The Best Things To Do In Dallas: 5 Great Escapes From the Everyday

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Dallas is full of things to do, but how many of them offer a real break from the everyday? We’ve scoured the region to find the activities that truly do. From the ultimate indoor adventure to the most unlikely green space ever to a place that doesn’t even seem like it should be in the city, these are the experiences that you’ll be talking about for months.

Or at least, until your next Dallas getaway.

1. The Escape Game Dallas

Still suffering from cabin fever? Break out of it — literally and figuratively — with The Escape Game Dallas in Grapevine Mills. A great activity for friends, family or coworkers, these games are an unforgettable adventure where teams must find clues and solve puzzles to escape a locked room… in an hour or less.

The Dallas location in Grapevine Mills, one of eight outposts for these nationally-recognized escape room gurus, offers four different games: Gold Rush, Prison Break, The Heist and Playground. And these aren’t just cheap, throwaway escape room environments. Instead, it’s all about the details.

Even the toilets in the Prison Break game are authentic (they come from Memphis State Penitentiary). Escape Game Dallas‘ team of designers, engineers and carpenters build realistic environments to create an experience that’s as exhilarating as it is immersive.

These are true challenges that will have you racing against the clock — and working together. Whether you’re an office on a team building retreat, a family trying to keep the kids engaged in something that’s not on a screen or vacationeers looking for a unique activity, you’ll find real fun here. If you are looking an escape room in Dallas, check out The Escape Game in Grapevine Mills.

2. Dallas Arts District

Dallas may be known for big hair and big skies, but the arts go big here, too. The Dallas Arts District is the largest contiguous arts district in the United States, with more than 69 artful acres that offer something to do almost every day of the week and major performances and exhibitions throughout the spring.

Visual arts gems include the Dallas Museum of Art, with more than 24,000 works of art in its encyclopedic collection, and the Nasher Sculpture Center, with its boast-worthy array of modern and contemporary sculpture, and resident performing arts companies that span the disciplines of opera, symphony, dance and theater.

3. Klyde Warren Park

Dallas redeemed its bad traffic rap with Klyde Warren Park, a green space built over the recessed Woodall Rodgers Freeway that once cut through Uptown and downtown. This engineering marvel is one of the most unique parks in the world — and would be worth it just to see it. But it’s also turned into one of the more happening spots in the city.

The five-acre deck features free daily public programming from exercise classes to lectures to outdoor concerts and films, not to mention food trucks, play areas for kids and dogs, and lawns aplenty.

4. GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower

With its distinctive geodesic dome and nightly light shows, Reunion Tower has been an iconic centerpiece of the Dallas skyline since it opened in 1978. The tower’s GeO-Deck — an indoor/outdoor observation deck located a dizzying 470 feet off of the ground — offers 360 views of the Metroplex, with high-definition zoom cameras and telescopes, plus new interactive touchscreens that let visitors leave their digital mark.

This tower will not just give you a new perspective on Dallas. It’s liable to give you a new appreciation for the city too. Of course, the thrills don’t hurt either.

5. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens

On the shores of White Rock Lake, just minutes from downtown Dallas, sits the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. This 66-acre urban escape is in full bloom throughout the spring, with 19 lush gardens, seasonal programming and adult and youth education programs.

It’s a green getaway in the heart of it all. Sometimes, lounging around and literally smelling the roses is what a great day is made of.