When in the Dallas Area, plan on spending at least one day in Fort Worth. I would recommend the Stockyards, as they have some good western wear shops, some saloons, and Billy Bobs-a great place to hang out in the evening, depending upon your taste and who is playing-they get some pretty big names through there. Stockyards is part of the original Fort Worth when it was a cattle drive town (Chisholm Trail) and that part still has the old west look to it, with the original building facades. Riskey's is a good place for lunch. Lonesome Dove is a great restaurant in that area, but a bit more upscale. Fort Worth also has a really nice zoo. If you are into the art scene, go to the Kimball. They also have recently completed a Modern Museum of Art which is fantastic. If you like western art, The Amon G. Carter Museum has the best collection of Remington's (statues and paintings) ever assembled. These are all located in the Art's District in Fort Worth, and within walking distance of each other.
Do yourself a favor. If you cannot resist the temptation to buy yourself a cowboy hat, we only wear straw in the summer down here, and they don't look right with shorts and sandals and socks. Trust me on this.
Ranger's games are fun, but the team generally sucks. Go to a night game. Sitting in the stadium during a day game during the summer is unbearable. Trust me on this. Night games will still be hot, but usually a breeze picks up around sundown. Unlike Houston, we do not have a roof and air conditioning. Drink plenty of fluids. there are a bunch of chain type restaurants in the vicinity of the stadium, but nothing really walking distance. Yet. Go early and check out the new Cowboy Stadium, which is being built quite near the Ballpark at Arlington (or whatever they are calling it these days).
Dallas itself is not a huge tourist destination. Dallas Museum of Art is nice. The Sixth Floor Museum (Kennedy Assasination) is also worth a visit, but both of these are easily done in 1/2 day. There is an Aquarium here which gets good reviews. You may want to see who is playing at the House of Blues, as this has become one of the more active venues and has some band performing almost nightly.
Dallas has lot's of restaurants, but mostly chains. For a great steak, go to Bob's. Food is terrific and service is excellent. Dickeys has pretty good barbeque, and they have locations all over town. For Tex Mex, try Taqueria Arrandas or Cantina Laredo. Different styles, but both good in their own way. Some in Dallas rave about El Fenix, but IMHO it's just OK. Stephen Pyles has also opened up a new place on Ross Avenue downtown He's one of the big names of the Tex Mex craze 20 years ago. I have not been there yet, but it has gotten some very good reviews. Probably pretty pricey.
If you are an outdoorsman, there is a Cabela's and two Bass Pro located in the area as well. The Cabela's is new and very nice (it's my favorite of the two) Bass Pro has two locations, and both are located on lakes (Grapevine and Lake Ray Hubbard).
If your wife and daughter are shoppers, take them to the original Nieman Marcus store downtown. There is a restaraunt there, The Zodiac Room, which is a popular lunch destination for the "ladies that lunch" crowd. If you see my wife, tell her I said hey, and to put the credit card back in my wallet.
