Cultural Enlightenment

CultureMap readers proclaim Perot Museum of Nature and Science the best gift toDallas

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science was voted the best gift to the city in2012. Even though it just opened in early December, the museum received 47percent of the vote.
Photo by Jerry McClure
The Chihuly exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum will be gone by year's end, butsince opening in May, the glass sculptures have had a huge impact for thearboretum and the city.
Photo by Rod Lindley
Though it had a lot of vocal support in the comments sections, Klyde Warren Parkcame in third with 16 percent of the vote. The park hopefully will spur growthin downtown.
Photo by Jerry McClure

It’s been a pretty busy year for the city, with museums and parks and exhibits opening left and right. We asked our readers to tell us which was the best gift to Dallas, and they responded emphatically.

We’ve got the results, and the tea leaves are telling us that the Perot Museum of Nature and Science won last week’s poll for “Best Gift to the City 2012” with a commanding 47 percent of the vote.

This was a three-horse race between the museum, the Chihuly Exhibit at the Arboretum and Klyde Warren Park. Chihuly came in second, with 28 percent. Klyde Warren Park grabbed 16 percent.

The park had plenty of support in the comments on the page and on Facebook, but it seems that didn’t translate to votes.

The poll, which ran December 10-16, also included the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the Dallas City Performance Hall and the Chinese Lantern Festival at Fair Park.

Even though the Perot Museum won, Dallas-area residents are the real winners. We’ve already enjoyed these new additions to the city's cultural landscape and look forward to many more.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

Unsplash

Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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