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Excursions For Half a Day Southfork Ranch: It is impossible to visit Dallas without hearing a reference to the eponymous TV series. JR and his family's lifestyle can be experienced 'on location' at Southfork Ranch, 3700 Hogge Road, Parker (tel: (972) 442 7800 or (800) 989 7800, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.southforkranch.com), about 48km (30 miles) north of the city. Not missing any opportunity to create a winning product, there are tours of the Ewing mansion, refreshments at Miss Ellie's Deli, gift shops, clothing stores, a tram tour and even a 'Dallas' Museum, which houses the 'actual' pistol used in the 'actual' killing of the infamous JR. Southfork is open daily (0900-1700), with admission costing US$7.95, and can by driving east along Parker Road, which is exit 30 of the North Central Expressway (Highway 75). For a Whole Day Fort Worth: To see how the other half lives (the other half of the Metroplex that is!), visitors should spend a day in the adjacent twin city known as 'Cowtown'. Fort Worth began as a military outpost before developing into a transport centre for shipping cattle from the surrounding ranch lands. Today, this remains an important though much smaller industry in a prosperous and dynamic city. The Stockyards National Historic District was the hub of the cattle industry and is now a mixture of wooden sidewalks, cowboy paraphernalia, entertainments, shopping, eating and drinking. Walking tours of about 90 minutes are available and the Tarantula Railroad runs a steam train to and from Grapevine, which is back towards DFW Airport. For a real taste of the 'Wild West', the best time to visit is between late January and early February, when the 17-day Southwestern Stock Show and Rodeo is held. Despite its 'Cowtown' nickname, Fort Worth is a cultural city and contains plenty of museums. Of particular interest is the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Boulevard (tel: (817) 738 1933), featuring a visual tour of the USA through the eyes of various people, including 350,000 photographs (a rotating collection) by the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson. |