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Excursions For Half a Day Southfork Ranch: It is impossible to visit Dallas without hearing a reference to the eponymous TV series. JR and his family’s lifestyle can be experienced ‘on location’ at Southfork Ranch, 3700 Hogge Road, Parker (tel: (972) 442 7800 or (800) 989 7800; website: www.southforkranch.com). Situated about 48km (30 miles) north of the city, visitors can reach Southfork by driving east along Parker Road, which is exit 30 of the North Central Expressway (Highway 75). Not missing any opportunity to create a winning product, there are tours of the Ewing mansion, refreshments at Miss Ellie’s Deli, gift shops, clothing stores, a tram tour and even a ‘Dallas’ Museum, which houses the ‘actual’ pistol used in the ‘actual’ killing of the infamous JR. Southfork is open daily 0900-1700, with admission costing US$6. For a Whole Day Fort Worth: To see how the other half lives (the other half of the Metroplex, that is), visitors should spend a day in the adjacent twin city known as ‘Cowtown’. Adjoining the conurbation on the west side of Dallas, with the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport joining the two, Fort Worth began as a military outpost before developing into a transport centre for shipping cattle from the surrounding ranch lands. Today, this remains an important albeit much smaller industry in a prosperous and dynamic city. The Stockyards National Historic District was the hub of the cattle industry and is now a mixture of wooden sidewalks, cowboy paraphernalia, entertainments, shopping, eating and drinking. Walking tours of about 90 minutes are available and the Tarantula Railroad runs a steam train to and from Grapevine, which is back towards DFW Airport. For a real taste of the ‘Wild West’, the best time to visit Fort Worth is between late January and early February, when the 17-day Southwestern Stock Show and Rodeo is held. Despite its ‘Cowtown’ nickname, Fort Worth is a cultural city and contains plenty of museums. Of particular interest is the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Boulevard (tel: (817) 738 1933), featuring a visual tour of the USA through the eyes of various people, including 350,000 photographs (a rotating collection) by the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson. Fort Worth can be reached by car on the I-20 or Route 183 – also known as the Airport Freeway. The Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, 415 Throckmorton Street (tel: (817) 336 8791 or (800) 433 5747; fax: (817) 336 3283; website: www.fortworth.com), provides further information. |
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