Dallas or Fort Worth?
 

My wife and I are from the UK and at the end of our USA road trip in October we'll be spending 3 nights in Texas. Our plane lands around 1pm (from New Mexico) at Dallas/Fort Worth airport, but which of the cities should we stay in, do you reckon? We'll have a rental car and on the first night I want to see the Monday night Cowboys game. On day 2 we'd like to look around Fort Worth and the Kennedy museum, on day 3 we might drive to Austin (maybe driving through the 'Hill Country'), staying there overnight before our flight home in the afternoon of day 4. Apologies if you've already replied to my other, similar, post.

I would stay in Dallas. They are both nice places, Ft Worth being a smaller and not as cosmoplitan perhaps. I like FT Worth a lot as it has more of a small town feeling

Dallas has great restaurants and some wonderful hotels as well as shopping!! ARe you ino to shopping? If so, this is the place!

Austin is close to 3 hours away I believe so be aware of that.

Good Luck and have fun.

There is plenty to do in the DFW area to keep you busy - you do not have time to do Austin and the Hill Country, especially if you have to drive back to DFW to fly out.

Day one - land, get car, check in to hotel, explore something close to Cowboys stadium, get a meal, go to game. Travel to the stadium and parking can be lengthy.
Day two - Fort Worth.
Day three -Dallas
Kennedy museum -are you referring to the 6th floor museum? (it's in Dallas).
Day four -what time is your flight out?

If you're going to the Cowboys game, I would split the difference and stay in the Arlington to Grapevine area (this area divides the DFW metroplex and puts you basically in the middle of both towns.) What's your hotel budget? Are you looking for more than just a place to sleep?

Fort Worth has a wonderful downtown area (Sundance Square) and the historical Stockyards to explore. There are tons of museums and a Botanical Garden there as well.
Fort Worth is going to give you more of the 'Texas/Western' feeling, Dallas is more cosmopolitan.
Both cities are big enough to take up more than one day each, and too far apart to make trying to do things in both places on the same day any fun.

Thanks for your quick replies. So it seems Austin is just too far away to do it justice. Our budget is about $150 per night. Our flight home is at 2pm, but we'll need to drop the car off in plenty of time, meaning day 4 will probably be just a relaxing morning. My wife would like the shopping in Dallas although these days she needs to take her time and have rests now and again (thank God!). I'm keen on staying in the Sundance Square area for at least 2 nights I think and if we get a good deal for the 4 nights we may take it. Alternatively - what about us staying in Arlington? I'm led to believe it's midway between Dallas/Fort Worth.

These are some hotels in the Sundance Square are. I am familiar with the Renaissance Hotel and can recommend it. It falls in your budget only if you can book a special rate, but it is worth checking because the location is great for exploring that area.

http://www.sundancesquare.com/hotels/default.aspx

Walking maps are available and there is also a free trolley that serves the area.

Enjoy your stay in Texas!

Sundance Square/downtown Fort Worth would be a good place to base for your trip. Hotels in downtown are the Renaissance. Omni and Hilton, and the Sheraton is walking distance. Of these, you should be able to get the Hilton in your budget. FYI: the Fort Worth Hilton is where JFK spent his last night before the asassaination, and the hotel makes a big deal about being a "Presidential" Hilton and has many historic photographs, etc. on display.

For your day in Dallas, you honestly could ride the Trinity Railway Express and DART rail. The TRE will take you from downtown FW to American Airlines Center, and you can either walk from there or take the DART Rail just a couple of stops to the West End, and the Sixth Floor Museum is right by the station. Of course, you can also drive there.

In downtown Fort Worth, there are many neat shops and restaurants. I HIGHLY recommend Reata, which is known for its "legendary Texas cuisine" of steaks, Mexican, etc. Their rooftop bar will be perfect in October! For shopping, Leddy's Ranch has custom-made boots and western wear! If you would like to see a wonderful, small western art museum, the Sid Richardson Museum is downtown and is VERY worth a visit!

Sorry you won't be able to make it to the Hill Country. Fredericksburg alone is worth a week's visit...it's one of our favorite weekend getaways!

I would stay in Dallas, but visit Fort Worth. The Stockyards has the Texas visitors expect. Texas food, motif, clothing, furnishings, and a daily cattle drive. I will defer to the above on specific destinations.

Dallas is bigger. Has more of everything including fine hotels, shopping and restaurants. FW is only 45 minutes away.
Spend a little time in both.

Thanks....your suggestions are really helpful. We're looking forward to our trip!

I would stay in the Dallas area. There are some nice hotels in Grapevine such as Embassy Suite, or the Gaylord Texan.
You could base from there and then drive to the other places you have mentioned (other than Austin) during the days. A wonderful place for great dining downtown Dallas is McKinney Street. You have a wide variety of choices there.
Hope you enjoy. Love Texas

If you're at all interested in art/architecture the Kimball Museum in Fort Worth is well worth some time.

I agree with LSky! The Kimball also has a very good restaurant.

