Have fun in flashy Dallas without trust fund

DALLAS — In a city that hangs its hat on big money, a flashy skyline and well-heeled locals, a visit on the cheap might seem unlikely.

But residents know that it doesn't take a trust fund to have a good time here. For starters, sit down to a plate of cheap tacos and start people-watching.

Dallasites take their shopping seriously, so spending some time wandering the city's malls and shopping areas is a must. But if tempting yourself with shiny new things doesn't appeal, there are plenty of other options like visiting museums, the John F. Kennedy Memorial or the Katy Trail.

Getting around: Visitors should rent a car while in Dallas, a city more known for eight-lane interstates than for being pedestrian-friendly. A public transportation system with buses and light rail, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, www.dart.org, offers $3 all-day passes, but check first to see how close it goes to your destination.

McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, www.mata.org, runs a free trolley through Dallas' trendy Uptown area, lined with restaurants and bars. The trolley takes riders from near the Dallas Museum of Art to West Village, a development filled with restaurants, shops and a movie theater.

Famous places: With its catchy opening tune, the television series "Dallas," about a wealthy Texas oil family, brought the city international attention in the late '70s and 1980s. Drive about 40 minutes north of downtown and tour the Ewings' fictional home, Southfork Ranch, for $9.50, www.southfork.com.

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza chronicles the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, who was shot while riding through Dallas in a motorcade on Nov. 22, 1963. Evidence showed that shots came from the sixth floor of the museum building, a former warehouse known as the Texas School Book Depository. Depository worker Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested in the assassination the day Kennedy was killed, but was shot to death two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

Admission to the museum, www.jfk.org, is $13.50 for adults, but the Dealey Plaza district is a National Historic Landmark and you can join other tourists checking out the area around the museum for free. Sites include a nearby memorial to Kennedy as well as the infamous "grassy knoll," a spot from which some witnesses thought gunfire emanated.

For an old-school shopping experience, go to downtown to Neiman Marcus' flagship store, www.neimanmarcus.com.

Want to check out the new $1.15 billion stadium where the Dallas Cowboys will be playing this fall, but don't want to buy a game ticket? Take a tour of the retractable-roof stadium in nearby Arlington, stadium.dallascowboys.com/tours/tourInfo.cfm, for $15 for adults.