Living In Dallas

Big D is really BIG on arts and culture

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex offers a diverse mix of arts and culture. Indeed there is something for everyone! On our own campus, Meadows Museum, McFarlin Auditorium, and Owens Fine Arts Center feature exhibitions and performances that include our own students as well as many world-renowned artists. The growing Dallas Arts District is the largest contiguous urban arts district in the US, covering 68 acres of downtown. Just a few steps away you'll find the Morton H. Myerson Symphony Center, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art. The arts are alive and well beyond the center of Dallas with many destinations of interest in Fort Worth and the surrounding cities.

But there's more to DFW than art. You'll find music, theater and film, too. The Dallas International Film Festival entertains more than 40,000 attendees with an annual film festival featuring 180 feature-length and short films representing more than 25 countries. The AT&T Performing Arts Center is an beautiful new venue that showcases opera, dance, and musical performances from local artists and touring productions.

Mustangs, Cowboys, and sea lions? Oh my!

SMU invites staff and faculty to "Pony up" and cheer on our student-athletes by attending any of our home sporting events. Tickets are typically offered at a significant discount for SMU employees and many events are free with your SMU ID. If you also love professional sports, DFW is home to teams in every major sport. Whether you take in a Cowboys or Rangers game in nearby Arlington or catch the Stars or the Mavericks at American Airlines Arena, it's sure to be an athletic adventure to remember.

DFW also features numerous other family-friendly attractions, including zoos in both Dallas and Fort Worth, along with the Six Flags amusement park complex, which includes both a water park and a theme park. Discover life under the seas in the Children's Aquarium or the Dallas World Aquarium. Visit the Fort Worth Stockyards or the Forth Worth Stock Show and Rodeo for an adventure into the Old West. And Dallas’s Fair Park is the home to the State Fair of Texas, one of the largest, and some say "tastiest" state fairs in the country.

DFW — beautiful inside and outside

DFW offers a numerous recreational opportunities, with lakes and state parks that feature water sports, boating, fishing, hiking trails, as well as trails for mountain biking and road biking. Bike trails are expanding, linking neighborhoods to work, school, and recreation. Popular trails include White Rock Lake and the Katy Trail in Dallas and the Trinity River in Fort Worth. The Dallas Arboretum and the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, located in the heart of Dallas and Fort Worth respectively, provide scenic and peaceful abodes within the metroplex.

There's more to DFW than meets the eye

Dallas Fort Worth is a growing region and there's so much to discover. We can only give you a glimpse into what the region has to offer, so we've included some helpful links to the right that will you allow to explore more of the many reasons why people enjoy living in the metroplex.