Culture of Dallas facts for kids
Dallas is a big city in Texas, United States. It's known for its exciting arts scene, delicious food, and many fun events.
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Delicious Food in Dallas
Dallas is famous for its yummy barbecue and real Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine dishes. Tex-Mex is a mix of Texas and Mexican flavors! You can find restaurants with food from all over the world here. Places like Plano, Irving, and Richardson have amazing Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese food.
Some popular Dallas food items include the famous frozen margarita. People in Dallas love to eat out. They go to restaurants about four times a week!
Arts and Culture
Dallas is a hub for art and culture in North Texas. Many areas are known for their cool art scenes:
The Arts District
The Arts District in downtown Dallas is full of art places. Here you'll find the Dallas Museum of Art, where you can see amazing artworks. There's also the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, a beautiful place for music. You can also visit The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center for sculptures.
The AT&T Performing Arts Center opened in 2009. It has places like the Winspear Opera House and the Wyly Theatre for shows. The Arts District is also home to Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. This is a special school for talented young artists.
The Majestic Theatre is a historic building in the city center. It has been restored for live performances.
Deep Ellum's Music and Murals
Deep Ellum became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a major spot for jazz and blues music in the southern United States. Famous musicians like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Bessie Smith played in clubs here.
Today, Deep Ellum is home to many artists. They live in lofts and have studios. The area also has lots of bars and concert venues. A cool thing about Deep Ellum is the amazing graffiti art. Tunnels, buildings, and sidewalks are covered in colorful murals!
The Cedars and Bishop Arts District
The Cedars area is growing with artists and entertainment spots. It started to become an art hub in the early 2000s. This was when a old Sears warehouse was turned into lofts and studios. You can find places like Gilley's Dallas and Poor David's Pub here.
The Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff also has many studio artists. They live in old warehouses. The walls of buildings and alleyways are painted with murals. This district also has many unique restaurants and shops.
Media in Dallas
Dallas is a big center for media in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This means it has many local newspapers, magazines, TV stations, and radio stations.
Newspapers and Magazines
Dallas has a daily newspaper called The Dallas Morning News. It started way back in 1885. Another important paper is Al Día, which is in Spanish.
Other popular publications include the Dallas Observer, which is a weekly newspaper. There's also D Magazine, a monthly magazine about business, life, and fun in the Dallas area.
Television and Radio
Dallas has TV stations for every major network. These include FOX 4, NBC 5, ABC 8, and CBS 11. You can also find PBS 13 and other stations like UNI 23 and TMD 39.
The city also has many radio stations. Because Dallas is in the center of the country and doesn't have mountains nearby, some powerful antennas can broadcast very far. They can even be used for emergency broadcasts if other cities have problems.
The Texas Jewish Post serves the Jewish community in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Religions in Dallas
Dallas has a strong Protestant Christian influence. Many Methodist and Baptist churches are found in neighborhoods. They are also connected to the city's two main private universities. The Cathedral of Hope is a large Protestant church that welcomes everyone.
The Catholic church is also important in Dallas. It runs a major university in Irving. Its Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe in the Arts District has one of the largest memberships in the United States. Dallas also has three Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.
Dallas is home to a good-sized LDS community. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has many groups in Dallas and its suburbs. The Church built the Dallas Texas Temple in 1984. This was the first temple in Texas.
There is a large Jewish community in Dallas, especially in the eastern and northern parts of the city. Temple Emanu-El, one of the biggest synagogues in the South, was started in 1873. You can learn more about the History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas.
Dallas also has a significant Muslim community in its northern suburbs. A strong Hindu community lives in Irving, Plano, and other nearby areas.
Fun Events in Dallas
The most famous event in Dallas is the State Fair of Texas. It happens every year at Fair Park since 1886. This fair is a huge event for Texas! It brings about US$350 million to the city's economy each year. During the fair, the Red River Showdown football game between the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma is held at the Cotton Bowl.
Other festivals in the area include:
- Cinco de Mayo celebrations by the city's large Mexican population.
- Saint Patrick's Day parades in Irish communities, especially along Lower Greenville Avenue in east Dallas.
- Juneteenth festivities, celebrating freedom.
- The Greek Food Festival of Dallas.
- An annual Halloween parade on Oak Lawn Avenue.
Dallas Architecture
Most of the famous buildings in Dallas are designed in modern and postmodern styles. Some well-known modern buildings include I. M. Pei's Fountain Place, the Bank of America Plaza, and Reunion Tower. Examples of postmodern buildings are the JPMorgan Chase Tower and Comerica Bank Tower.
You can also find smaller buildings in Gothic Revival and neoclassical styles. A special area for architecture is Swiss Avenue. Here, you can see all kinds of homes, from Victorian to neoclassical designs.
