8 Best Sights in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas

This lovely attraction is composed of 66 acres of gardens and lawns in White Rock Lake Park. Spend an hour or two here to escape the noise and traffic of the city, walk nature trails, admire sculpture, and recline in soft, manicured grass. The annual Dallas Blooms event, in early spring, boasts spectacular displays of tulips, daffodils, and other blooming bulbs. Fall delivers more than 150,000 autumn flowers as well as great displays of pumpkins and other gourds.

In South Dallas, this 277-acre National Historic Landmark has the largest collection of 1930s Art Deco architecture in the United States. It is also home to the State Fair of Texas for three weeks each fall. Within the park, you'll find the Museum of the American Railroad, the Dallas Aquarium, the Texas Discovery Gardens, and the Museum of Nature and Science.

Among the 23 gardens here are the Lower Rose Garden, whose classical design was inspired by the Villa Lante gardens in Bagnaia, Italy, and the Oval Rose Garden, where many Texas roses grow. The Japanese Garden is beautiful in fall, when the leaves on the maples begin to turn, and in spring, when cherry and other blossoms burst forth. Also on-site is a 10,000-square-foot conservatory.

The oldest continuous zoo site in Texas, the lush grounds here house more than 5,000 exotic and native animals—including Komodo dragons, koalas, and a rare white tiger—in natural habitat exhibits. The Texas Wild exhibit offers an overview of the wildlife and habitats of the state's different regions. Children love the train, petting zoo, interactive barn, and weather theater.

You don't have to be a cowgirl or cowboy to fall in love with this fine museum and its celebration of pioneering women. The building, just across from the Will Rogers Memorial Center, shares fascinating Western history through technologically savvy exhibits. The Hall of Fame honors more than 180 pioneering women, including Sacagawea, Mary Ann Goodnight, Georgia O'Keeffe, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Sandra Day O'Connor. Each woman's accomplishments are highlighted on easy-to-use touch screens. Other kiosks allow visitors to listen to female country music stars and modern-day cowgirls describe life on ranches and the road. Another area displays flashy rodeo fashions from the past century. Don't miss the chance to "ride" a bucking bronco and later watch and share the video online.

This 1892 Romanesque courthouse, known as "Old Red," contains a museum on Dallas County's history. Each gallery has a short film, interactive exhibits, artifacts, and historical photographs. Discover some of Dallas's claims to fame, such as the invention of the integrated circuit, air conditioning for cars, and the frozen margarita, as well as sports memorabilia. A special draw is the hands-on learning center, where children can dress in period costume, play marbles, and answer history questions on touch-screen monitors.

In the Metroplex, you can rely on a couple of things here in the summer: It's going to be hot, and if you've got kids, they're going to want to go to Six Flags Over Texas. No wonder. There are more than 50 rides plus musical shows, games of chance, and lots of food. You'll find lots of Warner Bros. and DC Comics tie-ins, such as Looney Tunes USA, where preschoolers can ride attractions sized just for them, and Gotham City, where thrillseekers can speed 70 mph on Mr. Freeze or soar through the air on Batman the Ride. If you're visiting in the summer, be aware that the park will be crowded and you will be hot. But your kids? They probably won't even notice.

The recalls the prosperity brought to the city in 1902 when two major Chicago meat packers, Armour and Swift, set up plants here to ship meat across the country in refrigerator cars. You can witness a cattle drive here today; cowboys on horses lead a city-owned herd of about a dozen longhorns down East Exchange Avenue every day at 11:30 am and 4 pm, weather permitting. Between their walks, the cattle can be viewed in their pens behind the Livestock Exchange Building.