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DALLAS (KDAF) — Founded in 1841, the city of Dallas has grown through the construction of railroads and airports, experienced significant economic and technological growth, and been the epicenter of many historical events.

From political history to civil rights history to sports history, here are some historical things to do in Dallas.

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Sixth Floor Museum

The Museum, located within the former Texas School Book Depository building, chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. The exhibit provides historical context for the events of November 22, 1963, and allows visitors to see historic images, news footage, artifacts, and original evidentiary areas. Walk through the Texas School Book Depository to see accurate recreations of the crime scene, learn about the complex social and political atmosphere in Dallas at the time of the assassination, and see the aftermath of the crisis as well as Kennedy’s legacy.

Get tickets for $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $14 for children over six. Children under six get free admission.

Dallas Zoo

The zoo, which opened in 1888, is the largest and oldest zoo in Texas and one of the ten oldest zoos in the United States. Visitors can participate in a wide variety of animal encounters and experiences, including:

  • Keeper Chats: Learn more about your favorite zoo animals from the zoologists who care for them
  • Giraffe Feedings: Get up close and personal with the chance to feed giraffes straight from your hand
  • Birds Landing: Interact with nearly two dozen species of birds from around the world
  • Wild Encounters: Learn about animals like reptiles, free-flighted birds, porcupines, and more at the Wild Encounters Stage

The zoo also boasts a ton of fun attractions, including a mini-train, a carousel, and a virtual reality experience where you can go on a (virtual) journey to Rwanda to see gorillas in their natural habitat.

Plan your visit to the zoo and get more information here.

Dallas Public Library

If you’re a history buff, then you might enjoy seeing one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence permanently on display at the Dallas Public Library. It is one of about 25 copies printed at John Dunlap’s print shop in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. 

The library also houses the First Folio of William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories & Tragedies, printed in 1623. This important work was the first complete printing of all 36 of Shakespeare’s plays and was donated to the library by the Dallas Shakespeare Club in 1986.

The library also houses several other permanent collections, including 240-year-old handmade Navajo blankets, a handcrafted scale model of a Viking drakkar ship, and serigraphs on mirror-coated plexiglass to represent the starry skies viewed during the four seasons.

Learn more about the Dallas Public Library here.

National Soccer Hall of Fame

Lamar Hunt, founder of Major League Soccer, was a noted Dallas resident and was instrumental in promoting the sport of soccer in the U.S. in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. He advocated for the 1994 World Cup to be hosted in America, purchased the Dallas Burn in 2003 (now FC Dallas), and financed the construction for several large soccer-specific stadiums in the U.S., including Toyota Stadium — home of FC Dallas. The National Soccer Hall of Fame is now housed within Toyota Stadium, with a state-of-the-art interactive experience for fans. You can build your own national team, design your own scarf (and take it home), and participate in a virtual reality skills challenge.

Learn more and get your tickets here.

(Fun fact: Hunt, who was also the founder of the American Football League, coined the term “super bowl.”)

Juanita Craft Civil Rights House

Juanita Craft, an American activist and politician, spent most of her life living and working in Dallas. From working at the Adolphus Hotel to organizing protests and pickets against segregated businesses, Craft was instrumental in the fight for civil rights. In 1942, she became the Dallas NAACP membership chairman and was responsible for organizing over 180 branches of the NAACP. She was also the first Black woman in Dallas County to vote in a public election. Both Lyndon B. Johnson and Martin Luther King Jr. visited her home in Dallas to discuss the future of the Civil Rights Movement.

Now, her home is a historical landmark at Wheatley Place, and is one of only a few house museums in the nation honoring major female figures in the Civil Rights Movement, according to Visit Dallas.

Plan your visit to the Wheatley Place Historic District.

George W. Bush Presidential Library

The George W. Bush Presidential Library features historical documents and artifacts from the Bush presidency. Walk around the exhibits to learn what life was like in the white house, step inside an exact replica of the oval office, and view artifacts including a 22-foot piece of steel from the World Trade Center as part of a memorial for 9/11.

The facility covers 207,000 square feet with 43,000 artifacts, 70 million pages of textural materials, 8 million photographs, and more.

Explore the impact and legacy of the 43rd president of the United States.

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