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During your Dallas vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
The Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden
Dallas may not be celebrated for its cool green beauty, but the area around White Rock Lake, and more specifically the Arboretum and Botanical Garden, is a welcome oasis. Just 15 minutes from the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown Dallas are nearly 70 acres of carefully planted and groomed gardens and natural woodlands, interspersed with a handful of historic residences, that meander along the banks of the lake. The Jonsson Color Garden features one of the nation's largest collections of azaleas, which bloom spectacularly in spring, and nearly 6 acres of chrysanthemums in the fall. And while North Texas is not exactly New England, October and November are as ablaze in color as anything you'll see in this neck of the woods. If you find yourself in Dallas during the torrid summer (or spring and fall) months, the Palmer Fern Deli is a secluded, shady spot where mist-sprayers drop the temperature at least 10° to 15° -- reason enough for a visit here. An hour is probably enough time to see most of the gardens, though it's a fine place to linger, read, and relax.
Dallas Museum of Art
Though a substantial notch below a world-class institution, this I. M. Pei-designed museum contains impressive collections of international art, especially from the Americas, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific. The Arts of the Americas section is the largest and most impressive, with valuable contributions from pre-Columbian lost civilizations of the Aztec, Maya, and Nazca peoples and Spanish colonial arts. The more limited Art of Europe gallery exhibits a handful of works by the biggies -- van Gogh, Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, and Degas -- while the small 20th-century collection includes Picasso, Mondrian, and Giacometti, among others. The contemporary collection includes works by Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, the Texan Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns. In the Wendy & Emery Reves Collection is a curious re-creation of Coco Chanel's French summer home, complete with her collection of furnishings and paintings by French Impressionists like Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Degas. The DMA puts on interesting occasional shows, such as the recent, colorful "Day of the Dead" installation and the blockbuster "Splendors of China's Forbidden City" exhibit. In the atrium, where jazz combos play for free on Thursday evenings, hangs a gorgeous, monumental blown-glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly. A couple of hours should be sufficient, unless you're a dedicated art hound.
Dallas Zoo
If you're headed west to Fort Worth, and one zoo trip will do, you'd be better off waiting (the Fort Worth Zoo, along with the one in San Antonio, are the two best in Texas and two of the best in the country). Otherwise, if the kids are clamoring for some wild animals, the recently renovated Dallas Zoo -- the oldest zoo in Texas, founded in 1888 -- isn't likely to disappoint (one feature, "Wilds of Africa," was named the top African zoo exhibit in the country). The 85-acre park also features a habitat for rare Sumatran tigers, a chimpanzee forest, and a monorail safari ride. A couple of hours spent here should suffice for the kids.
Sun Suites Dallas - Garland
Sun Suites is a leading economy, extended stay lodging chain, featuring clean, convenient, quality accommodations, specially designed for the extended stay guest. The Sun Suites of Dallas-Garland is a 3-story building featuring 135 guestrooms, complete with apartment size kitchens and comfortable living areas. The Hotel is conveniently located with easy access from the interstate. We are convenient to Garland and Richardson and just 10 minutes away from Northpark Mall, The Galleria and Telecom ...
StudioPlus DFW-Market Center
StudioPLUS Dallas-Market Center is designed specifically for people who need more than just a room while away from home. In addition to the sofa sleeper, comfortable arm chair, and large work desk, the oversized studio suites feature a kitchen that allows you to prepare meals at your convenience. As a guest of StudioPLUS, you receive free movie channels, free local phone calls, voice-mail, and a two-line phone with a computer dataport. Guests also have access to a 24-hour, coin-operated ...
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