DARTable DFW

Use DART to discover these charming Dallas-area downtowns

Dallas might be a car-focused city, but that doesn't mean it always offers the greatest parking options. One easy way around this inconvenience is to ride DART, which has lines not only to popular destinations such as the State Fair of Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport but also a whole host of bustling downtowns.

These suburban enclaves have reinvented themselves lately, becoming hot spots of cuisine, entertainment, and shopping. Take a trip out to visit them using the GoPass mobile app, which provides real-time trip planning tools and the ability to pay without needing cash.

Where can DART take you? Here's a glance at what each area has to offer.

Downtown Dallas
What to see: You have your pick of museums at the nation's largest arts district, including Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, and Crow Museum of Asian Art. The 5.2-acre Klyde Warren Park is nearby, and often hosts free exercise classes and concerts. Brush up on your biology at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, or step back in time at the Sixth Floor Museum, Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture, and Dallas Holocaust Museum. Utilize D-Link, the free shuttle service that runs throughout downtown, to travel between areas.
Where to eat: CBD Provisions and Tei An have won a series of prestigious awards, while newcomers Commissary, Americano, Tortaco, and Flora Street Cafe have all generated buzz. Viennese-style coffee house Otto's, inside the Adolphus hotel, is an elegant respite during a busy day.
Fun upcoming festivals: Park & Palate at Klyde Warren Park, October 26-27. Sample from Dallas' favorite culinary artists, along with the trendiest wineries, breweries, and spirits in the area. Aurora, throughout downtown, November 3. This free public art event transforms downtown Dallas into an open-air, urban playground with installations of light, video, and sound presented in unexpected places.

Downtown Plano
What to see: See a show at the Courtyard Theatre and Cox Playhouse, or learn about the area's transit past with the free Interurban Railway Museum. Pop into luxury goods store Shinola to pick up a watch, bicycle, or any number of leather items. Schedule a night to sip and paint at Pipe and Palette.
Where to eat: Urban Crust and Urban Rio each offer a character-filled rooftop area, while the Fillmore Pub keeps its action on the ground floor. Craft a unique cocktail at Vickery Park before heading to Zalat Pizza for a creative pie, or get the extra napkins ready at the saucy Lockhart Smokehouse. End the night on a sweet note with Dude, Sweet Chocolate.
Fun upcoming festival: Steinfest, October 19-20. An Oktoberfest-style event that celebrates outstanding beer, great food, and polka music.

Downtown Garland
What to see: Get a glimpse into early settler life at the Landmark Museum at Heritage Crossing, or take a behind-the-scenes look at how an American icon is made at the Resistol Hat Plant Tour. Granville Arts Center and Plaza Theatre are each home to family-friendly plays and musicals.
Where to eat: Raise a glass (or several) at Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, which is right on Lake Ray Hubbard. Need more of a beer fix? Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery and Lakewood Brewery & Taproom have got you covered. Dig in to comfort-food classics at Babe's Chicken Dinner House, or get a little spicy at Trompo Taqueria.
Fun upcoming festival: Snaketoberfest IV at Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery, October 13. Enjoy a taste of some of DFW's best barbecue and craft beer while discovering the local music scene.

Downtown Rowlett
What to see: Feed that shopping addiction with visits to Girlfriends Boutique and Farmhouse Living, or channel your healthy side at the Rowlett Farmers Market.
Where to eat: El Centro is your spot for Mexican food, but if you want to camp out on a patio then order up a few wood-fired pizzas and a couple of pints at Bankhead Brewing Co.
Fun upcoming festival: International Festival, October 6. This free inaugural event celebrates all the cultures of Rowlett and its surrounding areas, with food trucks, vendors, and entertainment. Also on October 6, DART will host a music station from Cumbia Trio at the Downtown Rowlett station to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

Downtown Irving
What to see: Heritage House, built in 1912 and one of Irving's oldest homes, is furnished with antiques from the Schulze family (one of Irving's founders) and provides a look back in time. A replica of a settler's cabin also resides in Heritage Park, along with a gazebo and plenty of green space and trails. Centennial Park celebrates Irving's first 100 years, with statues of J.O. Schulze and Otis Brown.
Where to eat: Craving an authentic milkshake? Big State Fountain Grill has been serving them since 1948, along with hamburgers and other essential diner fare. For Italian, it doesn't get much more romantic than Di Rosani's. Villa's Grill carves beef, pork, chicken, and sausage tableside in the evenings, capped out with a huge salad bar. Discover authentic and homemade Lao and Thai food at Sapp Sapp.
Fun upcoming festival: Holiday Extravaganza, December 1. This free event includes a community parade (with typically more than 100 participants) that travels through the Heritage District, followed by a tree lighting ceremony outside of Irving City Hall.

Downtown Carrollton
What to see: The landmark Carrollton Plaza Arts Center plays hosts to not just performing arts groups, but also classes and visual arts. Pop into Silver Star Mercantile for a selection of Texas-made foods, or stroll over to Blooms Candy & Soda Pop Shop for a taste of nostalgia.
Where to eat: The ultra-popular Cane Rosso has an outpost (and its dog rescue group is headquartered nearby), and other Dallas favorites Monkey King Noodle Company, Babe's Chicken Dinner House, and Twisted Root Burger House also have locations here. Carrollton faves El Rincon Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar, Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream, and 55 Degrees Wine Bar and Bistro provide some local flavor.
Fun upcoming festival: Festival at the Switchyard, November 3. Honoring the critical role the railroad played in putting Carrollton on the map, and the continuing importance of rail in Carrollton's present and future, this free event features free concerts, games, and rides.

