I'm planning a fairly last minute trip to Dallas for the end of October. I'll only have 3 days to do "whatever." I'm not a big shopper. I just want to see Dallas and am willing to go on a scheduled tour or do it myself. Any help out there?

Yep....go to the 'grassy knoll.' Think up your own conspiracy.

Try Grayline tours
Consider Dallas Ranch Southfork
Look at Digital City on web

Did they ever find out who shot JR?

Here are some websites to get you started. The only thing I would suggest is staying away from Southfork..tourist trap.
Okay for Dallas:
www.guidelive.com
www.dwazoo.com
www.dallasmuseumofart.com
www.sixthfloormuseum.com
www.dallastheatercenter.org
If you want to visit Fort Worth
www.fortworthzoo.com
www.sundancesquare.com
www.kimbellart.org
www.cartermuseum.org
www.fwmuseum.org/omni.html

Highland Park is a town within Dallas and is pretty to drive through. Beverly Drive,Lakeside and Armstrong Parkway have some beautiful old homes (sadly many are being torn down).
Swiss Avenue is a street with some very beautiful homes. Swiss Avenue is in Dallas and you might want to go to Mapquest to get directions.
I would stay South of LBJ if I were you.
As far as taking a tour you might think about that just to give you some highlights and historical information.
Fort Worth is great if you have the time. You can do Fort Worth in a day easily. The Stockyards are fun but touristy.
I can go on and on. If you have any questions just post them.

For those of you who will be in Dallas over the weekend, there is now a pedicab service from the Mockingbird rail station to the entertainment district known as Lower Greenville.

Greenville Avenue contains several clusters of clubs, cafes, and theatres, and is typically very crowded with auto traffic. Parking is difficult, and you run the risk of conflicts with neighborhood residents who don't like all those happy drunks all over their yards.

So a local entrepreneur is extending his pedicab service to Lower Greenvlle. He already has pedicabs operating in Dallas' West End, and offers service between downtown and Deep Ellum, but thinks that the Lower Greenville pedicab service will be a hit.

Folks, I've walked it myself at 3AM, the 2 mile stretch from Ross Avenue to the Mock station. It's not a bad walk, but I'd rather ride.

Read the Dallas Morning News piece at http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/092802dnmetpedi­­cabs.b1ed6.html

General survival tips

. Restaurants will try to sell you iced tea or alcohol, but you can choose water, and it will be free of charge. Even at fast-food places like McDonalds.
. Many restaurants will serve you a slice of lemon with your water, others will have the lemon available on a serving table. Take it, it has a lot of vitamin C.
. The restaurants where there are no waiters, and you serve yourself, will be much less expensive than those with waiter service, and the food can be surprisingly good. Some of these restaurant chains are: Cafe Express, La Madeleine, Einstein's Bagels, Corner Bakery, and others.
You can find a free weekly entertainment newspaper in racks all over the city. The name of the paper is the Dallas Observer.
. Many museums are closed on Monday. This is a common closing day in many cities, not just Dallas.
. On thursday night, go to the Dallas Museum of Art for the evening. The museum is open late, admission is free, and there is a good jazz group playing for your entertainment. There are also special docent lectures. Incidentally, the museum has a cafe that serves very good food for a moderate price.

Addison area

. The Addison transit center is actually a reasonable, if hearty, walk from the Motel 6. Walk east about 4 blocks to Quorum Drive, then walk north two blocks to the transit center. The total distance will be under a mile.
. The area on Belt Line road is a high energy corridor, but it is not quaint or cute. It does have many restaurants, hotels and other shops along it. Perpendicular to Belt Line, you will see a motorway (Dallas Tollway) lined with high rise office buildings.
. There is a gasoline station on the corner of Belt Line and Midway road with a small store for various foods and other supplies. In general, the larger gas stations have similar attached stores.
. Just a few blocks away from the Motel 6 is the biggest Jazz club in Dallas, called Sambuca's. Note that there is another Sambuca's near downtown Dallas, in Deep Ellum district.
. A block or two farther down Belt Line road is a comedy nightclub called "The Improv".
. about a mile and a half east on Belt Line road, at its intersection with Preston Road, is a large shopping district where you will find a large 24 hour supermarket (Tom Thumb). It also has a food cafe with many food items, some of them very inexpensive. This is a good way to economize on meals. Their Chinese food is acceptable and their soups are ok. Take the 36 bus or the 400 bus from the Addison Transit center.
. Next to the supermarket is a huge Barnes and Noble bookstore. Go there to see some foreign papers and to read (for free) guidebooks on the city. They have chairs in the aisles to allow you to read any of their books in comfort. They never bother you about buying something.
. At the Barnes and Noble (and many other places in Dallas) get a free copy of the weekly entertainment newspaper called The Dallas Observer.
. If the weather is nice (and it should be) read the newspaper while drinking some coffee in the outdoor tables section of the bookstore.

