equipment including steam, diesel and
electric locomotives, cabooses, historic
structures, signals and assortment of small
artifacts make it one of the finest railroad
museums in the southwest United States.
Museum of Nature & Science
www.natureandscience.org
The Museum of Nature & Science is the
result of a 2006 merging, unlike any in the
nation, of three cultural institutions – the
Dallas Museum of Natural History (est.
1936), The Science Place (est. 1946) and
the Dallas Children’s Museum (est. 1995).
The combination of the Dallas Museum of
Natural History and the Science Place was
completed in June of 2006. The Children’s
Museum combination was completed the
following October. These combinations
have resulted in an exciting family
destination, which is able to better serve
the community and steward its investment
in the institution.
Texas Discovery Gardens
www.texasdiscoverygardens.org
Located at historic Fair Park in Dallas,
Texas Discovery Gardens is a year-round
urban oasis filled with natural wonders for
visitors of all ages. Ten different themed
areas include a butterfly habitat, native
wildlife pond, scent garden, shade
garden and heirloom garden. At Texas
Discovery Gardens, visitors discover a
wealth of information on ways to restore,
conserve and preserve natural
environments in urban areas.
Women’s Museum:
An Institute for the Future
www.thewomensmuseum.org
Located in Fair Park, this is the nation’s
only comprehensive women’s history
museum. It chronicles the lives of more
than 3,000 American women using state-of-the-art interactive exhibits to explore
their contributions throughout American
history and to examine women’s lives
across time. Exhibits commemorate the
women’s movement and women in the
arts, sports and sciences.
OTHER VENUES
Ballet Folklorico
Ollimpaxqui
folkloricofestivalofdallas.com/ollimpaxqui
Ollimpaxqui means “joyful movement” in
Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The
Ollimpaxqui Ballet Company was formed
in Mexico City, and came to the United
States in 1985. The Dallas-based company
has performed in the National Auditorium
and in the Palace of the Fine Arts in
Mexico City. The group currently
participates in more than 200
performances a year.
Bass Performance Hall
www.basshall.com
The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass
Performance Hall, which is located in
downtown Fort Worth near Sundance
Square, opened in 1998 and seats
2,056 people. Occupying a whole city
block, it represents one of the most
successful downtown revitalization efforts
in the country. The European opera
house-inspired limestone structure is
renowned for its superb acoustics,
exceptional sightlines and ambience on
level with the great halls of the world.
Dallas Black Dance Theatre
www.dbdt.com
Founded in 1976, the Dallas Black
Dance Theatre is a modern dance
company with a mixed repertoire of modern,
jazz, African and spiritual works.
Celebrating its 28th season, the Dallas
Black Dance Theatre is the city’s oldest
continuously operating dance company.
The company has studied, trained and
performed with some of America’s most
influential dance teachers, including Alvin
Ailey, David Parsons, Robert Battle and
Chuck Davis.
Dallas Childrens Theater
www.dct.org
Dallas Children’s Theater is a professional
theater organization that focuses on
producing theater for youth and families.
DCT reaches an audience of 270,000
youth annually with its 11 main stage
productions, national touring company
and education programs. In 2004, TIME
Magazine named Dallas Children’s
Theater one of the Top 5 theaters in the
country performing for youth. In 2003
DCT moved into the 58,000 sq. ft.
Rosewood Center for Family Arts with the
Baker Theater (seats 400) and Studio
Theater (seats 150), five classrooms,
community gathering room and space for
costume, scenic, shops and storage.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
www.dallassymphony.com
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra performs
in the Meyerson Symphony Center, and
can traces its origins to a concert given
by a group of forty musicians in 1900.
The 2008-2009 season marked the
inaugural season of the Orchestras new
conductor Jaap van Zweden, which
included two world premieres and works
by modern and classic composers.
Dallas Wind Symphony
www.dws.org
The Dallas Wind Symphony was founded
in 1985 is regarded as one of the world’s
leading wind orchestras. Originally
organized as a “reading band” for local
professional freelance musicians, the
Sympony has gone on to release 14
high-fidelity recordings, two of which
were nominated for Grammy Awards.
Dallas Theater Center
www.dallastheatercenter.org
One of the leading theaters in the nation,
the Dallas Theater Center performs annually
to more than 80,000 people. The Theater
Center features the Kalita Humphreys
Theater, one of only three existing theaters
built by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Fort Worth Botanical Gardens
www.fwbg.org
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is a 109-
acres botanical garden established in
1934. It is the oldest botanic garden in
Texas, with 2,501 species of native and
