Dallas and Beyond: Finding Your Corner of the Big D

Dallas is the name most people know when they think of North Texas, and for good reason. It’s a big, ambitious city with world-class art, a nationally known food scene and a skyline that lights up at night. But some of the best parts of the Dallas story are found just outside the city limits, in suburbs that have grown into destinations of their own.

The heart of downtown

The Dallas Arts District is the largest contiguous urban arts district in the country, and it’s packed with landmarks. The Dallas Museum of Art, founded in 1903, offers free general admission. Nearby, the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Meyerson Symphony Center and the AT&T Performing Arts Center make it easy to fill a weekend with music, theater and art.

Right next door, Klyde Warren Park shows how creative Dallas can be. Opened in 2012, the park was built on a deck over Woodall Rodgers Freeway, turning a stretch of highway into green space with food trucks, concerts and more than a thousand free events a year. An expansion now underway will add a pavilion, a festival lawn and even a winter ice rink.

Downtown also has plenty of history. The Adolphus Hotel has welcomed guests since 1912, and the red neon Pegasus still glows atop the Magnolia Building, one of the city’s most beloved symbols.

Neighborhoods with personality

Outside downtown, Dallas is a city of distinct neighborhoods:

• Deep Ellum is the city’s live music and street art hub, with clubs, murals and late-night eats.
• Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff is a walkable stretch of independent shops, galleries and restaurants in restored brick buildings.
• White Rock Lake offers miles of trails, sailboats on the water and the Dallas Arboretum’s 66 acres of gardens along its shore.
• Fair Park hosts the State Fair of Texas every fall, where Big Tex greets visitors and fried food reaches new heights.

Suburbs that stand on their own

Dallas’s suburbs aren’t just bedroom communities anymore. Many have become destinations in their own right:

• Plano is home to Legacy West, a walkable district of shops, restaurants and corporate headquarters.
• Frisco has earned its sports reputation. The PGA of America moved its headquarters there in 2022, and its Fields Ranch East course is set to host the 2027 PGA Championship.
• McKinney charms visitors with its historic downtown square, filled with boutiques, restaurants and community events throughout the year.

Classic Dallas luxury

For many people, Dallas luxury starts with Preston Hollow. Just north of the Park Cities, its winding, tree-shaded streets are lined with grand estates on lots measured in acres rather than feet, many tucked along creeks and wooded ravines. It feels remarkably private for a neighborhood minutes from downtown and Love Field.

Nearby, the Park Cities of Highland Park and University Park are separate towns surrounded by Dallas. They’re known for stately homes, manicured parkways and Turtle Creek winding through their parks. Highland Park Village, which opened in 1931 as one of the country’s first planned shopping centers, still anchors the area with its Spanish-style architecture and high-end shops.

To the northwest, Highland Village offers a different kind of luxury. Set along the shores of Lewisville Lake, it pairs wooded lots and lake views with miles of trails, a quieter pace and an easy drive to Dallas.

A place for almost any way of life

One of the best things about the Dallas area is the range of places to call home. Close to downtown, Uptown’s high-rises put restaurants and Klyde Warren Park within walking distance. Neighborhoods around White Rock Lake, like Lakewood and the M Streets, are known for tree-lined streets and charming older homes with real character.

Downtown itself has become a true residential neighborhood. Historic office buildings have been reborn as lofts and apartments, and high-rise condominiums like Museum Tower in the Arts District offer sweeping skyline views, concierge service and a lock-and-leave lifestyle, with museums, Klyde Warren Park and dozens of restaurants just an elevator ride away.

South of downtown, Oak Cliff is home to some of the city’s best mid-century modern neighborhoods. Areas like Kiestwood and Wynnewood North are filled with low-slung ranch homes, walls of glass and big, tree-covered lots, and Wynnewood was developed by Angus Wynne Jr., the same man who founded Six Flags. These neighborhoods are seeing fresh investment as buyers restore original homes and bring them up to date, and the area’s hills, creeks and easy access to downtown and the Bishop Arts District make it one of Dallas’s most interesting places to watch.

The suburbs add even more variety, from master-planned communities with walking trails and community centers to historic homes near McKinney’s square. And farther north, communities like Prosper and Celina still offer acreage and a country feel, with the city an easy drive away.

Skyline views or lake views. A mid-century ranch under the live oaks or a few acres where the stars still come out at night. Dallas and its neighboring communities have grown into an exciting, fun place to live, with a corner to suit almost any dream.

If you want the backstory, my piece on how Texas’s big cities got their start explains why Dallas grew up on cotton and banking rather than oil. For a weekend out, see things to do with kids around DFW.

Once you figure out what part of Dallas is calling you, I’d love to help you answer.