Hotel at a Glance: Magnolia Hotel Dallas Downtown

For a taste of Texas history, visitors can’t beat staying at the 4-star Magnolia Hotel Dallas Downtown. A Beaux-Arts masterpiece built in 1922, it’s a Dallas landmark. Atop the 29-story building—which at one point was the tallest in the state—is the iconic neon Pegasus statue, a reference to the Magnolia Petroleum Company (later bought by Mobil). While the boutique hotel retains much of vintage glamour, it’s also adjusted to the present day with a wealth of modern amenities.

• Where you’ll stay: Guest rooms brim with sophisticated decor, combined with a flat-screen TV, WiFi, and custom bedding.
• For extra space, choose a suite, with 650 square feet of space, including a full kitchen and a separate living room.
• Where to eat: The Lounge, the hotel’s classy onsite restaurant, offers a la carte breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s also where you can enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.
• Complimentary perks: Join the hotel staff for a beer-and-wine reception (5:30–6:30 p.m.), or sneak down for bed-time milk and cookies (each night from 8–10 p.m.)
• What’s nearby: American Airlines Center, Cowboys Stadium, the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Arboretum, and the flagship Neiman Marcus.

Dallas: Historical Parks and Rejuvenated Urban Districts in North Texas

Though some know Dallas only for the massive AT&T Stadium (which is actually in Arlington), the city is also an enclave of arts and nature, overflowing with botanical gardens, art galleries, and live theater. Historic Main Street connects many of the city’s recently rejuvenated urban districts, as well as the popular Main Street Garden, a block-long public park surrounded by architecturally significant buildings. Locals come here to picnic on the expansive lawn or watch a movie under the moonlight in the summer and fall.

A short walk from downtown Dallas, you’ll find horse-drawn carriages clopping along brick streets in the city’s historic West End district, which dates back to the 19th century. This part of the city also contains Dealey Plaza, where President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963. At The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, housed in the former Texas School Book Depository, you can visit the spot where Lee Harvey Oswald is believed to have shot at Kennedy’s presidential motorcade.

Joggers and bikers can zip through the fashionable Turtle Creek neighborhood, located about 4 miles west of downtown, via the Katy Trail, which follows an old interstate railroad. Back near downtown Dallas, the 277-acre Fair Park is the location of North America’s largest Ferris wheel and seven museums and four performing-arts centers, many of which are inside art-deco buildings built for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition.

Love to travel? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for travel tips, inspiration, and photos from around the world.