All Eyes on Dallas
As it prepares to serve as a host city for this summer’s FIFA world cup, the Big D expands its profile with newly minted Michelin restaurants and ambitious art events
Much like Big Tex, the animatronic cowboy who looms over Fair Park during the State Fair of Texas, Dallas stereotypes are larger-than-life. The city’s lore includes big-haired ladies, oil executives in Armani suits and cowboy hats, Southern Methodist University sorority sisters dripping in Cartier, and business discussed over extra-rare Tomahawk steaks. Even Texas’ own Richard Linklater featured a dig at the Big D in his 2011 film Bernie, in which an East Texas gentleman dismisses the city simply as “Dallas snobs with their Mercedes.”
The city does have its G-Wagons and, more recently, its Cybertrucks. And yes, some of the local ladies wear their hair high—“the closer to God,” as the saying goes—but Dallas is more than its cliches.
All eyes will be on the area in June and July when soccer lovers from around the world descend on nearby Arlington for the FIFA World Cup. “With more matches in Dallas than any other host city in North America and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center serving as the tournament’s international broadcast center, the city will be on a global stage like never before,” says Zane Harrington, director of communications for Visit Dallas.
Incoming soccer fans will find dining options that are both diverse and innovative. The famed Michelin Guide recently added 25 Dallas restaurants to its list, featuring everything from barbecue to Vietnamese offerings. “The presence of Michelin has undoubtedly created a buzz around town, adding meaningful cachet to the Dallas dining scene,” says Chas Martin, a co-founder and partner at Duro Hospitality, which owns Michelin recommended restaurants El Carlos Elegante and Mister Charles.
The city is also home to a vibrant art scene. At the Dallas Museum of Art this spring, visitors can experience the International Surrealism exhibition and view 350 wearable works of art from contemporary jewelry artists from around the globe. Across the street, the Nasher Sculpture Center will feature works by groundbreaking artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Port Arthur native Robert Rauschenberg.
“Dallas has the resources of a major arts hub but the flexibility, forward-thinking spirit, and hunger of a younger scene,” says Monica Salazar, communications and programming director at public arts organization AURORA. The group will host its sixth biennial in November, featuring large-scale projections, interactive installations, and immersive environments spread across buildings throughout Dallas. The event will culminate on Nov. 21 with a massive public art exhibition spanning the mile from Dallas City Hall to the AT&T Discovery District.
“Our institutions are internationally recognized,” Salazar says. “Yet, much of the cultural energy comes from regional artists, collectives, and community spaces that take creative risks and redefine what art in Dallas can look like while reflecting the city’s complexity.”
Dallas may have a reputation for car culture, but the city does have a myriad of walkable neighborhoods. Just south of downtown lies the Bishop Arts District, where visitors can hear folk music at the Kessler Theater, dance to New Orleans-style jazz at Revelers Hall, or shop at hip record and clothing stores. And in the Deep Ellum neighborhood, galleries, independent bookstores, and street art entice travelers and locals.
“We’ve seen a remarkable transformation in how Dallas approaches development, with an emphasis on walkable, mixed-use communities that reflect the character of our neighborhoods,” City Councilwoman Paula Blackmon says. “It’s been incredibly rewarding to see Dallas grow into a city that celebrates culture, community, and innovation.” —Andrea Luttrell
Designed by REX/OMA architecture firms, made up of partner-in-charge Joshua Prince-Ramus and Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Rem Koolhaas, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre features aluminum ridges crafted to resemble the folds of a stage curtain.
Murals like Josh Mittag’s portrait of the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki, located at 2926 Taylor St., have long been part of the neighborhood’s culture. Artist Preston Pannek remembers riding his skateboard to check out the street art when he was a kid in the 1990s. Now, his art covers walls across the area.
Many public spaces and museums in the city are built for kids. Even the place that hosts the Dallas Opera and the Symphony, the AT&T Performing Arts Center, has a reflecting pool for splashing and playing. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science downtown features a dedicated space for pre-K children to play, another floor with hands-on robotics displays, and this year, the Soccer: More Than a Game exhibit to learn the science behind the sport.
Since it opened in 2009, the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House downtown, part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, has beckoned folks from the highway with its shiny red exterior catching the reflection of downtown skyscrapers. The Winspear hosts the Dallas Opera as well as traveling Broadway shows and gala events.
The Dallas skyline is identifiable by the lollipop- shaped Reunion Tower and glassy skyscrapers. Visitors to downtown find high-end hotels, chic restaurants, and the arts district in addition to the city’s business center. Can’t-miss sites include the Dallas World Aquarium and the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza for a look at an event that shaped history: President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
Sons of Hermann Hall opened in 1911 as a meeting place for the Sons of Hermann, a national fraternal society of German immigrants. In its tenure, it has housed a bowling alley and hosted a German men’s chorus and a songwriter sanctuary, among other things. Notable acts including Wilco, Billy Joe Shaver, and local faves the Old 97’s have all played the hall. Weekly offerings include swing dance lessons and an industrial discotheque.
A 38-foot-tall sculpture entitled The Traveling Man-Walking Tall by Brad Oldham welcomes visitors to the neighborhood. Occasionally decked out in Mavericks gear, the sculpture’s body resembles a guitar—fitting for an area steeped in rock history.
Locals flock to the seats outside Birrieria Aguiñaga in the heart of the Bishop Arts District on Davis Street to enjoy creative takes on birria tacos. The birria ramen and birria pizza are perfect complements to a cold beer or Mexican Coke.
The historical Wilson House, located at 2922 Swiss Ave., epitomizes the preserved houses dotting the street. The Queen Anne-style home, which served as a residence to Frederick and Henrietta Wilson and their family for more than 75 years, was purchased and restored by the Meadows Foundation in 1981. In 1993, the home became the headquarters of Preservation Dallas, which offers tours of the area.