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+ Dallas’ historic Fair Park has been drawing crowds for decades

As the site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, Fair Park remains the only original, unaltered, pre-1950's world's fair site in the country. The architecture at Fair Park is distinctively Art Deco and home to over seven million visitors a year. The park hosts a slew of festivals and events year-round, including the ever popular Texas State Fair. The Music Hall, The Science Place, the Texas Star Ferris Wheel and the Cotton Bowl all call Fair Park home, in addition to several other museums, exhibit halls, performance venues and gardens. They also offer two historic walking tours of the grounds for those interested in the architecture and history of the park. Visit fairpark.org for more information.

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+ Experience CSI at the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History!

Imagine entering a crime scene and being the one responsible for noticing and collecting every trace of evidence. The pressure is on: you know the analysis of your evidence must be scientifically sound to crack the case. You've seen the hit television crime drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on CBS. Now you play the role of the investigator in a forensic science exhibit created in collaboration with the TV series and actors. CSI: The Experience is a completely immersive exhibit that invites you to enter "crime" scenes where you identify and record evidence. It takes you inside "laboratories" for scientific testing and to "autopsy" rooms for pathology analysis. Then it returns you to the "office" to build your case, based on the scientific evidence. The exhibit brings to life real scientific principles and the most advanced scientific techniques used today by crime scene investigators and forensic scientists. From DNA and firearms analysis to forensic anthropology and toxicology, you’ll be immersed in hands-on science in an exciting multi-media environment with dazzling special effects direct from the CSI TV series. Cast members from the TV show welcome you into the exhibit from a large video monitor, lead you through the experience, and praise you for a job well done at the end. Visit CSI: The Experience, opening May 25 and running until September 2, 2013. Click here for more information.

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+ Have a homegrown pint at Deep Ellum Brewing Company

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+ See yourself in Sammons Park

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+ Put a little zen in your life at the Japanese Gardens

Fort Worth's Japanese Garden, located within the greater Fort Worth Botanic Garden network, is a little sanctuary in the city. The 7 acre garden is filled with traditional Japanese plants and flowers (like the tranquil Japanese Maple) and a water feature throughout filled with colorful Koi fish. There are little coin-op fish food dispensers throughout for feeding the Koi; toss the food pellets in one at time or all at once to watch a frenzy. They also have a meditation garden and a moon viewing deck. The Japanese Gardens hold two annual festivals, in fall and spring, celebrating Japanese art and culture.

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+ Appreciate the arts at the Dallas Arts District

After a recent rejuvenation (or rather, a recent overhaul), the Dallas Arts District has transitioned from simply a downtown neighborhood to a destination in and of itself. The district is on the north side of downtown and encompasses Dallas' premier art museums and performance halls that are all connected by a lovely outdoor urban space. It's also a great areato view some of the city's bestarchitecture, like the Meyerson and the Wyly Theater. The Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Winspear Opera House and the Dallas Arts Magnet also call the Dallas Arts District home.

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+ The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre takes classic theater outside the box

The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center located in the Arts District of Downtown Dallas. The theater was built so that their main performance hall is surrounded by three glass walls, creating a unique experience for the audience. The architecture of the building (designed by REX/OMA) in conjunction with an extensive pulley system creates a stage space that provides a lot of freedom for directors to work with many quickly changing sets. It's like a playground for contemporary theater. The building is a work of art in and of itself with the 12-story building standing seemingly suspended three stories up with only one supporting wall. Check with the Dallas Theater Center for performances and showtimes.

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+ Become one with nature at the Heard Natural Science Museum

Getting a little tired of the concrete jungle? Head out to McKinney's Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary for a day appreciating the outdoors and all it has to offer. The 289-acre wildlife reserve offers 6.5 miles of nature trails, a native plant garden and a butterfly garden. The sanctuary also hosts a number of science exhibits that serve as "edurtainment" for the kiddos, like a honey bee observation hive, a ropes course and dinosaur life-sized animatronics. The Heard Natural Science Museum is a great place to picnic or just enjoy the outdoors and the beautiful nature North Texas has to offer.

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+ Find out who shot JR at Southfork Ranch

What better way to get the Dallas experience than to visit the museum dedicated to the TV show that practically put Dallas on the map. Tour the Ewing mansion, check out the grounds, and reminisce about a less plastic Heather Locklear while touring the beautiful grounds. Southfork is also home to a museum featuring images and memorabilia from the filming of the internationally renowned television show while experiencing the famed theme song on a loop. Southfork is also a top destination for weddings, parties, corporate events and a murder mystery dinner. Don't forget your Patrick Duffy postcard as you exit through the gift shop.

