In
Dallas, I'd say the two not-to-miss sights are the Sixth Floor Museum and the Nasher Sculpture Garden.
I avoided the
Sixth Floor Museum for some time, as I just couldn't imagine Dallas really doing a decent job on the Kennedy assassination, due to the city's continual attempts to distance themselves from being associated. I was only hurting myself, as when I finally went, I was amazed at the quality of the exhibits and recorded tour. I was alive and watched the entire series of events play out on television as a kid. I can honestly say that the Sixth Floor Museum does a fine job of setting you back into that era and accurately portraying events and attitudes. (The city did all it could to make the 50th anniversary of the assassination
a low key event. The weather cooperated with a cold hard rain.)
The
Nasher Sculpture Garden is simply one of the finest collections of contemporary art in the world. With the high-rise buildings around it, the beautiful grounds, and the artworks/sculptures, it is really a great place. Ray Nasher arguably had the largest, most prestigious collection of contemporary artworks in the world. The Trammel-Crow Asian Art collection is nearby.
Dallas City Hall was
designed by I.M. Pei. I don't like it, personally, but it is a world famous architect. (I think the conical white flagpoles bear too much of a resemblence to KKK hoods, for one thing.)
The
Margaret Hunt Hill bridge is a Calatrava design. Yes, the city bargained him down into a cheaper version, but that's that as well.
The Latino Cultural Center was designed by
Legorreta & Legorreta of Mexico. Again, the city trimmed the size because they chintzed the budget, but it's interesting set of shapes against the Dallas skyline.
Since you'll be downtown, you may be interested in the newly converted to pedestrian traffic only bridge across the Trinity River. On the far side of the levee from downtown, there are a lot of skyline vistas which might be appealing.
If you're a flower, plant, nature photographer, you may enjoy the Dallas Arboretum on the shores of White Rock Lake, but it's a drive from downtown.
I know it sounds completely
silly to recommend that a vacationer visit a mall, of all places, but the
Northpark Mall contains several of Ray Nasher's collection of contemporary art sculptures. These are world-famous original works, located where people can walk right up and touch them. If you need to do any shopping, it is a short drive north from downtown. Clean, modern architecture lines, use of natural lighting to reduce energy consumption, a step above other malls in many ways. Again, if you haven't been there, it sounds
ridiculous, but I'm just sayin.... you might be surprised.