Ft. Worth Hotel Guide

Whether you're visiting Dallas for business or pleasure, you'll be happily surprised by the many choices you'll find for hotel accommodations, exciting entertainment events and tasty cuisine.

Affectionately known as “Big D,” this is a city that enjoys sharing its personal warmth with all who will just take a little time to visit with the folks who live and work here.

While you may encounter a few folks who will remind you of the regulars on the Dallas TV series that aired years ago, most people here don't own cattle and have never ridden - much less owned - a horse. Like so many cities preparing to enter the new millennium, Dallas continues to try and carefully preserve some of its older traditions while gracefully inviting in the technologies of the future.

In many ways, Dallas has grown to such an extent that its layout is best understood if compared to a city such as Los Angeles. Numerous suburbs, once viewed as mere satellite areas of Dallas, are now self-contained little worlds of their own. Furthermore, the two largest cities in the area, Dallas and Fort Worth, once separated by nearly 30 miles of barren land, are almost completely linked together now by housing subdivisions, business parks and a variety of new industrial projects.

To reach Dallas, you will need to fly into either the large Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) or the highly popular and centrally located Love Field Airport. Unless they're flying in from great distances, most local residents prefer Love Field.

DFW is located halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, which means it's basically due west of Dallas and due east of Forth Worth. If you don't want to rent a car at DFW and aren't going to be picked up by friends or family, be aware that there are a number of free and low-cost shuttles to take you in closer to both cities.

Many people who are heading toward Dallas take a shuttle that drops them off near Love Field Airport. They then are picked up by friends or family, rent a car or take a shuttle to a local hotel. Be sure to plan ahead and make some sort of transportation arrangements since you'll definitely need your own vehicle to get around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

To get a basic feel for the layout of Dallas and the surrounding areas, try picturing downtown Dallas as the southern hub of the city. This will help you understand which way to travel in regards to the usual destinations of those who visit. To the immediate west of downtown Dallas are the cities of Grand Prairie and Irving. The latter is the home of Texas Stadium and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. DFW is also located in Irving as well as the beautifully landscaped area known as Las Colinas.

Further west of Irving is Arlington. Children learn very early about this city since Texas' answer to Disneyland, Six Flags Over Texas, is located here. Both Farmer's Branch and Carrollton are north of Irving. Lewisville, Coppell and Grapevine are located a bit northwest of Irving and are generally considered outside the main Metroplex area by most.

Just east of downtown Dallas is Mesquite, where many exciting rodeos are held each year. North of Mesquite is Garland and north of Garland is the rapidly expanding area known as Plano. Many Dallas businesses, corporations and residents have flocked to Plano.

The small but beautiful area known as the Park Cities (comprised of both University Park and Highland Park) lies just four or five miles north of downtown Dallas off Central Expressway. Southern Methodist University is located in University Park. And, Love Field Airport is just a short drive from the Park Cities.

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