Getting out of Addison

. To get a good tour of Dallas' better suburban areas, take the 36 bus going toward downtown Dallas. The bus will go down a main boulevard called Preston Road.
. At the intersection of Preston and Forest, there is a large organic/specialty grocery with a nice food court. Stop and have some lunch. It is called Whole Foods Market.
. At the intersection of Preston and Royal, there is another large bookstore/cafe called Borders Books. It will be on the left side, southeastern corner of the intersection.
. At the intersection of Preston and Mockingbird, there is a small shopping center containing many expensive and luxurious boutiques. It is called Highland Park Village. Stop and walk around. There is a small, quaint movie house called The Regent showing some films. There is also a Gelato Paciagulo ice cream store.
. Continue down Preston Road on the 36 bus. It will take you to the CityPlace subway station and the West Village complex next to it. Get off at the West Village complex and go have ice cream at Gelato Paciagulo. Also, take in an art film at The new Magnolia theatre. Be sure to look in the other shops, including the Swedish Design shop, and Legacy Trading Company. Have some coffee and pastry at the Starbucks cafe.
. The last 36 bus from downtown Dallas is about 10:45PM (10:30PM on weekends) from the West Transit center, next to the West End rail station. If you miss it, catch the 31. Last bus is 12:22 (weekdays), but it arrives at Addison Transit Center 1:19AM. Weekends is 11:32.
. For bus schedules and trip planning, ring 214-979-1111.

Downtown Dallas

. The visitors center is at the corner of Houston and Elm streets. It is large and elaborate.
. On Ross Avenue, between the West End and the Dallas Museum of Art, there is a tall building shaped like a twisted chisel. It has a plaza with an incredible array of fountains. The fountains are arranged in a chessboard type array, and are individually controlled by a computer to display an unpredictable set of patterns. Be sure and visit. It is called Fountain Place. When the weather is warm, there are many children running through the fountains trying to guess where the water will squirt next.
. In the West End, there is a dollhouse museum. .. actually shows many miniature buildings, some of them quite interesting... worth a visit.
. Between the Amtrak train station and the Hyatt hotel there is an underground corridor with many historical photographs on the walls.
. Next to the Hyatt hotel, there is a large tower with an observation level on top. Go to the top and look over the city from 600 feet high. You can choose any one of 3 levels. One is an observation deck, one is a restaurant, and the third is a cocktail bar.
. There is a large Farmers Market. Several large sheds. Go to Harwood Street and walk south. Once there, tour the enclosed sheds for all sorts aof fruit and vegetables. There is an enclosed building with many items of Mexican crafts and furniture. You can pause at an outdoor snack bar and have a choice of refreshments.
. The Dallas Museum of Art, on Harwood and Ross, is a huge, general-purpose art museum. Be sure to see the Museum of the Americas inside. The museum has a restaurant and the food is good and cheap... but near-gourmet quality. On thursday nights, catch the jazz concert at 6:30PM.
. Across Harwood street is an Asian Arts museum. The pieces inside are beautiful. The high-rise building that houses the museum also has many pieces of sculpture on its grounds... beaux arts turn of the century pieces... walk all the way around and see it.
. Old city park, just across the downtown loop freeway from the Farmer's Market, has a collection of 19th century houses and buildings arrayed into a frontier village. My favorite is a farmhouse behind the blacksmith shop.
. Bronze cattle drive... in fron of (to the north) of the convention center, there is a city block park that contains an entire old west cattle drive. About 60 bronze cattle, larger than life, and 3 bronze cowboys. Unique in the world.

Southern Dallas

The southern half of the city is not as prosperous as the north, but there are things there worth seeing. To get there, take a DART train going south from downtown.

