Where to go: The 4 best museums in Dallas

Where to go: The 4 best museums in DallasFrontiers of Flight Museum. | Photo: Brian Q./Yelp
Hoodline
Published on August 13, 2018

Looking to visit the best museums in Dallas?

From the iconic Sixth Floor Museum to a flight museum near Dallas Love Field Airport, Hoodline crunched the numbers to produce a ranked list of the city's must-see museums for locals and visitors alike. 

1. Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Photo: Michelle V./Yelp

Topping the list is Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Located at 411 Elm St. in the West End Historic District, it is the highest rated museum in Dallas, boasting four stars out of 601 reviews on Yelp.

The museum is located in the Texas School Book Depository building, the location where Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy. The exhibits and artifacts examine the life, times, death and legacy of JFK. You'll see historic films, photographs and interpretive displays. You can plan your visit (and see hours and admission prices) here.

Kevin N., who visited on May 28, wrote, "Getting around the entire sixth floor takes a solid hour if you don't skip any of the sections. A great experience overall to learn about JFK, his presidency and the tragedy. It's a bit of an eerie feeling as you walk throughout the entire exhibit; you could really feel the emotions through all the great audio and video provided. It really gives you the feeling as if you were there the day it happened."

2. Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Photo: Annie N./Yelp

Next up is Oak Lawn's Perot Museum of Nature and Science, situated at 2201 N. Field St. With four stars out of 488 reviews on Yelp, the museum has proven to be a local favorite.

The museum houses numerous permanent exhibition halls inside its four stories, including the "Being Human" hall, which covers everything from basic human anatomy to the mysteries of the mind, and the "T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now" hall, which showcases dinosaur and ice age fossils. It also has rotating guest exhibitions. (Learn more about its exhibits here.)

Yelper Robbie G. said, "The Perot Museum of Nature and Science was a blast, and had tons of activities that were fun for all ages. Many of the activities were hands-on as well, so it helped with the immersive aspect. This was definitely one of the more fun things we did on our trip if you're into this kind of thing."

3. Dallas Holocaust Museum

Photo: Manuel E./Yelp

West End Historic District's Dallas Holocaust Museum, located at 211 N. Record St., Suite 100, is another top choice, with Yelpers giving the museum four stars out of 76 reviews.

The museum covers the Holocaust in its permanent core exhibit, focusing on April 19, 1943. On that day, three important events happened: the 20th deportation train from Belgium was attacked by partisans, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began and the Bermuda Conference convened. It has a collection of authentic artifacts and regularly hosts Holocaust survivors, who share their stories with visitors.

Yelper Chalea A. wrote, "This wasn't the largest Holocaust museum I've visited, but it certainly was perfect for what it was. Moving, intensive and informative. My son got a deep glimpse of the horrors faced during World War II in Germany, especially those impacted now living in the DFW area, and it made an impression."

4. Frontiers of Flight Museum

Photo: Steve H./Yelp

Frontiers of Flight Museum, which neighbors Dallas Love Field Airport, is another go-to, with four stars out of 64 Yelp reviews. Head over to 6911 Lemmon Ave. to see for yourself.

Charting the history of flight, it houses a collection of aircraft from all eras of flight history, including a full-scale model of the Wright Flyer 1, the Apollo VII module, fighter jets and more. You're even permitted to climb into some of the aircraft on the floor for a hands-on experience.

Yelp reviewer Victor V. said, "This museum offers a great perspective on flight history. The variety of interactive exhibits is very interesting. Lots of aircraft to climb in and out of. The exhibit featuring Southwest Airlines is very well done."