Dallas

Dallas

Everything really is bigger in the Lone Star State, with visitors to Dallas-Fort Worth having a choice between two very different destinations. This part of Texas is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States.

‘Big things happen here’ they tell us - and they’re not wrong.

When the old and the new began to infringe on each other’s patch, they came together to form the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a bustling hub larger than the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined.

This means two downtowns, two art and cultural centres, and more restaurants than you could visit if you ate out twice a day for a year. It’s not all skyscrapers and shopping malls though; visitors to Dallas are met with a hearty helping of southern hospitality, from historic Dallas to the modern city, with museums, amusement parks, gardens, historic sites and galleries thrown in.

The pride and joy of Dallas-Fort Worth is its Wild West heritage. The ‘Big D’ is also famous for its contributions to popular culture: the Dallas Cowboys NFL team and their cheerleaders, and the TV series of the city’s name that was once a worldwide symbol of the United States.

It’s also the place where you’ll find real, old-fashioned cowboys, so mosey over to Mesquite to watch them racing and roping, or plant yourself in the Fort Worth Stockyards – the city’s historic district – to watch the world’s only daily cattle drive. Socialise at an authentic saloon or two-step at the biggest honkytonk on earth, Billy Bob’s Texas.

The city is steeped in more recent history, too - every year thousands visit the Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll in Dallas to see the spot where President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1962.

Things to do in Dallas

■ Watch the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium
■ Take a road trip
■ See the animals at Fort Worth Zoo
■ Rodeo and Do-si-do at the Fort Worth Stockyards
■ Relax at Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Stay in Dallas

■ Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
■ The Adolphus Hotel
■ Stockyards Hotel
■ Omni Fort Worth
■ Le Méridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh
■ Hotel ZaZa Dallas

Eat in Dallas

■ The Zodiac (International)
■ Tei An (Japanese)
■ Saint-Emilion Restaurant (French)
■ Pecan Lodge (Barbecue)
■ Mesa (Tex-Mex)
■ Fearing’s (Modern American)

Scheduled Flights to Dallas (from Kuala Lumpur)

■ American Airlines (1 Stop)
■ Qatar Airways (1 Stop)
■ Emirates (1 Stop)
■ British Airways (1 Stop)