Based on what you say you want to do, I'd stay in Fort Worth. I lived in the area years ago and preferred to go to Fort Worth for entertainment at night than Dallas. Nothing against Dallas, but I preferred Fort Worth.

Is this at the end of a road trip? If so, I'd try to fit in some of the Hill Country (Austin, Fredricksburg, San Antonio, etc). IMO it's the prettiest part of Texas. I moved from the DFW area because I hated the flatness and lack of trees.

UGH.

First, the Kimball's attractions are based on its special exhibitions. Its permanent collection is far inferior to the Dallas Museum of Art. So check the Kimball's exhibition schedule.

Second, the Dallas Arts District has museums equal or superior to Ft Worth's art district. The Nasher is especially notable.

Third, Arlington may be 1/2way between Dallas and Ft Worth but there's no there there from a tourist perspective. Grapevine is more interesting. Go to the British food store on main street and either laugh or get wistful for home.

Fourth, McKinney AVENUE is not in downtown Dallas, it's in Uptown.

Fifth, Dallas is the home of the State Fair of Texas, which likely will be on when you're in town. For you, it's worth a trip just to see what kind of food Texans will fry - it'll put you Brits to shame.

Fort Worth has three fantastic museums, as notable for their architecture as their collections: the Museum of Modern Art, the Kimball Museum, and the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art. Rare for Texas: they are within easy strolling distance of each other.

And if you'd like to see some western art, the Sid Richardson Museum in downtown FW has an impressive collection of Remington and Russell, as well as some Bohlin parade saddles!

Stay at the Gaylord in Grapevine. If you are going to the game, it’s relatively close. If you just want to watch, there is a great sports bar – Texas sized!
Day 2 – Fort Worth – Lunch – Joe T. Garcia’s – a Texas Institution! On to Stockyards – great Texas ambiance – actual cattle drive daily. Dinner at H2 Steakhouse or Cooper’s BarBQ.
Day 3 – State Fair
Day 4 – Downtown Dallas, 6th Floor Museum, lunch at Reunion Tower – new Wolfgang Puck resaurant, shop at Highland Park Village, on to the airport.
Now that is a TEXAS experience!

Fort Worth - hands down, is the place to stay. A nice bed and breakfast in downtown FW is Etta's Place. Has a lot more personality than any of the nearby hotels. http://www.ettas-place.com She had connections with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Also, be sure visit the Fort Worth Stockyards. If you're in town on a Friday or Saturday night, go to the Cowtown Rodeo!!! http://www.cowtowncoliseum.com Something I'll bet you don't have in the UK. :)

Don't bother with lunch at Joe T's (Mexican) - the menu is very limited and the food just isn't that good.

HIghly recommend the Kimball Art Museum, Modern Art Museum, and Amon Carter. Also in the Sundance Square area is the Sid Richardson Museum. Fort Worth has the Molly the Trolley, which is a FREE throughout the downtown area. http://www.mollythetrolley.com

The TRE (train - Trinity Railway Express) runs Monday - Saturday. Saturday hours are about every 1.25 hours, so not very frequently, but it is a great easy way to get to Dallas without having to rent a car. The end of the route is the Dallas Union Station, which is not too far from the 6th Floor Museum (Kennedy Assassination). http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/newsateb.html

Staying at the Gaylord in Grapevine would not be as convenient to Cowboy Stadium as Arlington would be. There is a Sheraton Hotel VERY nearby to Cowboy Stadium. This particular site has info on transportation TO the Cowboy game.
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...ropertyID=3175

Have a great time in the US!!!

P.S. - Stay in FW (did i mention that before?) :)

I went through the same thing last October. I was torn between staying in Dallas or Fort Worth. We ended up staying at the Renaissance hotel in Fort Worth. We loved it there. Fort Worth has a nice area to walk around at night. Dallas was way too spread out. I was not impressed with it at all.

Also, I ate at Joe T. Garcia. I was excited to try it, and although the outside dining area is beautiful, I was very disappointed in the food. The mexican restaurants in NJ are much better!

Hey, you've done me proud with your replies. Thanks! One question for you, is the Six Flags just a theme park? (we've seen enougn of them! I love art museums so we'll surely be taking a tour around 1 or 2 of them. My wife will "put up with" a visit but she does like Asian art.

Good for you jaguar.

One thing you may find interesting if you visit the Kimball is the use of light in the space. The architect, Louis Khan was a genius.

Back in the day, Six Flags had different areas celebrating the six flags that have flown over Texas (Spain, France, Mexico, Confederacy, Texas Republic and USA), but now it's just a typical theme park and really isn't worth a visit.

IIRC, Dallas Museum of Art has the Crow Collection of Asian art. I'm not sure if that is still on display or not. The Kimbell is always awesome, and the Cafe at Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum is wonderful for lunch!

