Fort Worth Travel Forum

What places should I visit in a 1-2 days stay in Dallas and Fort Worth?.

I've read in the web site about the Stockyards. Is this an area within Dallas or Fort Worth that I can visit or do I need a car to go there?.

Thanks in advance

See my site. You can travel in Dallas/Ft worth by rail and bus though it is limited and not as good as some big cities. You can go to Ft Worth by bus/train. Dallas-Ft . Worth "metroplex" is BIG. Stockwards are cool: on N end of downtown. Be carefull after dark in this general area of town, if walking. East and West End parts of Dallas are interesting. Turtle Creek is pretty for stroll

I would go to downtown Dallas and visit the Reunion tower at night. They have a cocktail lounge where you can sit and have a drink. You can see the whole city from here but the time to go is at night. In Dallas you really need a car unless you're just going to be in Downtown Dallas and Ft. Worth in which case you can take the train.

If the Mavericks are playing at home you must go watch an NBA game and see Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Mark Cuban, and the crazy fan atmosphere.

You essentially need to have a car to get anywhere within Dallas and Ft. Worth. The DART (metro and bus) is really not worth anything.

The above reply is inaccurate. Dallas and Ft. Worth have made great strides in their public transportation in the past few years. There is the TLR light rail train that goes between Dallas and Ft. Worth and also serves DFW Airport, except on Sunday. There are alternates even then.
There is DART which goes to many interesting areas all over the city.
See the Dallas Transportation sites:
http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org/
http://www.dart.org/

I respectfully disagree with your most recent entry Scargo. I think your initial is right on however. DART, TRE, The T are all limited. I've lived in Arlington, TX since 1998 and have yet to use any of, or know anyone who uses, the above methods of transport. The TRE is a great idea, but what do you do when you get to one of its' terminals? The one in Ft. Worth on Lancaster is kind of a hike from anything...DFW's is a good idea...but you still need a car to get to the train to take you to DFW.

DART, according to my friends that live in Dallas, is pretty much laughable. Nice if you live along the Greenville Ave route and like to "go out". I have never seen a full, or even half full, DART bus.

Of course, I am spoiled. I grew up in NYC and went to college near DC. Two cities with awesome public transportation.

You Yankees... :) I grew up in Dallas and lived there for 50 years. Why not base this on fact and not what your friends say. What's wrong if the busses are not full? They run, they're clean and they get you there. Yes, many in Dallas/FW are spoiled by driving their cars and all the space there is to park a car. So most people don't want to use the public transportation and still look down their noses at it. They also don't want to stand around on a corner in the heat and breathe exhaust fumes...while they wait for the bus.

The question was, can you get around without a car?
The combination of bus service and light rail will get you to many places. Yes, you can get to the Stockyards without a car! And you can get a cab. Be sure to go to Joe T. Garcias, for Tex-Mex while you are there.
A cheap rental car would give you lots of freedom and more time. You would still have to have a good map or travel guide. And drivers in Dallas are just as bad as in NY!

You won't need a car, but after DART money and connnecting cab fare, you would end up spending MUCH more money than simply renting a car.
I live near Dallas' city center and have only used the DART to get to downtown to watch a sporting event, and that was so I wouldn't have to drive after drinking.
I agree with Jagermeister's thoughts on the transit system, in that you must have a car at at least one end of your route, and in most situations, both.
I did use the DART one other time. I was without a phone and needed to get out of downtown, so I took the DART and then found myself in the middle of MILES of parking lots, and had to walk about 2 miles to get where I was going.
Dallas and Ft Worth are essentially sunbelt cities with a majority of the growth taking place after the car became the number 1 means of transportation. I like to tell my visiting friends that if you were an alien and visited Dallas or Ft Worth for the first time, you would be convinced that the inhabitants were automobiles, as everything is set up to their scale.
Forth Worth offers a nice downtown, but beware at the station after dark. No, don't go to the station after dark.
Safe travels!

PeAcE!
Allan