North Dallas is considered the area from downtown Dallas to the city's northern limits. Although the North Dallas area is a newer part of the city, it benefits from the art, culture and history of the entire Dallas/Fort Worth area. When you're visiting North Dallas, take advantage of exotic, one-of-a-kind attractions nearby -- exotic in the sense of strikingly different or unusual.
If you still wonder who shot J.R., visit Southfork Ranch. Just north of downtown Dallas, near Plano, sweeping overhead images of Southfork Ranch opened the long-running television show "Dallas," popular in the 1980s. Although few scenes beyond the opening were actually shot at the ranch, it remains a beautiful icon of American popular culture. Southfork Ranch in 2010 is an event and conference center with 63,000 square feet of event space and 10 ballrooms. Guided tours of the mansion and grounds are available daily, featuring exhibits of the televisions show's memorabilia.
The riveting escape scene in the 1976 science fiction thriller "Logan's Run" was filmed at the Fort Worth Water Gardens, a labyrinth of fountains, waterfalls and pools cascading down 38 feet of terraces and steps. Designed by famed architects Phillip Johnson and John Burgee, the gardens feature walkways that wind through the falling waters. The gardens also feature a park that is home to over 500 species of trees and other flora. The Fort Worth Water Gardens are located an approximate 45-minute drive west of North Dallas, in downtown Fort Worth.
About a 15-minute drive south of North Dallas, in downtown Dallas proper, sits the Nasher Sculpture Center. This one-and-a-half acre outdoor garden features stone pathways, fountains, pools and intimate landscapes that frame willows, live oaks, cedar and magnolia trees and -- at any one time -- 25 large-scale sculptures that are a part of the Nasher Center's permanent collection. The garden adjoins a 10,000-square-foot marble and glass indoor gallery that houses paintings, drawings and prints. The Nasher Center neighbors the Dallas Museum of Art.