. Tyler/Vernon DART station. The art here is notable. An artist created ceramic murals on the walls surrounding the station depicting homely scenes and many peoples from a hundred years ago. I think it's great.
. Bishop arts district. Small, but may be worth a visit, although I've never been there. Ask locally how th get there.
. Jefferson Boulevard. Center of Mexican life in Dallas, many Mexican shops, groceries, taco stands. Incidentally, the tacos they sell in the streetside stands are nothing like the bland confections you get in a Taco Bell chain.
. Dallas Zoo. Very large zoo, many things to see... has a slow-moving train that takes you through a recreation of various African climates and terrains. Also, check out the Bengal Tiger exhibit.

Irving (a suburb northwest of Dallas)

Best visited before or around noon when the office workers pour out and there is a lot of street life. Take the 28 bus to the North Irving transit center, then take a trolleybus south to Las Colinas. It has...
. Statues of several mustang horses cavorting in a stylized stream, running through an enormous central plaza.
. A canal going through a downtown area. Stylish in its own way.
. Boat rides. You can take a water taxi on a ride through the canals and out onto the lake next to Las Colinas.
. Italian Village. There is a 10 block area next to the lake that is a recreation of a southern European village. On Las Colinas Boulevard, there are shops on the sidewalk, and the village has a small general store and delicattessen. Stop there for lunch.
. Visit some of the interesting shops on the canal.
. About two miles south of Las Colinas, there is the Irving Arts center, with a nice gallery of works by local artists. It also contains a small theater for drama and a larger one for symphonic music and musical comedy.
. South Irving Rail Station/Transit Center also has buses to Las Colinas, and it is a rail station for the TRE commuter train between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Fort Worth (west of downtown Dallas)

Many things to see and do here, at least 2-3 days worth. Take the TRE commuter train from Dallas' Union station, fare is $2

I would rent a car. Everything is spread out.

You DO NOT need a car to visit Dallas. I disagree that "Everything" is spread out. In fact, the things that a visitor would want to see are accessible by public transportation, either a DART train, a short city bus ride, or an express bus.

Most of the visitor attractions downtown, such as the World Aquarium, Dealey Plaza, the Dallas Museum of Art, etc, are accessible on foot, by DART rail, or motorized trolley.

Places like the West Village and Mockingbird Station are accessible by the adjacent rail stations.

Many express buses go from downtown to Fair Park. Or a taxi is a good way to go... very inexpensive for a 2 mile trip.

Deep Ellum and the West End are accessible on foot from the center of downtown.

The Dallas Galleria? For $2 there is an express bus to take you there. Northpark Mall? It's next to the Park Lane station.

If and when you visit Fort Worth, you really want to take the TRE commuter train to downtown FW and then take one of their shuttles to the museum district or to the stockyards area.

I'd say that Dallas is one city where a visitor can get away without a car.

You CAN get around any city without a car. All cities have bus systems. It's just much easier in some places to have the vehicle and I'd say that Dallas is one of those cities.

I almost forgot. To tour the quaint district just north of downtown Dallas, known as Uptown, State-Thomas, Oak Lawn, the Vinyard, etc., you also do not need a car.

The McKinney Avenue Trolley runs for 3 miles thru the district and is free. No fare is charged. It runs every 20 minutes, so you can get off, walk into a cafe and catch another trolley later on.

The cars are the real thing... 100 year old Brill cars, Birneys, with all period details complete.

I rode the cars yesterday (Sunday Oct 13) and really enjoyed seeing the visitors to the city enjoy the ride.

Adam, you'd be surprised about how people use the rail system in Dallas. For travel to central city locations like downtown, West End, basketball/hockey games, etc, people really want to leave their cars at a station and take a train.

Right now, while the 4 week State Fair of Texas is happening, many people are riding a train to the CityPlace station, then taking a shuttle to the park.

Now if someone is going to a suburb somewhere, such as Irving or Garland, I'd say, yes, you need a car.

It is highly unlikely that a casual, short-term visitor would be spending much time in Irving or Garland, however... to go to the same kind of mall or grocery store they have plenty of back home.

Take a driving tour of Dallas and see if the black and white races are still segragated in north and south sections of the city. Used to be that way for ages, but maybe they've made some progress.

Try the Deep Ellum Cafe, they have a great menu and yummy chicken and dumplings! (Or did wa few years ago.)