Less than a 30 Minute Drive

American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum, 4601 Hwy. 360 at FAA Road, Fort Worth; (817) 967-1560.Experience the history of commercial aviation of American Airlines from its humble beginnings through five eras of flight. www.crsmithmuseum.org.

Cowboys Stadium, 900 E Randol Mill Rd., Arlington; Home to the five-time World Champion Dallas Cowboys. Daily tours, pro shop, see locker rooms, playing field, and more. (972) 785-4780 or (972) 785-5000. www.dallascowboys.com.

Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park, 1717 Gano St., Dallas; (214) 421-5141. A turn-of-the-century museum village of restored building. Special exhibit/event dates. www.dallasheritagevillage.org.

The Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood, Dallas; (214) 922-1200. Collection includes American masterpieces by Church, O'Keeffe and Wyeth, contemporary art by Pollock, Rothko, Warhol and Lichenstein, European and impressionist art by Renoir, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Monet, and art of the Americas, Africa Asia and the Pacific. Special temporary exhibits are on display throughout the year. www.dallasmuseumofart.org.

Dallas World Aquarium, 1801 North Griffin Street, Dallas; (214) 720-2224. Exotic plants and creatures from around the world where you can explore a South American rainforest or take a walk through a water tunnel surrounded by reef life from the Continental Shelf. Observe monkeys, stingrays, piranhas and penguins. www.dwazoo.com.

Dallas Zoo, 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35E), Dallas, (214) 670-5656. 85-acre park featuring the "Wilds of Africa," Monorail Safari, Exxon Endangered tiger Habitat and more. www.dallas-zoo.org.

Fair Park, 1300 Robert B. Cullum at Grand Ave., Dallas, (214) 670-8400. This a 277 acre National Historic Landmark open year-round is home to 8 museums, the Cotton Bowl Stadium, IMAX theater, State Fair of Texas and much more. www.fairparkdallas.com.

Gilley's Dallas, 1135 S. Lamar St., Dallas, 75215. (888) 445-5397. Kick back and enjoy the best live entertainment experience anywhere in an intimate setting. www.gilleysdallas.com.

Hurricane Harbor, A Six Flags Water Park, 1800 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington. (817) 265-3356. Largest Water Park in North Texas, over 26 slides, rides, pools and attractions, locker facility, food, gift shops. www.sixflags.com.

Legends of the Game Baseball Museum & Children's Learning Center, Located in Ameriquest Field in Arlington. Over 100 items from the Hall of Fame including Ruth's jersey and Aaron's Gold Glove. Also tours of The Ballpark. 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington; (817) 273-5600. www.texasrangers.com/NASApp/mlb/tex/ballpark/tex_ballpark_museum.jsp.

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, (972) 263-RACE. World-class horse racing. I-30 on Belt Line Road. Wager year-round via simulcast in our post Time Pavilion. www.lonestarpark.com.

Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax & Ripley's Believe It or Not!, I-30 at Beltline Rd., Grand Prairie; (972) 263-2391. 225 life-like figures form Hollywood, history, horror, religion, fantasy and Ripley's oddities from around the world. www.palaceofwax.com.

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, 2021 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, (214) 761-1800. See horsemanship, falconry, jousting, hand-to-hand combat on a four-course banquet in true medieval fashion. www.medievaltimes.com.

Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St., Dallas, 214-242-5100. The Nasher Collection is considered one of the foremost collections, private or public, of 20th-Century sculpture in the world. Comprised of more than 300 pieces, the collection features works by Calder, de Kooning, Kelly, Matisse, Miro, Picasso, Rodin and Serra, among many others. www.nashersculpturecenter.org.

NOKIA Theater in Grand Prairie, 1001 NextStage Drive, Grand Prairie, (972)854-5111. Featuring world class performers the 6,350-seat venue design combines the best features of today's performing arts centers, sports arenas and amphitheaters with the latest in entertainment technology.

Scarborough Renaissance Festival, Waxahachie; Metro (972) 938-3247, (888) 5FESTIVAL. 16th century English village with 1,000 costumed characters, crafts, and food shoppes. Open 8 weekends from mid April into June. www.scarboroughrenfest.com.

The Shops at West End MarketPlace, 603 Munger Ave., Dallas, (214) 748-4801. www.westendmarketplacedallas.com .Over 50 specialty retail, casual apparel shops, fast-food eateries, restaurants, artisan's gallery, movie theater, arcade, 8 nightclubs.

Six Flags Over Texas, I-30 at Hwy. 360, Arlington. Call (817) 640-8900. Over 100 rides, shows and attractions. Including the legendary Texas Giant, rated the world's #1 wooden roller coaster. www.sixflags.com.

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Elm at Houston St., Dallas, (214) 747-6660. Located in former Texas School Book Depository Building, it examines the life, times, death and legacy of Pres. J.F. Kennedy. www.jfk.org.

Traders Village, 2602 Mayfield Rd., Grand Prairie; (972) 647-2331. "The Famous Texas Flea Market," with over 1,800 dealers, open every weekend, RV park. www.tradersvillage.com.

30-45 Minute Drive

Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth; (817) 989-5066. The Amon Carter Museum offers visitors a stunning survey of American art, from the first landscape painters of the 1830's to modern artists of the twentieth century. www.cartermuseum.org.

Cattle Raisers Museum, 1301 W. 7th St., Fort Worth, (817) 332-7064. Texas cattle industry thru multi-media visuals, life-size dioramas. www.cattleraisersmuseum.org.