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+ Be kind to our fine feathered friends at the Trinity River Audubon Center

Recently built just south of downtown in the Great Trinity Forest, the Trinity River Audubon Center is a living classroom and nature center dedicated to education and conservation initiatives. The center's main building (which serves as a portal to the rest of the reserve) was built with the environment in mind, using mostly renewable and recycled building materials, a vegetated roof and even windows angled just right so birds won't fly into them. The Audubon Center is also the first LEED-certified building built by the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. Use the main building as a launch point to experience nature trails, hiking, bird watching and hands on exhibits.

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+ Catch an art-house flick at the Texas Theatre

The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff is most infamously known as the place Lee Harvey Oswald was caught by police after (allegedly) shooting President John F. Kennedy. Over the years the theater has been neglected, demolition threatened, and, finally, saved by both the Oak Cliff and the film community. The Texas Theatre is now one of the only places in DFW to catch a real independent, art-house film. If obscure films, documentaries, old restored movies or just a really awful B horror movie is your cup of tea, the Texas Theatre is your kind of place. They also have bar for enjoying cocktails during the movies, as long getting up to visit the facilities in the middle of a movie doesn't bother you.

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+ Discover unique art and cool boutique finds in Deep Ellum

Deep Ellum was once the destination where the freaks came out at night, and folks visited for shows, drinks and to watch (or be) said freaks in scores every weekend during the 80's and mid 90's. After a little bad press about the safety of Deep Ellum, the neighborhood has undergone a bit of a transition. While no longer necessarily the "it" place to be on the weekends, the artists in the Deep Ellum community haven't let a little bad press scare them away from their beloved neighborhood. Now, eclectic boutiques and art galleries still adorn the three-street strip in addition to a sprinkling of music venues, restaurants and clubs that have held their own through thick and thin. Patrons that remember the good 'ol days can now appreciate a more laid back atmosphere, less hooliganism and free and ample parking.

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+ Relax or go for a run at White Rock Lake

Located just east of downtown, White Rock Lake is Dallas' answer to mother nature without having to stray too far from the city. White Rock Lake provides a sanctuary with bird watching, 9.33 miles of hiking and biking trails, fishing, and picnic areas. The historic Bath House Cultural Center, located right on the shore of White Rock lake, is also a destination for viewing art by local artists and artisans. The lake is also host to Dallas' famous annual White Rock Marathon, and is just a skip, hop and a jump from the Dallas Arboretum. For those looking for physical activity or a relaxing day with scenic views and good people watching, White Rock Lake is Dallas' closest destination to get outdoors.

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+ Get ‘yer western gear at the Fort Worth Stockyards

Whether you are just visiting or live in the area, spending time in DFW often warrants a need for those western, Texas-themed goods, be it leather coasters for a souvenir, over sized wooden furniture for a man cave, or Texas-shaped anything. The best cluster of western stores and boutique style shops can be found around the Fort Worth Stockyards. The various shopping establishments at the Stockyards offer western goods such as Wranglers, western antiques, furniture, boots and even saddles. While some of the merch falls into the "Texas kitsch" category, that's kind of the point. For your more typical souvenirs, check out the giant, obvious-placed assortment of souvenir shops. For something a little more unique (like leather coasters made by a real Texas inmate), check the side roads for consignment stores and boutiques.

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+ Get up to 24 hours of R&R at King Spa & Sauna

King Spa and Sauna isn't your ordinary spa. It's a Korean style spa (aka, a spa on steroids) complete with 11 spa and sauna rooms, including an oxygen room, an ice room, and an aroma room to purify your body and rid it of toxins. Admission is $20 for a full 24 hours of sweating, soaking, and relaxation. They even offer a $3 discount for "happy hour," 6 am - 2 pm Monday through Thursday. King Spa also offers body scrubs and massages for an extra fee. In addition to the spa rooms, their facilities include computer rooms with wifi access, pools and even a food court serving traditional Korean specialties. If you're planning on showing up in the wee hours of the morning, check their website or call ahead as some of their facilities close during the night for cleaning and maintenance. Also note that men and women spa separately.

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+ The Kimbell Art Museum provides a perfect space for viewing fine art

Fort Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum houses a small but impressive permanent collection ranging from antiquity to modern times. The Kimbell consistently hosts excellent special exhibitions featuring some of history’s greatest artists, including Picasso, Gaugin and Murillo, to name drop a few from recent seasons. The museum also occasionally hosts major traveling exhibitions. The Kimbell Art Museum itself is also a work of art. Designed by Louis Kahn and opened in 1972, the building is world-renowned for Kahn’s use of natural light to illuminate the artwork. As a result of the museum outgrowing this oft-describe “perfect space,” an annex designed by Renzo Piano is scheduled to open in 2013.