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Everything's bigger in Big D. Populous and sprawling - especially when lumped into the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. - Dallas has an image as a city of oil-rich businessmen in cowboy boots and 10-gallon hats. In fact, it is a center of banking and technology. Although the slick downtown area lacks the cultural scene of similarly sized cities, it's beginning to catch up. Already home to the stunning Meyerson Symphony Center and Nasher Sculpture Center, the Arts District will soon add an opera house and a theater.

An ongoing mass transit project has helped spur development downtown while making travel more convenient for residents and visitors alike. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) operates buses and light rail in the greater Dallas area ($1.25 per ride) and is continuing to expand. The historic McKinney Avenue Streetcar (M-Line) also runs for free between Cityplace Station and the Arts District.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is about 20 miles northwest of downtown Dallas, with connecting service via Trinity Railway Express (TRE) or DART buses. A shuttle bus takes airline passengers to the TRE rail station, where a trip into Dallas runs $2.25. DART buses depart from the DFW Remote North (weekdays) or Remote South (daily) parking lots. Taxi fares into Dallas are approximately $38.

See "America's Team" in Action
The Dallas Cowboys, winners of five Super Bowls, play their home games at Texas Stadium. Though the team's current incarnation doesn't have the luster of its predecessors, the Ring of Honor - featuring such names as Staubach, Landry, Dorsett, Aikman and Smith - provide a reminder of past greatness.

Watch the Horses in Style
Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, site of the 2004 Breeders' Cup, features a glass-enclosed grandstand pavilion for viewing the races as well as a simulcast facility with a Vegas-style racebook and a sports bar. Fans can also head behind the grandstand to check out the pre-race procedures in the saddling paddock.

Take a Walk Through Baseball History
Ameriquest Field, home of the Texas Rangers, features more than 100 items on loan from the Baseball Hall of Fame at its Legends of the Game Museum. Exhibits include paraphernalia of such greats as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron, and the admission price includes a tour of the ballpark.

Go Cuban-Crazy at the AAC
Dallas was an irrelevant location on the NBA map throughout the '90s. That all changed in 2000 when Mark Cuban bought the team and transformed the Mavs fan experience, and in 2001 when one of the league's great new palaces, American Airlines Center, opened. Grab a ticket and enjoy the raucous atmosphere inside "The Hangar".

Follow the Bucking Broncos
Head out to Resistol Arena for Mesquite Championship Rodeo, where pro rodeo is held every Friday and Saturday night from April through October. Events include bull riding, steer wrestling and barrel racing, and pony rides and a petting zoo are available for kids. Carnivores can feast on beef brisket and smoked sausage at the BBQ buffet.

Get Airborne at the Plano Balloon Festival
Oak Point Park hosts a three-day hot-air balloon event each September, drawing crowds of more than 100,000 to see 75 balloons launched each evening. The weekend entertainment includes food, music and fireworks, and on a first-come, first-served basis, spectators can take a balloon ride for $250.

Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
411 Elm St., Dallas, TX 75202, 214-747-6660
This is the place - the one-time Texas Book Depository, from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy. Walk the length of the sixth floor. Look out the southeast window, as Oswald did that November day. Listen to oral histories from that day, from the doctors who treated Kennedy to the reporters who covered him that day. The museum is located one mile southwest of downtown Dallas. There is ample parking or take a cab.
http://www.jfk.org/Inside.htm

Southfork Ranch
3700 Hogge Rd., Parker, TX 75002, 972-442-7800
To many people, Southfork Ranch - the home of the Ewing family on the long-running TV series - is Dallas. Tour the setting of the Ewing mansion - including J.R.'s bedroom, and view the gun that shot the oilman we loved to hate. Southfork is located 25 miles north of downtown Dallas. There is ample parking.
http://foreverlodging.com/foreverinfo.cfm?PropertyKey=93&ContentKey=2923

Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
128 E. Exchange Ave., Ft. Worth, TX 76106, 817-626-7131
Give it up for the 58 greatest cowboys - and cowgirls - of all time. Located in the Ft. Worth Stockyard, this building is a tribute to the champions of rodeo and cutting. There are also wonderful covered wagon and Texas cowboy boot exhibits. The Cowboy Hall of Fame is located 37 miles west of downtown Dallas. There is ample parking or split a cab.
http://www.texascowboyhalloffame.com/

Billy Bob's Honky Tonk
2520 Rodeo Plaza, Ft. Worth, TX 76106, 817-624-7117
Billy Bob's bills itself as "the world's largest honky tonk." It's hard to disagree. The concert calendar is top rate. The dance floor is Texas-size. There is live bull riding every Friday and Saturday night. The club serves barbeque and beer. (Most bottled beer sold in one night: 16,000, at a Hank Williams Jr. concert. Merle Haggard once bought a round for the entire club). The club is located 37 miles west of downtown Dallas. There is ample parking or hop a cab.
http://www.billybobstexas.com/index.htm

Dallas Museum of Art
1717 N. Harwood St., Dallas, TX 75201, 241-922-1200
One of the Southwest's premier art museums, it houses impressive pieces by Georgia O'Keefe, Andrew Wyeth, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Andy Warhol, among others. The museum is located in downtown Dallas. There is ample parking or hail a cab.
http://foreverlodging.com/destination.cfm?PropertyKey=93

1999 Dallas Stars (defeated Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 2).
1996 Dallas Cowboys (defeated Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17).
1994 Dallas Cowboys (defeated Buffalo Bills, 30-13).
1993 Dallas Cowboys (defeated Buffalo Bills, 52-17).
1978 Dallas Cowboys (defeated Denver Broncos, 27-10).
1972 Dallas Cowboys (defeated Miami Dolphins, 24-3).