LR
Travel Report
Downtown Dallas Redefined and Redesigned
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orget everything you thought you knew about Dallas. J.R., the new Dallas television series, big oil wars and even bigger cowboy hats… that is not the modern new downtown. Yes, there is still a multitude of big box mirrored buildings and super snazzy corporate offices, but the entire central business grid has recently received a gorgeous modern makeover, marrying the new with the old, focusing on surprisingly family-friendly attractions and stunning architecture and arts. And the best place to stay and enjoy it all is the new Homewood Suites by Hilton right downtown. Homewood is smack dab in the middle of all the new improvements and close to the classic attractions like the Sixth Floor Museum (dedicated to the assassination of JFK) and a short walk from the Dallas Convention Center. It’s also within walking distance of the new Arts District – a sprawling, cosmopolitan centre that includes the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the Dallas City Performance Hall, Klyde Warren Park and The Perot Museum of Nature and Science – a must-visit installation that both children and adults will enjoy thoroughly. The brand new downtown Homewood Suites also includes spacious studio, one- or
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two-bedroom suites, complimentary WIFI, HD TVs, well-equipped kitchens, a complimentary fitness center, and a heated indoor pool and outdoor courtyard. Other amenities include a golf simulator, video game stations, a small movie theatre, an indoor half-basketball court and a billiards room. Plus, daily complimentary breakfast and dinner and drinks are on the house Monday through Thursday. We also visited the Dallas Zoo & Aquarium – a refreshing rain-forest-style installation – and the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens not far away, which impresses with its 60-acres of plants, flowers, exhibits. The hands-on, interactive, and educational Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is simply out of this world. But as much as there are fabulous family-friendly attractions now in downtown Dallas, we also pursued some adult pastimes. We encountered some very cool nightlife within walking distance as well, like the underground speakeasy “Prohibition” for hand-crafted jalapeño Moscow Mules! Fabulous! For more visit: http://homewoodsuites3.hilton.com/dallas and www.visitdallas.com SUSAN CAMPBELL Twitter: @suectravel