Claim to Fame Culture and History

Step inside Ewing Mansion at Southfork Ranch and get a taste of the glitzy, Texas lifestyle reflected in the popular 1980s television show “Dallas,” which was filmed at the ranch. Guided tours take visitors throughout the home – which includes noteworthy memorabilia from the series – as well as over the grounds, where you’ll see horses and learn about the ranch’s history. Follow up with a visit to Heritage Farmstead Museum, set in a Victorian-era farmhouse and operating as a living history museum. Here, you’ll see a one-room school house, a blacksmith shed and a carriage garage. To learn about the area’s historic electric railway, head to the Interurban Railway Museum, housed in an old depot and offering tours of an original rail car.

Zip Through Nature

The aptly-named Go Ape! Zip Line & Treetop Adventure is the perfect experience for everyone in the family. Work your way through five treetop sections of the course, all designed to get you closer to the sky. The course is complete with swings, zip lines and even a few traps. Go Ape! is set in Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve, Plano’s largest park at 300 hectares, where you can also bike trails around Rowlett Creek, set up a picnic or walk a nature trail. For a more intimate immersion in nature, visit Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, a smaller but no-less beautiful area in western Plano. Cyclists can enjoy an off-road trail, while an observation tower offers a lovely overlook of the preserve’s grounds.

Abundant Arts and Shopping

Experience the local color – and take some of it home with you – in Historic Downtown Plano Arts District, where you’ll find galleries, boutiques and independent restaurants all within walking distance of Haggard Park. To see what the artistic community of Plano is up to, stop at ArtCentre and check out the local exhibitions and vibrant events calendar. Before leaving the city, a visit to The Shops at Legacy is a must; this outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex offers beloved labels, upscale dining and the Angelika Film Center, a theater showing mainstream and indie movies.

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Known as “The Hot Air Balloon Capital of Texas,” Plano has hosted the Annual Balloon Festival for over 35 years.

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Southfork Ranch was the setting for the original “Dallas” television show.

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The name “Plano” is Spanish and inspired by the area’s flat plains.

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