We finally made it Dallas! Almost out of time in Texas but we did it! We love the Atlas Obscura website because it has some great, unusual, places throughout the US to visit. This time it helped us have a memorable trip to the Dallas - Ft Worth area.
Read on to find both popular and unique places to check out on your next trip to the Big D.
The Chairy Orchard
Oh where to start with the Chairy Orchard? How about that this hilarious stop is in someone's yard...in a traditional neighborhood...and it's open to the public. I bet the neighbors love it.
Never mind them, we had an absolute blast. The humorous puns scattered throughout the Orchard combined with the insane quantity and types of chairs it holds means you can't help but laugh.
Old Alton Bridge
The Old Alton Bridge is an aged iron truss bridge which has, unfortunately, fallen victim to a fair amount of graffiti. Known locally as the Goatman's Bridge, it's reputed to be haunted so naturally it had to be visited. I know, I know, night time would have been better for seeking out specters but we were making a day of it and didn't want to stay late enough to ghost hunt.
The name Goatman has a couple of possible origins. The least disturbing of which is sharing its name with a legendary demonic satyr whom locals believe inhabits the surrounding forest.
The alternative legend involves a successful and honest African-American goat farmer who ran afoul of the KKK because, well, he was successful, had the audacity to hang a sign on the bridge announcing where his business was and this was the late 1930s. The Klansmen enrage by his behavior hung him from the bridge. But when they went to verify he was dead, they discovered instead that he was gone. In a panic, they set fire to his home killing the rest of his family who were inside.
So who haunts the bridge? An other worldly demon or a murdered man.
Fort Worth Water Gardens
Inside Ft Worth is a stunning 4.3 acre water garden. Steep angles and uneven steps are the over arcing theme here giving the garden a unique sense of height and depth. Off to one side is "The Mountain". A mastaba style creation offering views of the three segregated pools from the top of it's massive elevation.
The pools include the Active Pool with steps leading one down into sunken walkways, surrounding you with waterfalls. The Quiet Water Pool with it's tree lined insurmountable walls of slowly cascading water and calming green pool. Lastly, the Aerated Water Pool with it's dozens of fountains spraying water at the same height throughout the entire space.
Russian Banya of DFW
Best described as home cooked Russian food. It was a great find to enjoy an a-typical meal. The atmosphere inside is simple but the food was delicious!
The Chapel at Thanks-Giving Square
A tall, compact structure beautiful in its simplicity. The spiral is filled with dozens of stained glass windows. Though called The Chapel it doesn't belong to any single religion, it merely offers a place of beauty to relax and contemplate.
Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge
An optical illusion of a bridge with the Dallas skyline in background. The "strands" on this bridge change from twisting and crossing as seen above to straight lines when looking at the bridge head on.
Pioneer Plaza
As a commemoration to Dallas' early days, Pioneer Plaza is home to many things but my favorite is the bronze art installation created by artist Robert Summers. This massive, life size stunner is a re-creation of a longhorn steer cattle drive (it has 49 individual cattle statues) overseen by three cowboys on horseback. It's a must see for anyone visiting the city.
There are so many more places we could have visited, you really need several day trips to all Dallas has to offer. Still, we had a great time with the places we saw. My only regret is not seeing the giant bowler hat. It's two tons, 10 feet high and sits at a jaunty angle atop a 30 foot tall hat rack!
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