Day Trippin' › Texas › From Dallas
From Dallas, the Sixth Floor Museum and the Perot Museum are minutes away, the Arboretum about 10, Six Flags Over Texas about 20, Cedar Hill State Park under half an hour, the Fort Worth Stockyards under 40, and Waco's Magnolia Market about an hour and a half. The best day trips from Dallas, by drive time.
55 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
Historic site · 36 min west
Fort Worth's Old West district, where the Fort Worth Herd runs the world's only daily cattle drive and rodeos fill the historic Cowtown Coliseum.
State park · 29 min southwest
Big park on Joe Pool Lake with a gravel swimming beach, the DORBA mountain bike trail and the historic Penn Farm.
Bike trail · 52 min north
A 20-mile trail corridor from Ray Roberts Dam to Lake Lewisville; 10 miles are for hiking and biking only and 12 miles are open to horses.
Family fun · 36 min west
Large Fort Worth garden that includes a Japanese Garden.
Zoo · 38 min west
Large, popular zoo in Fort Worth with half-price admission every Wednesday.
State park · 58 min north
Lake park with two units, Isle du Bois and Johnson Branch, offering swimming beaches, fishing, camping and paved and dirt multiuse trails.
Wildlife refuge · 40 min west
Large city nature refuge with hiking trails and a bison herd you can spot from a distance.
Museum · 36 min west
Fort Worth art museum whose permanent collection is free to see; special exhibitions are ticketed.
State park · 1 hr 27 min southwest
Walk in real dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River bed near Glen Rose, with about 20 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking.
Family fun · 1 hr 24 min south
Busy shopping and food complex in Waco with shops, places to eat and a big turf lawn.
Town · 1 hr 11 min southwest
Lake town with a historic square and Lake Granbury, voted USA Today's Best Historic Small Town several times, with festivals all year.
Zoo · 1 hr 23 min southwest
Conservation center near Glen Rose where you drive a scenic route among roaming endangered and exotic animals and can feed them from your car.
National park · 1 hr 26 min south
See mammoth fossils left where they were found, on a guided tour of the dig shelter in Waco.
Historic site · 1 hr 31 min west
Original 1860s buildings of a big frontier Army post at Jacksboro, plus the 9-mile (one way) Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway for hiking, biking and riding and a sand beach on Lake Jacksboro.
Bike trail · 1 hr 7 min west
A 20-mile rail-trail with flat grades and gentle curves running between two towns, shared by bikers, hikers and horseback riders.
State park · 1 hr 11 min southwest
Wooded park around spring-fed Cedar Lake with swimming, paddling and a technical 6-mile mountain bike loop among nearly 13 miles of trails.
State park · 2 hr 33 min east
Paddle Big Cypress Bayou under bald cypress draped in Spanish moss at the edge of 26,810-acre Caddo Lake, with 2.5 miles of trails and historic CCC cabins.
Swimming · 2 hr 52 min south
A three-acre spring-fed pool in Austin's Zilker Park that stays around 68-70 degrees all year. It is home to the endangered Barton Springs salamander.
Historic site · 2 hr 17 min southeast
Three earthen mounds at Alto from a Caddo village and ceremonial center about 1,200 years old, with exhibits and a reconstructed grass house.
Town · 2 hr 26 min east
Pre-Civil War town with nearly 100 historic landmarks, historic hotels and B&Bs, walking tours and bayou fun near Caddo Lake.
Zoo · 2 hr 36 min west
A family zoo with giraffe feeding, a train and a carousel.
Bike trail · 2 hr 57 min south
A 2.8-mile hard-surfaced trail inside McKinney Falls State Park that suits road bikes, strollers and easy walks.
Family fun · 2 hr 58 min south
284 acres of native Texas gardens and trails in south Austin, run by the University of Texas.
State park · 2 hr 6 min east
Pine and hardwood park around Little Pine Lake with swimming, paddling, the 2.4-mile Rustling Leaves Trail and fine fall color.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 75201 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.