Actually, the Crow Collection is not in the DMA, but located in separate building across the street from Dallas Museum ..... http://www.crowcollection.com/

Staying in Arlington does offer you the convenience of proximity when going to the Cowboys game. And yes, also does have advantage of being between Ft.Worth & Dallas. However be aware that Arlington has little in the way of character. It's pretty much a bedroom community with collection of strip shopping centers.

Oh, I'd forgotten that your trip may coincide with Texas State Fair. State Fair for this year starts on Sept. 30th and runs for 3 weeks until Oct. 23.

http://www.bigtex.com

DEFINITELY do a day at the State Fair of Texas!! You can ride the DART Green Line train down there and it drops you off at the front gate. BE HUNGRY: the State Fair is well-known for all sorts of wonderful food, and crazy fried stuff. DH and I go every year and we love it!

I agree! If you are there then, go to the fair!

Re: the State Fair - you'll definitely need to get a corny dog, AND whatever they're deep frying this year. Last year I think it was deep fried butter! :)

I think this year it's deep fried Kool-Aid ;)

Okay... I have only lived here 11 months - so hardly an expert!

But 100% PASS on six flaggs - lordie not worth going...

Your other post about the Cowboy vs Redskin game says you want to compensate the wife with a nice hotel

http://www.mansiononturtlecreek.com/

Not 150.00 a night but my Mom and Stepdad rave about it. I am staying there for an overnight soon and will report back.

We just went to the 6th floor museum and it is an excellent museum. Try to go not on a weekend - it was pretty busy on a Sat in July. I have been to the holocaust museum and it pales in comparison to the DC one but if you are lucky you will have the founder there - Mr. Mike Jacobs - he is a survivor.

My vote is Ft. Worth. I've done several mini vacations in both of those areas, and Ft Worth is my favorite.

A friend's daughter's wedding was at the Mansion. The entire wedding weekend was held there. It's lovely - but very very pricey.

Ft Worth is my fav too.

Reporting back from the Mansion. It is 100% lovely, service is great - we had a night for free- I would not pay to stay there but that is because it just costs too much and I prefer to use points for hotels. We met a fun couple there and they were staying on points from a Capital One card.

If you want to wow your wife - then yes, it is lovely - but for *us reporting back - we would not do it again.

OK...First of all the bad news. We changed the dates of our holiday several times and I overlooked the fact that we'll now miss seeing a Cowboys game...by one day! DRAT. Oh well, I'll get over it (and my wife surely will). The good news is we've booked in at Etta's Place in Fort Worth. The reviews (and this Forum's advice) were very good and it's not too pricey. Your posts have been brilliant...thank you so much. We start our holiday in Northern California (San Francisco, Sonoma, Yosemite, Carmel), then fly to New Mexico (Santa Fe, then Albuquerque for the hot air balloon fiesta) and finally Dallas/Fort Worth. NM and Texas will take our tally of states we've visited so far to 28.

Hope you enjoy (love) your stay in FW! I certainly hope our weather has cooled off by the time you get here. Please post a trip report, I'd love to hear your thoughts of FW.

If you're in FW on Friday of Saturday night, try to get tickets to 4 Day Weekend, an improvisational group that is hilarious. Some of the humor will be geared more to the US and local but still funny for visitors. And it is just around the corner from Etta's Place. You will probably need to book in advance, or book one of the later shows.

www.4dayweekend.com

Prepare for disappointment for the Balloon Festival -- one thing the Albuquerque chamber of commerce keeps quiet is that if the wind is blowing at more than 8 mph (13 kph), the balloons won't fly. If they do fly, however, it's really neat.

And check out the balloon fiesta's website -- the park and ride is the best deal but you should park at the amusement park because that's where the fewest attendees come from so the lines getting out of the fiesta park and back to your car are the shortest.

Thanks Jill and Big Russ. I'll check those things out.

Was there 4 weeks ago go a lot

Prefer Galleria/Adisson area pretty nice food shopping

On Otel.com snagged the Crowne Plaza there join Priority

Club with ichotelgroup.com got upgraded FREE to the

biggest suite I have stayed in in my life.

Usually base there best area pretty close to DFW & tour out

B4 that bidding priceline.com snagged the Sheraton Galleria

$40 spg.com got an upgrade free to a junior suite a suite deal

So that area in North Dallas my fav...

2nd choice Hyatt Reunion downtown but lots more dough

Ft Worth sort of a reformed cow town nice to visit thhough...

Happy Planning!

We're ready for the trip report! :)

Sorry I'm so late posting this. We had a great trip to Fort Worth in October 2011. We stayed at Etta's Place (we'd recommend it) on Sundance Square and saw the usual tourist sights including the Kimball art museum, the Water Gardens and the Stockyards. Also visited the Kennedy museum in Dallas (Dealey plaza) which was great and I took a trip around the Cowboys stadium. Enjoyed it enough to think of coming back to Texas as part of our Holiday in Spring 2013. Planning on Austin and San Antonio.

So glad you enjoyed your visit to the Fort Worth. Glad Etta's Place worked out for you!

Come back any time.