CityLine
Okay, so this isn't technically a downtown, but the booming new Richardson development is quickly becoming a must-visit area. In addition to Good Union Urban BBQ, Jasper's, Luna Grill, Fish City Grill, Top Pot Doughnuts, Tricky Fish, and Taco Diner, you can find a live music series, free yoga in the plaza, and a whole roster of classes devoted to everything from painting to wine tasting. The CityLine Merry Market and Festival is currently scheduled for December 8.

Get to the Dallas Arts District without having to worry about parking.

Photo courtesy of DART

Get to the Dallas Arts District without having to worry about parking.

Animal News

Latest animal to die at Dallas Zoo is young male gorilla named Zola

Dallas Zoo

Zola RIP

Another animal at the Dallas Zoo has died an untimely death: Zola, a young Western lowland gorilla, died on Wednesday, November 5, at age 23.

The zoo does not know why Zola died. A necropsy will be performed. According to their post, Zola was euthanized after showing symptoms of lethargy, reduced appetite, and signs of discomfort at the end of October.

"Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to begin breathing on his own afterward, despite the extraordinary efforts of our veterinary and animal care teams," their post says. "With his comfort as our priority, we made the difficult decision to let him go peacefully."

The zoo did not announce Zola's death immediately, instead waiting two days until Friday afternoon at 3 pm. Politicians and government agencies prefer to choose Friday afternoons to post news that is negative or controversial, since fewer people, and definitely fewer journalists, are online on Friday afternoons. It's called the "Friday news dump."

The death is very inconvenient for the Dallas Zoo since they were just about to ship off their male gorillas, which also include Juba, B'Wenzi, and Zola's half-brother Shana, to the San Antonio Zoo. Animals are very dear to the zoo — until it's time to ship them off to another zoo.

The relocation of the other three male gorillas is "temporarily on hold" but the zoo says they will be moved "when the time is right."

Other gorillas will be shipped in to replace them — although we do not know which gorillas and from where. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the overseeing body for zoos, only divulges that kind of intel on a "need to know" basis. Right now, you and I do not need to know. If we did know which gorillas were coming and where they were coming from, we might ask questions that would force the zoo to explain what it's up to.

Zola was born at the Bronx Zoo in 2002 and became internet famous as the "breakdancing gorilla" for splashing in pools and puddles. Some animal experts attributed his actions to frustration at being locked inside a zoo. He was relocated to the Calgary Zoo in 2009 when he was only 7 years old — zoos always play up what great bonds and family ties their animals have, until it's time to ship them somewhere else, and then suddenly the bonds and family ties don't matter.

Unfortunately, Zola did not "integrate well" at the Calgary Zoo, so he got shipped off to the Dallas Zoo in 2013.

At least now he won't have to be relocated again.

Death count
Zola's death is one more in a long-running series of deaths at the Dallas Zoo in recent years, the most previous being Jata, a 7-year-old painted dog who died in June 2024. Jata also showed signs of lethargy and decreased appetite, reportedly due to kidney disease.

Whenever a death occurs, they always wax on about their "extraordinary" veterinary and animal care teams — and yet, so many of these deaths were either unexplained or completely caught their teams by surprise.

Zola the Western lowland gorilla is the latest to join this death march of animals at the Dallas Zoo:

Jata, one of the zoo's three African painted dogs, died in June 2024, at seven years old.
Ferrell, a 15-year-old giraffe, died in December, 2023, following "an unexpected fall in the barn" that injured the giraffe's jaw so badly, they were forced to euthanize him.
Ajabu, a 6-year-old African elephant who died on May 8, 2023, from the herpes virus.
Pin, a 35-year-old lappet-faced vulture, died on January 22, 2023, cause unknown.
Jesse, a 14-year-old giraffe, died on October 29, 2021, cause unknown.
Auggie, a 19-year-old giraffe, died in late October 2021 of liver failure.
Marekani, a 3-month-old baby giraffe, sustained a mysterious injury and was euthanized on October 3, 2021.
Kirk, a 31-year-old chimpanzee, died in August 2021 due to "surprise" heart disease.
Keeya, a 6-year-old Hartmann's mountain zebra, died in March 2021 due to a mysterious unexplained head injury.
Subira, a 24-year-old silverback gorilla, died suddenly in March 2020, due to a cough, or maybe cardiovascular disease. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hope, a 23-year-old Western lowland gorilla, died suddenly in November 2019 after being at the zoo for only two years.
Ola, an 8-year-old female African painted dog, was killed in July 2019 by two other painted dogs, less than a month after she was transferred to the zoo.
Witten, a 1-year-old giraffe, died in June 2019 during a physical exam under anesthesia when he suddenly stopped breathing.
Adhama, a baby hippopotamus, mysteriously died in 2018.
Kipenzi, a baby giraffe, died in 2015 after running in her enclosure.
Kamau, a young cheetah, died of pneumonia in 2014.
Johari, a female lion, was killed in front of zoo spectators in 2013 by male lions with whom she shared an enclosure.

And in February 2021, they lost a crow called Onyx who was part of their "animal ambassador team," "participating in a training session" for a bird show. He was never found.

animals