We are driving from Chicago to Dallas in a few weeks. Is there anything we should stop and do along the way (and don't say potty breaks)? Also, are there any foods we need to try in any of the other states that they might not have in Chicago?
thank you in advance

Hello I live in Dallas. I hope you have a nice road trip. I do not know of places along the way (sorry). But I can tell you where the speed traps are in the Dallas area if you want to know.
Or for that matter any other info about Dallas. Have a safe trip.

Hi Jill-
We're actually stopping at Lake Texoma along the way for Labor Day weekend and then headed to Plano for the rest of the week. Since my relatives never seem to go out, can you suggest some things my husband and I should do? We want to do a baseball game, do we need tickets ahead of time? Also, is there much to do in downtown Dallas? The only places the relatives having taken me is Southfork (yuck) Also, we are in our early 30's if that helps. Thanks!

So sorry you'll be spending time in Plano, a/k/a the land of the bland --- if shopping is an attraction (and certainly down here it can be a way of life), there's several good malls. Willow Bend in Plano and a bit further north in Frisco is the Stonebriar Mall (I think Stonebriar is better). Now if it's true culture you're seeking you need to leave the 'burbs and head south. Still very Dallasy is the stretch of Belt Line Rd. in Dallas --- many, many, MANY restaurants and a few places for entertainment --- I don't know who might be playing on the Improv (comedy club on BeltLine) --- there is a live theatre in area, I think what's playing there now is a show about Patsy Cline (?). A better bet is to go into Dallas itself --- downtown Dallas doesn't offer alot of action, rather you need to seek out the areas around downtown. For example, the "Deep Ellum" area has several clubs (live music) & restaurants. The best place to find out info on ALL of these is thru the local newspaper, Dallas Morning News. Section to peruse is:
http://www.guidelive.com. When you're down here, "The Guide" is printed weekly in the Friday edition of the paper.

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Ooops, meant to say "stretch of Belt Line Rd in Addison", which folks usually refer to as North Dallas.

Hi Road, Lake Texoma over Labor Day will be packed. Do you have a place to stay while you are there? If not you might want to make your arrangements now (just to be safe). You can rent canoes, jet skiis etc..and do some water sports on the lake. I am not a baseball fan BUT I will check on games for you. The Texas Rangers is the local Dallas team. They actually play in Arlington Texas which, from Plano, is perhaps 25 miles or so. I will check and post in a little while as to the games and tickets. Well I don't blame you for not liking Southfork. I have lived in Dallas my entire life and did not go until I was 25 (I am now 35). It is definitely a tourist trap. There is a section of downtown Dallas that is called "Dallas Alley" also known as the West End. It is an old warehouse district. I used to go down when it first became "the thing" but I find it to be mainly for tourists. I am sure that people will disagree. If you want to go "clubbing" there is another part called "Deep Ellum". But it too has become touristy. Shopping in Dallas is very similiar to Chicago except that we do not have a Bloomingdales. If you are staying in Plano there is a new mall up there called "The Shops at Willowbend". It is located on Park just west of the North Dallas Tollroad. It has very upscale shopping. If that is what you like. Personally I am not a fan of Plano as to me it is the "burbs" and lacks soul. But Plano does have a lot of restaurants that Dallas has if you do nt feel like driving into Dallas. I would recommend that you go to what is known as Lower Greenville. There are some great places for eating and shopping down there. Be careful because on a weekend night parking is very very hard to find down there.
If you like movies there is a place called the "Angelika" (they do have a website). They show what I call "art movies" or movies that are not as mainstream.
One thing that you might like doing as a visitor to Dallas is visiting the Sixth Floor Museum. It is located in the very building and floor where Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy from. It is very informative and interesting. It gives a good overview as to what was happening at the time and has some interesting artifacts.
Besides baseball what things do you like to do because there is so much....
Oh be careful driving in Plano the police are everywhere. Do not run a red light because they have cameras up there. Preston and Park used to be considered one of the most dangerous intersections. Sorry to babble on and on.

Jill:
Thanks for your great advice. We're not really into the touristy things but it sounds like there's not much more to do. We like to explore different areas of the city, which I know will be hard to do since you have to drive everywhere. We do have a place to stay in Texoma. The relatives have boats and everything else we could possibly want. I am interested in going to the Sixth Floor and also the aquarium. Do you know of the safari like place you can go to outside of Dallas where you can feed the animals? Been to Arbuckle wildnerness and it sucked, but there is another one somewhere.

As far is staying in Plano, I know it's a boring suburb, but it's free there's a pool, and cocktails. What more could you want on vacatioin?

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http://www.texasoutside.com/glenrose/fossilrim.htm

Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, TX. Never been there, maybe others can provide personal experience ???

Glen Rose is SW of dallas. The fossil rim park is a very good wildlife park. You can drive through & feed various types of exotic deer, antelope, giraffe, etc. They also have some wildcats on display. I thought the terrain in glen rose reminded me of pictures of Africa which added to the experience.

Should we drive through or take the guided tour?

To actually respond to your message about WHERE TO GO ALONG THE WAY, it would depend on which way you take. I have made many trips from TX as far north as NE and IA. If you go through KS at all, be prepared to see very little along the way. If you take the KS turnpike (say from KS City to Wichita) keep in mind that the gas stations are about 30 miles apart. When you see a gas station in KS take advantage! It could be a while before the next one comes along. Keep your receipts too (for the gas). We were accused one time of not paying - they sent a trooper after us. Luckily we could prove we had paid.
I'm not looking at any maps at the moments, so I don't know how much help I am. If you stop in Omaha, try King Fong's in downtown (interesting decor - food's good too) and Joe Tess in South Omaha (I hope they're still good I haven't been in a while). Bill's BBQ on 24th and Ames is good, but there's nowhere to sit. It's basically a liquor store.
Slow down through the Arbuckles in OK on I35, one of the gas station clerks said there's a speed trap somewhere in there. I personally have never been pulled over.
When you get to Dallas, try Sweet Georgia Brown's for soul food. Not sure of the address, just look them up. Hope this helps.

I don't know what route you are taking, but hope you aren't goint to Omaha and Kansas as one poster suggested. It would seem that those are out of the way. When I've done it I-55 to I-44 out of St. Louis to I-35.

I do have suggestions if this is your route.

I would definately second the idea of the School Book Depository. Very well done. Perhaps a stop at the memorial in Oklahoma City would be in order also.

Another route might be to go I-57 to I-40 and then I-30 into Dallas. I've also driven this route and have some suggestions as well.

So, as I've said before, let me know your route and I'll see what I can come up with.

I have only driven through, and not taken the guided tour. I have heard the guided tour is good because you get to see some behind the scenes things. I think you need to reserve the guided tours a head of time.