Dallas County Historical Plaza
Just a couple of blocks from the spot where JFK's motorcade slowly rolled by the Texas School Book Depository is the heart of historic downtown Dallas -- though nothing of permanence was built here until the 1890s. In the middle of the plaza is a reminder of Dallas's recent origins as a Western outpost: John Neely Bryan Cabin, a replica of the one-room log structure built by the Tennessee-born attorney credited with founding the city in 1841. The original cabin stood on the banks of the Trinity River.Across Main Street is the John F. Kennedy Memorial, funded by private donations and designed by the famed architect Philip Johnson in 1970. The open-roofed square room, made of limestone, is a "cenotaph" (an empty tomb), according to Johnson. Unfortunately, the memorial is also empty of emotion -- not the moving testament to a president and event that so marked the American national psyche. Inside the four solemn walls is a black marble slab, which looks like a low coffee table, engraved with the words "John Fitzgerald Kennedy." Johnson's intent was for the open roof to symbolize the "freedom of spirit of JFK," but I doubt that many visitors will feel their own spirits soar here.Just west of the Kennedy Memorial, across Record Street, is the Old Red Courthouse, built in self-important Romanesque Revival style in 1890 on the site of the original log courthouse (property donated by city founder John Neely Bryan). The blue granite and red sandstone building today houses the Dallas Visitors Center (which has Internet access and plenty of sightseeing and hotel and restaurant information).For those who miss the true nonbelievers that used to swarm around the Texas School Book Depository trumpeting wacky tales about the JFK assassination, Dallas now has The Conspiracy Museum, 110 S. Market St. (tel. 214/741-3040), brazenly located across the street from the Kennedy Memorial. Rejecting the conclusions of the Warren Commission Report and claiming "The Truth Shall Set You Free," the small, private collection of artifacts, photos, videos, and minutiae addresses the wealth of conspiracy theories, unsubstantiated but never let go of by a large segment of the population, that have swirled around the JFK assassination and other alleged cover-ups. A huge poster hanging from the ceiling proclaims that all the Kennedy brothers were the victims of conspiracy. This is the kind of place where the staff, who call themselves "assassinologists," place an "Out to Lunch" sign on the door that says: "We look forward to seeing you (and that guy following you!)." The Conspiracy Museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm; admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and $3 for children. Allow a little less than an hour to visit the museum, unless you get caught up rehashing the assassination and reading all the minutiae. The staff offers free JFK historical walking tours, and they're pretty much rant-free.

The Studios at Las Colinas
North Texas's major movie and TV studio -- where Walker, Texas Ranger and Silkwood were filmed -- offers daily tours of its grounds, including displays of movie memorabilia and hands-on demonstrations of special effects (from that memorable blockbuster Addams Family Values) and blue-screen technology. You'll see the Oval Office set used in Oliver Stone's JFK, as well as costumes from Star Trek and Forrest Gump. If you've been to studios in Hollywood or the movie museums in other parts, you've probably seen more and better; however, if you've always wanted to visit a movie set, you'll at least get a glimpse here. Tours last about an hour and 15 minutes.

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.

Comfort Inn By The Galleria
This interior corridor Comfort Inn is located in north Dallas next to Addison business areas, two miles from Galleria Mall. Hundreds of restaurants, lounges, downtown Dalls and Texas Stadium are minutes away. We have a business center, meeting room, guest laundry, exercise room, outdoor pool and hot tub, free deluxe breakfast, and plentiful parking. Guest rooms offer a king bed, two or three queen beds, one-room suites, and whirlpool suites. All rooms have a microwave, mini-fridge, coffee ...

Bradford Homesuites North Dallas/Addison
Bradford Home Suites North Dallas (Texas) is located on the Dallas North Tollway at Keller Springs Road with easy access to major businesses and area attractions such as the Cavanaugh Flight Museum and the famous Galleria Mall. Over 170 restaurants along Restaurant Row are within three miles of the ...

Hampton Inn Dallas-West End-Convention Center
The hotel is located in the West End Historic District, 5 blocks from the Convention Center. The Dallas Light Rail (public transportation) is located directly behind the hotel. We are 7 blocks from Reunion Arena, less than 1 mile from the NEW American Airlines Center, 2 miles from Fair Park, 2 miles from the World Trade Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center. The hotel is also connected to the Underground Tunnel System providing easy accessibility to all major areas of ...