Prairies and Lakes

From eTripTips Wiki

The Prairies and Lakes Region is located in the north central part of Texas. It is home to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States. This region also has a beautiful countryside with ranches, "bed and breakfasts", and many recreational lakes. Whether you're looking for the excitement of a big town (shopping, dining, nightlife), or for a more leisurely time in the rural areas, you'll find it here in the Prairies and Lakes Region.

[edit] Regions

[edit] Cities

• Addison - Over 170 restaurants in 4 square miles (10sqkm).
• Arlington - Amusement parks and the Texas Rangers. "Fun Central"
• Brenham - More than 120 historic sites from the Texas Revolution.
• Bryan-College Station - Brazos Valley. Home to Texas A&M University.
• The Colony - Bedroom (and barroom) community.
• Denton - Home of the Texas Motor Speedway.
• Dallas - The Arts, the dining, the nightlife… Dallas has it all.
• Fort Worth - "Where the West begins".
• Frisco - The fastest growing city in the US.
• Garland
• Glen Rose - Dinosaur capital of Texas.
• Grand Prairie - Horse Racing and one of the largest flea markets.
• Granbury - Sleepy resort town on Lake Granbury
• Grapevine - Texas wine country.
• Greenville - Agricultural center, Lake Tawakoni
• Hillsboro - Lake Whitney, the best blue water Lake in Texas
• Irving - Home of the Las Colinas Urban Development Center, and (until 2009) the Dallas Cowboys.
• Leonard
• Mesquite - The Mesquite Championship Rodeo.
• Milford - A typical small Texas town.
• Paris - 1920s architecture, Hayden Museum of American Art
• Seguin - One of the oldest towns in Texas. Pecan headquarters.
• Sherman - Gateway to Lake Texoma. Known for live music in the summer.
• Sulphur Springs - Large dairy production area. Lots of mineral springs.
• Waco - Cattle, cotton, corn, collegians, and culture.

[edit] Other destinations

[edit] Understand

Understand that Dallas/Fort Worth is very large and sprawled over a vast area of Northeast Texas. Visitors from certain parts of the country might find the freeway/tollway system a bit confusing, especially at interchanges such as the huge "High Five" in North Dallas. However, the freeways are by far the best way to get around a city of this size.

Dallas is surrounded by three circular freeways, or "loops": Loop 12/Northwest Highway being the innermost, I-635/Lyndon Baines Johnson Freeway being the intermediate, and the George Bush turnpike being the outermost. (Although for now the Bush turnpike is only a half-loop in North Dallas.)

Coming into Dallas from the west (Fort Worth) there are four major freeways: I-20 in the southern part of the city, I-30 bisecting the middle of the city, and Highway 360/Highway 114 merging with the major North/South thoroughfare (I-35E) in the northwest part of the city.

As far as North/South thoroughfares, I-35E and I-45 come into the city from the south. I-35 continues past downtown and into Oklahoma, while I-45 becomes I-75/Central Expressway at the downtown interchange. Coming north out of downtown there are I-35E, I-75/Central Expressway and the Dallas North Tollway.

Fort Worth receives I-20, I-30/Tom Landry Freeway, and Highway 360 on its Eastern edge as these thoroughfares come in from Dallas. Fort Worth is "looped" by the ever-popular Loop 820.

[edit] Get in

[edit] Get around

The area is simple to get around, especially in the Metroplex. A large network of freeways and loops exists throughout Dallas/Fort Worth.

DART is the public transportation system in Dallas, operating an extensive bus and rail network. For stays in the downtow/uptown Dallas area, the rail network can be a very inexpensive and efficient way to travel.

Nearby Fort Worth operates "The T". Primarily a bus system, The T does operate a train which travels between downtown Fort Worth and Dallas, interchanging with DART rail upon reaching Dallas.

[edit] See

[edit] Itineraries

[edit] Do

[edit] Eat

[edit] Drink

[edit] Lingo

Some DFW lingo, from a lifeling Dallasite:

"Metroplex"- The entire DFW area, and all of its suburbs/outlying areas.

"The Canyon"- The sunken part of I-75/Central Expressway, just north of downtown. The high walls of the freeway give it a canyon-like appearance.

"The High Five"- The massive interchange of I-635/LBJ and I-75/Central Expressway. The highest bridgeway at the High Five stands roughly 400 feet above the ground. Travel the High Five on a murky/cloudy day and be the first person you know to drive your car into a cloud.

"The Boys"- The Dallas Cowboys

"The Mavs"- The Dallas Mavericks