Cavanaugh Fight Museum, 4572 Claire Chennault, Dallas; (972) 380-8800. More than 30 restored aircraft spanning WWI through Vietnam era. www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com.

Cowtown Coliseum, 121 E. Exchange Ave., Stockyards National Historic District, Forth Worth, 76106. (817) 625-1025. Enjoy Wild West shows, rodeos, concerts, year round. www.cowtowncoliseum.com.

The Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Rd., Dallas; (214) 515-6500. Sixty-six acres of colorful flowers, gardens, majestic trees and two historic homes. www.dallasarboretum.org.

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, 1501 Montgomery St., Fort Worth, (817) 255-9300, or (888) 255-9300. Nine exhibit galleries from dinosaurs to computers. Omni Theater and Noble Planetarium. www.fortworthmuseum.org.

Fort Worth Zoo, 1989 Colonial Parkway, Fort Worth; (817) 871-7050. Nationally ranked. Home to more than 5,000 exotic animals. On-site aquarium and insect exhibit. www.fortworthzoo.com.

Frontiers of Flight Museum, 6911 Lemmon Ave, (Love Field), Dallas; (214) 350-1651. COMPLETE history of aviation from Da Vinci's dreams, to Space Shuttle, unique artifacts. www.flightmuseum.com.

Gondola Adventures, 357 Westfork, Irving (972) 506-8037. Cruise the waterways of Las Colinas in the world's most beautiful gondolas. www.gondola.com.

Grapevine Opry, 308 S. Main St., Grapevine; (817) 481-8733. Country/western entertainment in the historic Palace Theater. www.gvopry.com.

Grapevine Vintage Railroad. An 1896 steam engine with vintage coaches linking Grapevine's historic district and Fort Worth's historic Stockyards. (817) 763-8297 or (800) 952-5717 www.gvrr.com.

Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur, Irving; (972) 252-7558. Three state-of-the-art theatres, three galleries and a multi-million dollar sculpture garden.

Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth; (817)332-8451. Known as "America's best small museum," the Kimbell offers a world-class collection of art, with masterpieces from antiquity to the 20th century and the building, designed by the great American architect Louis Kahn, is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding public art facilities in the world. www.kimbellart.org.

The Links at Waterchase, 8951 Creek Run Road (at I-30 and Eastchase Parkway), Fort Worth, (817) 861-4653. Located conveniently between Fort Worth and Dallas in a tranquil, serene setting like no other in the Metroplex. www.linksatwaterchase.com.

Marty Leonard Community Chapel at the Lena Pope Home, 3131 Sanguinet, Fort Worth, (817) 731-8681. The world famous E. Fay Jones described his Chapel design as an instrument for nature to play its music, and--by the way the light and shadows move and change--he has tuned it so that the music changes throughout the day and year. www.lenapopehome.org/chapel.cfm.

Mesquite Championship Rodeo, 1818 Rodeo Drive, Mesquite. Since 1958 Dallas' last link to the old West'. Pro rodeo action. Air-Conditioned. (972) 285-8777. www.mesquiterodeo.com.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell Street, Fort Worth; (817) 738-9215. Designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the museum features 53,000 square feet of gallery space showcasing masterworks of modern and contemporary American and European art from 1945 to the present, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography. www.themodern.org.

The Monnig Meteorite Gallery, located on the TCU Campus in the Sid Richardson Science Building at the corner of West Bowie Street and Cockrell, Fort Worth, (817) 257-6277. Contains a collection of over 1,000 different meteorites. http://monnigmuseum.tcu.edu.

National Scouting Museum, 1329 Walnut Hill Lane, Irving (972) 580-2100. A tribute to the rich history of the Boy Scouts of America, the museum features a Norman Rockwell art gallery, virtual reality adventures, hands-on learning experiences, and a historical collection that traces the Scouting movement from its beginnings. www.bsamuseum.org.

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, 1700 Gendy, Fort Worth, TX 76107. (817) 336-4475. World's only museum honoring women of the American West. www.cowgirl.net.

Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art, 309 Main St., Sundance Square, downtown Fort Worth; (817) 332-6554, (888) 332-6554. Permanent exhibit of 60 paintings by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell from the collection of Sid W. Richardson. www.sidrmuseum.org.

45-60 Minute Drive

Billy Bob's Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Stockyards National Historic District, Fort Worth, 76106. (817) 624-7117 or Metro (817) 589-1711. Country Music's Club of the Year. Open daily-families welcome. Entertainment nightly. www.billybobstexas.com.

Southfork Ranch, 3700 Hogge, Parker; (972) 442-7800. Experience television history at the world's most famous ranch and re-live exciting moments from "Dallas". www.southforkranch.com.

Stockyards Station, 140 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth, (817) 625-9715. 30 shops and restaurants. Historical walking tours, Old West Amusement park. www.stockyardsstation.com.

Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, 128 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth; (817) 626-7131 Located in the Fort Worth Stockyards the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, which pays tribute to 27 of the top cowboys and cowgirls in Texas. www.TexasCowboyHallofFame.com.

The Western Currency Facility of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 9000 Blue Mound Rd., Fort Worth; (817) 847-3881. Watch U.S. paper currency roll off the presses during a free 1-hour guided tour of the production process. Visitor Center, interactive exhibits and displays, retail sales shop. Tours Mon.-Fri., excluding Federal holidays. www.moneyfactory.com.