26 Free Things To Do In Dallas

Dallas is a pretty awesome city! Even if you are on a budget there are some great attractions to check out. Here are 26 free things to do in Dallas.

White Rock Lake

These is a beautiful area in Dallas with a lake. It offers great walking, running and biking trails on over 1000 acres! The path around the lake is 9.3 miles if you need to get a longer run in. Also the perfect spot for a picnic! If you have extra dough, you can canoe and paddle board as well.

Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive

What’s more Texan than seeing 49 life size bronze steers and 3 cowboys?!?! This exhibit replicates the historic Shawnee Trail cattle drive that came through Dallas. It’s located by the Dallas Convention Center.

Dallas Museum of Art

This museum has a fantastic collection of art, over 24,000 pieces! Best of all, admission is free everyday!! It’s a great deal for one of the largest art museums in the country.

Nasher Sculpture Center

Mainly an outdoor art museum in the Arts District. It exhibits contemporary and modern sculptures. They do have a small collection of exhibits indoors as well. Admission is free on the first Saturday of the month.

Klyde Warren Park

One of the coolest city parks ever! This park is built over a highway in downtown, but you won’t be able to tell. There’s a mini library, lawn games, a dog park, playground and lots of food trucks!. Plus they offer a variety of events during the month. It’s across the street from the art museum.

Dealey Plaza

This area is famously known for where JFK was shot and assassinated. If you have extra time and money, I highly recommend the Sixth Floor Museum. Especially if you are a history buff! If you don’t have the time, it’s still pretty cool to walk around the area. They placed an X on the street where JFK was shot. Plus the JFK Memorial is here.

Thanks- Giving Square

The Square was designed to help inspire gratitude and honor Thanksgiving. There is a beautiful meditation garden and fountains. The highlight is the gorgeous non- denominational spiral chapel. Take a look inside! It has beautiful stain glass!

McKinney Ave Trolley

The most fun free transportation in the city! The M trolley travels through Uptown and the Arts district with multiple stops. It’s a great free tour of the popular areas in a historic street car. What more could you want?!? Ranks high on my favorite free things to do in Dallas!

Dallas Farmer’s Market

I have a love for farmers markets and this one is fantastic! There’s two different sections: One outdoor area with different vendors and one indoor area with more permanent restaurants and stores. They are open everyday and also offer different events throughout the month.

Katy Trail

Hands down best place to jog in the city! A 3.5 mile long jogging and biking trail converted from an old railroad track. There are beautiful parks located on this trail. Reverchon is one of those. Great trails and an overall beautiful area. Plus it has it’s very Urban spots like by the West Village.

Katy Trail Ice House is located right on the trail and is a great place to stop and eat. One of the best patios in Dallas!

West End

Fun neighborhood to walk around cobblestone streets. Restaurants, cool shops and entertainment abound, including festivals and the Sixth Floor Museum.

Children’s Medical Center

I know it’s weird to add a hospital on here, but hang with me. They have an awesome permanent train exhibit in the lobby. In fact, it’s the largest permanent train exhibit in the country! If your kids are into trains, it’s a must do!

Giant Eyeball

Of course you need to see a giant eyeball in the middle of downtown! It’s located at 1601 Main Street in downtown. FYI, this is on private property surrounded by a fence. Don’t trespass!

Crow Collection of Asian Art

This is a smaller art museum in the Arts District that offers free admission. Has a collection of about 500 pieces from Asia and a contemplative sculpture garden.

Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge

This bridge is more of a mini park with exceptional views of downtown Dallas and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Plus it’s by Trinity Groves which has amazing restaurants! Park there and walk over.

Kiest Park – Fantasy Landing

The best handicapped friendly playground in the Dallas area!! It’s been featured in magazines! If you have littles, go check it out! S. Hampton Drive in Dallas.

Founders Plaza Observation Station

If your kids love to watch planes, this is the place to be!! It’s located by the DFW Airport, the world’s fourth largest airport!! Has over 2000 flights a day, so it’s the perfect spot to watch the planes take off and land.

Deep Ellum

The trendy neighborhood of Dallas with art, entertainment venues and tons of restaurants. During the day, this is the best place to people watch and check out the murals. At night, this is the place to be for bar hopping and live music. Plus good food anytime of the day! Always free to stroll around, but a night on the town will cost.

Mary Kay Cosmetics Museum

The Mary Kay Headquarters is located in the Dallas area. If you are a fan of their line, check out the free museum. You can learn all about her journey as a female entrepreneur. Open Monday through Friday 9:00am – 4:00pm.

Trinity River Audubon Center

This is great place to get away from the city and enjoy nature. They offer many hiking trails in a hardwood forest. It’s free on the third Thursday of the month from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Bishop Arts District

Another cute and trendy neighborhood! Great place to just walk around and take it all in. They have trendy boutiques, fabulous restaurants, cute cafes and many instagram worthy photo opportunities! Another of my top favorite free things to do in Dallas!

Southern Methodist University

SMU is a beautiful campus to walk around! The Meadows Museum is located here and has collections of Spanish Art. Admission is free to the museum on Thursday’s after 5:00 pm. Free to stroll the campus anytime.

B & G Signs

Stand in the middle to complete the BIG sign. Cause everything’s BIG in Texas! Make a scavenger hunt out of finding these awesome picture worthy signs.

This one is located in Pegasus Plaza. #DallasBIG

North Park Center

This place is more than just a giant mall. Yes, it’s a perfect place to window shop.It’s also a great place to browse art exhibits.

During the holiday season, they also offer free holiday shows and exhibits. You’ve got to check out the Scrooge Puppet Show if you are here during December!

Cedar Ridge Preserve

Another place to get out of the city and into nature. Offers 9 miles of hiking trails in over 600 acres of natural habitat. My favorite place to hike in Dallas!

Closed on Mondays and right after a heavy rain. They do ask for a very small donation.

Spirit of Dallas

I’ve saved the best for last! My most favorite free thing to do in Dallas is to sail on White Rock Lake with the Spirit of Dallas! How cool is this?!? They want sailing to be available to everyone that is a Dallas resident. You have to book online and they do tend to fill up.

As you can see, there are a bunch of free things to do in Dallas!