Bright lights, big personality.
9 Dallas Spots for Unique Art and Culture

A trio of colossal robots—one waking, one at rest with his guitar, one on the move—pay tribute to the artsy Deep Ellum neighborhood just east of downtown Dallas. Born from the railroads in the late 1800s, Deep Ellum grew into a diverse community with a thriving music scene and commercial district. The neighborhood continues to evolve, anchored by this 2009 installation by artists Brad Oldham, Brandon Oldenburg, and Reel FX Creative Studios. Commissioned by DART (the Dallas metro system), the series is a gateway to the neighborhood’s light rail station. Indeed, the 41-foot-high smiling Traveling Man, with his loose-limbed easy stride, is clearly happy to be on the move. 

Imagine what would happen if bits and pieces of various Texas livestock magically fused into a single, rightfully embarrassed critter, and you’ll get a woofus. Brought to life in stone for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas, this chimera features the mane and neck of a horse, the fanned tail of a turkey, a pig’s stocky body and cloven hooves, duck wings, a sheep’s head, and, of course, a pair of Texas longhorns. A decorated strip of blanket hangs over each side of the Texas Woofus, which can be seen spouting water from its nozzle on the side of its building in Dallas’ Fair Park to this day. Note that this isn’t the original beast, which was damaged and removed in the early 1940s: Friends of Fair Park got behind the 2002 recreation based on the original artist’s models.

In the heart of downtown Dallas, an upended nautilus rises from Thanks-Giving Square, a serene urban garden set 15 feet below ground level at the intersection of Ervay and Bryan. Inside that spiral is a conical chapel, a helix of clerestory stained glass windows rising 90 feet towards the light. This place, dedicated in 1976, was built in solidarity with the people of Dallas, an ode to active gratitude that embraces all. Take time to reflect, walk through the 14-foot ring of thanks, and take in the Golden Rule, an aspirational mosaic depiction of do unto others from illustrator Norman Rockwell.

West Dallas is more than just where Bonnie and Clyde met and fell in love. Trinity Groves, at the western end of the gorgeous Margaret Hunt Hill bridge, was developed as an art- and food-filled neighborhood whose crown jewel is the Art Park. Chock full of mystical sculptures, leafy trees strung with twinkle lights, and eye-popping graffiti murals, the park has tons of outdoor seating for eating, drinking, and relaxing in the garden, with views of downtown Dallas just on the horizon.

He was sitting in the third row from the back, five seats in from the south-center aisle watching the blood and guts movie War is Hell. After shooting President John F. Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald was captured inside the Texas Theater at 231 Jefferson Boulevard in downtown Dallas. With its retro neon Texas sign and old-time marquee, this beautiful vintage theater is worth a visit even for those not interested in its political history. The theater is a South Dallas icon, and currently hosts movies and live music. When asked if it is haunted, theater management will reply, “probably not.” You’ll have to judge that one for yourself.

In a city teeming with public art, the three-story bloodshot eyeball outside the swanky Joule Hotel manages to stand out from the crowd. Once you notice the blue-irised orb, situated at 1601 Main Street in downtown Dallas, it’s impossible to unsee it. Installed in 2013, it’s one of the most Instagrammed spots in town. Chicago-based artist Tony Tasse, who modeled the sculpture after his own eyeball, said the eye is of no particular significance. Its location, on the other hand, is: The 15-story Praetorian Building, considered the city’s first skyscraper, sat on the same site the eye currently occupies from 1909 until it was razed in 2012.

Stopping the hands of time isn’t something medical science can do—except in the case of the Adrian E. Flatt, M.D., Hand Collection at the Baylor University Medical Center. The late Dr. Flatt, a renowned hand surgeon, first started casting patients’ hand deformities as a teaching aide. He then began casting the hands of artists, presidents, sports stars, and entertainers, just for the fun of it. The collection now contains more than 100 bronze casts, paired with photos, in cases around the building’s lobby, and has become a popular pastime for hospital visitors and anybody seeking oddball curiosities. From the distinguished digits of astronauts to the metacarpals of Louis Armstrong to the massive mitts of Andre the Giant, this collection is, hands down, the coolest.

As the Depression loomed, Dallas, like the rest of America, was looking for an antidote to economic gloom. It came with the winning bid to host the 1936 Centennial Expo and World’s Fair, the first in the Southwest. With 41-year-old Dallas architect George L. Dahl directing the $25 million design, some 50 Art Deco structures were erected east of downtown in Fair Park, a utopian distraction for the masses. Twenty-one buildings now remain, a portal into the height of the Art Deco movement. Today, thanks in part to the preservationist-minded Friends of the Park, it’s possible to wander through what may just be the most complete collection of exposition art and architecture in the world.

Squarely at the intersection of immersive art and social media, Rainbow Vomit is an interactive photography exhibit and an offbeat venue and event space spewing technicolor. Spread throughout 20 different photo stations representing the fever dreams of 15 artists, this gallery invites role play. Feel like a superhero? Ready to take on a different persona? In the mood to shrug off ho-hum for eclectic anything-goes? You’ve come to the right place.