the perimeter in a car. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/29 "2023-04-30T15:52:00Z")
> [@Ynnad](#): > > If you have never been to a Buc-ee’s you need to go to one. There are several. Just FYI, every Buc-ee’s is at least an hour outside of town, wherever ‘town’ is, usually along major highways. They’re not something you’d casually visit from the central part of town. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/30 "2023-04-30T15:54:16Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Just FYI, every Buc-ee’s is at least an hour outside of town, wherever ‘town’ is, usually along major highways. They’re not something you’d casually visit from the central part of town. So is Fort Worth. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/31 "2023-04-30T16:01:07Z")
What I’m getting at is whether you’re in Fort Worth or Dallas, a Buc-ee’s is probably a good hour or more out into the boonies, assuming normal traffic. I live 10 miles north of downtown Dallas, and the nearest ones to me, on a Sunday morning with little traffic are _still_ in the 30-45 minutes away range, which would double on just about any other day of the week. They’re not a casual tourist destination if you’re not already driving by one to come here, and really who wants to drive a half-hour to visit a gas station, no matter how absurdly large and crowded? ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/32 "2023-04-30T16:05:48Z")
Yeah, I think of Buc-ee’s as a pretty unpleasant place, to be honest. It’s basically just a giant gas station, and the extra people milling about and driving poorly through the parking lot kill any potential attraction for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/33 "2023-04-30T16:11:34Z")
> [@bump](#): > > They’re not a casual tourist destination if you’re not already driving by one to come here, and really who wants to drive a half-hour to visit a gas station, no matter how absurdly large and crowded? I went to the one in Melissa. That’s about an hour from downtown. I just happened to be a lot closer. It was huge. Maybe it’s not a tourist mecca for most ordinary people. Maybe you have to be special. Like me. Are there any other Buc-ee’s fans on SDMB? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598/34 "2023-04-30T16:12:39Z")
I like Buc-ees fine, but with the caveat that I have to show up at like 9 am on a Wednesday morning when I’m only one of 75 people there. Going on a Saturday afternoon at like 4 pm? I think I’d risk peeing in my pants to reach the next closest gas station. I’ve been to three of them over the years- Ennis, Madisonville (not near Dallas), and New Braunfels, and the big issue is the crowds- they get SO crowded that it’s ridiculous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-most-of-a-day-in-dallas/982598.md?page=1)