Arts District

Location:

The Arts District is comprised of visual and performing arts venues in Dallas. Bound by St. Paul Street, Ross Avenue, Spur 366 (Woodall Rodgers Freeway), and US 75/Interstate 45, it is the largest arts district in the country spanning 19 contiguous blocks. This area is primarily an entertainment district.

Local Schools:

Elementary – Sam Houston Prep School, Hope Medrano Elementary School
Middle – Thomas J. Rusk Middle School
High – North Dallas High School

Parks:

Klyde Warren Park is Dallas’s central urban park that has bridged the eight-lane Woodall Rodgers Freeway, which had been a barrier between Downtown and Uptown. The park reconnects the city’s downtown cultural district with the neighborhoods to the north.  Klyde Warren Park connects the Arts District with Dallas’ Uptown area and spans 5.2 acres with pedestrian and bicycle trails, encouraging a more walkable city center. Additional features include a children’s playground, dog park, restaurant, and performance area. Klyde Warren Park opened in 2012, and more information can be found at klydewarrenpark.org

Local Events:

The Arts District is brimming with event venues, museums, music halls, and more. As such, there is almost always an event scheduled somewhere in the district including performances, concerts, lectures, festivals, and more. The best place to locate the schedule of planned events is on the Dallas Arts District’s calendar page of their website.

Attractions and Shopping:

Aptly named, the Arts District houses most of Dallas’ visual and performing arts venues including AT&T Performing Arts Center, The Annette Strauss Artist Square, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Theater Center, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Nasher Sculpture Center, Trammell Crow Center, and the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art. Additionally, the area is dotted with restaurants and cafes for area patrons to break for a meal or cup of coffee. Shopping is at a bit of a premium in this part of the city, however, most of the art venues offer gift shops where souvenirs can be purchased.

Area History & Information:

A 30-year project in the making, the Dallas Arts District was born out of a suggestion to consolidate the city’s arts and cultural institutions. The northeast corner of the city was chosen because of the mass of freeways and local streets crisscrossing the area, offering ease of access. The district is defined by historic architecture mixed with contemporary buildings, and at 68 acres, it is the largest arts district in the country.