Hi
Can any sight seeing be done during a 12 hour layover in Dallas/Ft.Worth? or should I just plan on waiting it out in the airport? Thanks!

Sure

DFW is between Ft. Worth and Dallas.so you could do a little in each city. I would go over to FW for the old west feel (the stockyards area north of downtown) and then to downtown Dallas for the 6th Floor Museum, if that interests you. The two cities are only about 30 minutes apart but totally different.

If shopping is more your thing or you just don't want to get very far away, just a few miles north of the airport is a Bass Pro Shop and Grapevine Mills Mall--a really large indoor outlet mall.

Just give yourself enough time to get back, drop off the rental and get to the terminal. Everything in DFW is pretty spread out.

I'm sure you'll get some other suggestions, as well.

Is that 12 full hours or is it from the landing time of one flight to the departing time of the other?
Depending on the day/time it can take a while to get through security.
I have always been used to breezing through DFW (almost weekly) but lately it has been a bit inconsistant.
I waited for more than 1 hour in the security line in terminal A a few weeks ago. Seems to be a problem with the 6-7am shift and during shift changes.
Just make sure you are back 2 hours prior to your flight. You may need the time, you may not... lately it is just not worth the risk to arrive 1 hour prior.

That's a long layover time, so sure, you can get some sightseeing done. The question is how are you getting to these sights? Do you want rent a car? Public transportation is not great for DFW, but you can take the Trinity Railway Express from the airport to either FW or Dallas. In Dallas, you'll get off at Union Station, which is located next to JFK's Sixth Floor Museum.

Just a note, there's no TRE service on Sundays.

http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/

With a 12 Hr. layover at DFW visiting the sights is certainly doable. It's an easy 30 minute drive to either city but I think Fort worth has has more to offer and is easier to get around. FW has several world class museums (the Kimbell, the Modern, the Amon Carter, the Natural History Museum and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum) all within walking distance of each other. There's also a very nice Botanical Gardens just a few minute drive down the road and a terrific zoo another mile or so away (all of these attractions are on FW's west side and within a 5 minute drive of each other). Other's have already mentioned the Stockyards on FW's north side and there is a small aircraft museum at Meacham Field (not too far from the Stockyards). The city is easy to get around as there is not much traffic (unlike Dallas). All in all FW is a great place to spend a day sightseeing. When you are ready to go back to the airport it will only take you about 30 minutes (allow an hour if going at rush hour). Have fun!

I have lived in Dallas for nearly 25 years and agree with Sunnyboy - have lunch @ Bistro Louise in Ft Worth before the Amon Carter and Kimbell Museum tours.
M

Because of security hassles and traffic, I recomend that you just spend the 12 hours in the terminal.

No way!

We travel out of DFW frequently. I can't imagine needing to stay there for 12 hours.

I have with Connie and strongly disagree with travdis - 12 hours is much too long to spend at DFW airport. At worst, it won't take more than an hour to travel from the airport to downtown Ft. Worth or downtown Dallas and another hour to get back to DFW Airport and if you strickly follow the airline guide of arriving 2 hours early for an international departure that will still give you 8 hours of "free time". My gosh, I know plenty of business people who regularily fly into DFW go to downtown FW or D to conduct business and get back on a plane in less than 5 or 6 hours. Why travdis thinks you can't leave and return to DFW in 12 hours is beyond comprehension.

Sunny is right! I often fly to/from and conduct business in between in AUS, IAH, ORD, STL, ICT within 12 hours!
This length of break is even too long for Grapevine Mills. If you want to stay close to DFW, possibly you could head to downtown Grapevine in addition to GM?
ChristieP, what is that downtown area like nowdays?
One other question for those who know... could they take a cab to Centreport and take that train to Ft Worth? I am not sure what I am talking about here, but when I worked at the AA headquarters, people used to take a train or something from Ft Worth.
Might be tricky getting a cab from the stop to the a/p but I suppose you could always call and have them come get you.
Thoughts?

My reply was not honest! It was a play on all the Fodors postings of people who had long layovers at JFK or foreign airports who are told to hang out at the airport for the 10 hours because of customs and security hassles!

12-hour layover at DFW? hmmmmmm... Here is what I would do.

1. Find an earlier flight. Avoid the layover.

That's about all I can think of. I'd want to get home as soon as possible.

Downtown Grapevine is cool, as always. There are lots of cute shops to browse, and the glassblowing factory is neat to watch. I don't know if it will be enough to keep you busy for 10 hours, though.

Grapevine Mills Mall would be a thought. You could shop, catch a movie, and eat.

The current featured exhibit at the Kimbell is "Stubbs & The Horse." I went last weekend with a bunch of my horse-crazy friends, and we all really liked it. But if you're not as into horses as we are, you might not enjoy it.

Honestly, if you've never seen The Sixth Floor (AKA the JFK Museum) in downtown Dallas, this might be a great opportunity. The Dallas World Aquarium is also featuring a new exhibit, and it is a really neat place. It would be easy to get a cab to the West End and go check them out!

I heard on CNN last night that the Amon Carter Museum had a photo exhibit from the Lewis & Clark route. Didn't get all the details but it sounded interesting to me.