Fly to Dallas

As the business powerhouse of Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth is easy to overlook as a vacation spot, and that would be a mistake. Look past the cowboy clichés and you find a busy arts quarter, a restaurant scene that keeps growing and genuinely friendly locals. Together the two cities form the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the US.

Covering 19 blocks, the Dallas Arts District is the biggest continuous urban arts district in the nation. Its highlights include the Dallas Museum of Art, which charges no admission, the Nasher Sculpture Center and the AT&T Performing Arts Center. History buffs should make time for the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, a moving account of the JFK assassination.

Eating well is close to a civic duty here, and barbecue is treated with particular reverence: queues at Cattleack Barbeque and Pecan Lodge regularly stretch around the block. There is plenty beyond brisket, too. Deep Ellum and the Bishop Arts District are crowded with independent restaurants, craft breweries and cocktail lounges.

Positioned between Dallas and Fort Worth with quick highway links to each, DFW International ranks among the world's largest and busiest airports and is a key American Airlines hub. Nonstop flights reach most US cities in 2 to 5 hours, and international service extends to Latin America, Asia and Europe.