If you have a long layover in Dallas, there are plenty of activities and delicious food to keep you occupied outside the airport.
After leaving the airport, head straight for Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas.
The park is an open green space that spans several city blocks. Locals meetup with friends and bring their kids to play on the greenery. It’s also the perfect place to people watch. But the main attraction of the park for a hungry traveler is the row of food trucks parked on the street.
Before you decide on what you want, walk the entire row to see what they offer.
I really liked that Chez Flo had pictures on their menu. I ordered the Destroyer Sandwich and it definitely will destroy your arteries. The menu describes it as sausage wrapped in bacon and a whole lot of other yummy goodness. Just look at it.
Are you drooling now?
Other options include the pizza food truck, (appropriately named Yummy Pizza) which smelled delicious, but the Destroyer was calling my name.
From Klyde Warren Park, walk the short ten minutes to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science to get your nerd on.
The Perot has something for every kind of nerd. It’s perfect for kids, grown-ups, and the kid at heart.
My favorite floors were the physical science floors covered with fossils, weather, and geology. The gem and mineral hall also would have been a favorite, but it was closed the day we went.
I have a really nerdy confession for you guys. I have always wanted to experience an earthquake. And the Perot had an earthquake simulator on the geology floor! It was just a platform that shook back and forth. But it was so cool! Just as soon as you think you are getting the hang of the movements, it switches directions and you lose your balance all over again.
On the same floor, they also have a topographic sandbox and a tornado machine.
The museum also had a floor dedicated to engineering and hands-on activities. There were little kids everywhere playing around with everything. I managed to find a station with no one waiting to try it next!
I sat on the stool, clipped a sensor to my ear lobe, and pressed my forehead against the other sensor. The goal was to get a light to flash using only my brainwaves.
We had two options to get it to flash. The first way was to think of something challenging like reciting the alphabet backwards. I know the alphabet backwards, so it did absolutely nothing for me. Then I started thinking “flash” and it finally flashed!
Once you have finished exploring the museum, head out into downtown Dallas and look for a Lime Scooter (use this link to sign up for Lime and you’ll get three unlock credits on me!). If you have never ridden a scooter before it does take some getting used to. But don’t worry, you’ll be a pro in no time!
Use your scooter to explore downtown! It is so much more fun than walking all over the place. And quicker too!
Once you’re done exploring downtown, purchase tickets for Reunion Tower’s GeO-Deck on your phone.
After checking in on the bottom floor with your ticket, there is a line for the elevator to the top.
Once it is finally your turn you’ll be packed into the elevator with a bunch of other people. The ride up is only a short minute.
The view from the top around sunset is incredible!
When it was time for us to take the elevator back down, the line wound all the way around the interior of the sphere. The wait time was 25 minutes. We weren’t about to wait 25 minutes and instead opted for the 10-minute journey down 837 steps.
Your last adventure for the night should be a trip to La Hacienda Ranch for dinner. You might have to wait to get a table. Our wait wasn’t long and the food was definitely worth it.
You can also get a drink from the bar while you wait.
Have you been to Dallas? What did you see, do, and eat?
Tell me in the comments below!
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