Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I Need To Get Out More & Visit The Top 100 Things To See In The Dallas Fort Worth Area

A couple weeks ago the Dallas Morning News had an article listing the Top 100 Places to Go in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area that one needs to experience to be a well-rounded Metroplexer.

Well, it is often said I don't get out much, which must be true, because I have been a Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplexer for over 10 years and have not been to too many of the places on this list of 100.

The List of 100 is divided by category. I'll go through the categories one by one to get an idea of how badly I need to get out more.

ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS

Belt Line in Addison
Bishop Arts District
Mockingbird Station
Snider Plaza
Stockyards National Historic District
Sundance Square
Uptown/Knox-Henderson
West End Historic District

Well, I have been to the Fort Worth Stockyards, Mockingbird Station (to ride the DART train), Sundance Square and the West End Historic District. I don't know that I have been to Addison, let alone to Belt Line in Addison, whatever that is.

MUST-SEES

Dallas World Aquarium
Dallas Zoo
Fort Worth Zoo
The French Room
Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax and Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
Medieval Times
McKinney Avenue Trolley
Mustangs of Las Colinas at Williams Square
The Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture
Pioneer Plaza
Reunion Tower
Southfork Ranch
White Rock Lake

Well, I've been to the Fort Worth Zoo. Was not favorably impressed. I've walked among the sculptures at Pioneer Plaza. I've seen the similar Mustang sculptures at Los Colinas. I've pedaled my bike around White Rock Lake many times. I've driven by the Palace of Wax and Ripley's and Medieval Times, with no desire to enter. I've ridden by the Dallas Zoo on the DART train. I've driven and walked along Turtle Creek. I've seen the McKinney Avenue Trolley, Reunion Tower and Southfork Ranch. I have no idea what the French Room is.

MUSEUMS

African American Museum
Museum of the American Railroad
American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum
Amon Carter Museum
Cavanaugh Flight Museum
Crow Collection of Asian Art
Dallas Holocaust Museum
Dallas Museum of Art
The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
Frontiers of Flight Museum
Kimbell Art Museum
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Museum of Nature and Science
Nasher Sculpture Center
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
SMU Meadows Museum
The Women's Museum

I am very uncultured. I have only been to the Amon Carter Museum, the Modern Art Museum and the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. I've stood outside the Women's Museum at Dallas Fair Park, same with the Kimball Art Museum, the National Cowgirl Museum and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. I'm pretty sure just standing outside a museum does not let me count it has something I have seen.

HISTORY

Chestnut Square Historic Village
Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park
Dealey Plaza
Fair Park
Grapevine Vintage Railroad
John F. Kennedy Memorial
Log Cabin Village
Owens Spring Creek Farm
Sixth Floor Museum

Shouldn't Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum be counted as the same thing? These type lists always seem to have to pad to get to their anointed number. Actually, the John F. Kennedy Memorial is right in the area of Dealey Plaza, too. I've driven by Log Cabin Village in Fort Worth. Nothing I'd be drawn to visiting. I've seen the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, or Tarantula Train, in both Grapevine and at the Fort Worth Stockyards. No desire to ride that train.

ARTS AND CULTURE

Bath House Cultural Center
Dallas Center for Contemporary Art
Latino Cultural Center
McKinney Avenue Contemporary
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
Texas Sculpture Garden

I've had no art or culture since I've been in Texas, apparently.

NIGHTLIFE

IV
PM Nightlife Lounge
Absinthe Lounge
Billy Bob's Texas
Deep Ellum Entertainment District
Gilley's Dallas
Ghostbar
Havana Social Club
Inwood Theatre
Lee Harvey's
Loft 610 lounge
White Elephant Saloon

I have no night life, I guess. I have been to Deep Ellum, in Dallas, but not at night.

NATURE AND OUTDOORS

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve
Cedar Hill State Park
Cedar Ridge Preserve
Dallas Arboretum
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Fort Worth Nature Center
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Heard Natural Science Museum
Katy Trail
River Legacy Park
Texas Discovery Gardens
Trinity River Audubon Center

Apparently I am a Nature & Outdoors type guy. In addition to the places I have links to I've also been to Cedar Hills State Park many times, to hike, bike, swim and picnic.

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Dr Pepper Ballpark
Eisenbergs Skatepark
GameWorks
Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie
Malibu SpeedZone
Mesquite Championship Rodeo
Metroplex BMX
Pizza Hut Park
Rangers Ballpark
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motorplex
Zero Gravity Thrill Amusement Park

It seems I am not much of a Sports & Recreation guy. I've been to Six Flags twice. Did not care for it. I've been to one baseball game in the Ballpark in Arlington, to watch Seattle beat the Rangers or the Rangers beat Seattle, I don't remember who won. I used to live by the Texas Motor Speedway, so I know what and where that is. I've driven by Lone Star Park, I think horses race there. Gameworks is on this list? It's in the Grapevine Mills mall.

SHOPPING

Dallas Farmers Market
First Monday Trade Days in Canton
Galleria Dallas
Ikea Frisco
Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas
NorthPark Center

I'm not much of a shopper, so I'm surprised I've been to 3 of the Shopping places on this list, with the third being Galleria Dallas.

OFFBEAT

The Cockroach Hall of Fame
Mary Kay Cosmetics tours
Mrs Baird's Bakeries tours

I'm guessing whoever made this list of 100 got to 97 and needed 3 more to make it to 100, hence this Offbeat add-on.

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