Where to stay

Get a hotel in Downtown Dallas to view the iconic longhorn cattle sculptures of Pioneer Plaza, visit the marine animals of the Dallas World Aquarium and have educational fun at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Stay about halfway to Fort Worth in Arlington, where families can enjoy theme park rides and entertainment and watch the Dallas Cowboys play football or Texas Rangers play baseball. Other great kid-centric neighborhoods include Irving and Las Colinas. Booking a hotel in these areas will give you easy access to a petting farm and a greenbelt trail along the Trinity River. At the Founder's Plaza Observation Area enjoy fantastic views of planes landing and taking off along with the broadcast of air traffic control communications. Plano features canoeing at Oak Point Park and swimming in a giant pool in the shape of Texas. For the older members of the family, Plano's Southfork Ranch will bring back memories of the Dallas television series.

Hotels across the city provide excellent access to fantastic Dallas restaurants, ranging from barbecue to Tex-Mex to farm-to-table to French cuisine. Both Uptown Dallas and Downtown Dallas have numerous fine dining restaurants and steakhouses, some in high-end hotels and others in neighborhood historic buildings. Northwest of Uptown, the Dallas Design District is a great spot for barbecue of all kinds: ribs, brisket, burgers, chicken and even rabbit. Stay in the Dallas Arts District to sample Deep Ellum's street food, coffee shops and late-night dinner and drinks. In late September, South Dallas hosts the annual barbecue and chili cook-off at the State Fair of Texas.

Downtown Dallas is one of the best starting points for tours of many of the city's cultural attractions. Stay within walking distance of the Kennedy historical exhibits at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and stroll to the Dallas Holocaust Museum. The Park Cities neighborhood is near the George W. Bush Presidential Center. Find a hotel farther from the bustle of the city in Arlington, where the arts museum, music hall and seasonal festivals provide plenty of cultural appeal. Frisco, to the north, has art and music at the Frisco Discovery Center and fascinating outdoor sculptures.