Cycle On

7 things to know about the Dallas Bike Ride and Finish Festival

Pedal, rock out, and do good on November 4.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Bike Ride

If there is one good thing about fall's slow approach in Dallas, it's that you can almost always count on the weather to still be fabulous for outdoor events in November. The Dallas Bike Ride is November 4, and the reward for attending is the Methodist Dallas Finish Festival, a super-cool concert that runs in tandem with the ride.

Here are seven things to know about the event.

1. There are no cars on the road.
The Dallas Bike Ride is the city’s only closed-course route, so you can pedal without worrying about traffic for a blissful 20 miles.

2. Anyone aged 3 and older is welcome.
The ride is a fun, recreational outing for bikers of all ages, so bring the whole family. Riders up to the age of 15 are $30, and riders aged 16 and older are $50. Bonus: Riders aged 3-7 are free.

3. You walk away with swag.
All registrants who are 7 and up receive a free branded water bottle with registration, and if you’re feeling fancy and sign up as a VIP, you’ll also receive a half-zip pullover and lunch after the ride. Sponsors and partners at the Methodist Dallas Finish Festival will also be giving away swag, such as the 1,000 yoga mats that Methodist will be doling out to eager yogis.

4. The ride supports a cause.
Dallas Bike Ride partners with Incarnation House and BikeTexas. Incarnation House provides safe and educational after-school programming to at-risk high schoolers, and BikeTexas advocates to make cycling safer and more accessible for Texans.

5. Get a Zen cool-down.
Methodist Health System instructors will lead a yoga class at the finish line, so you can stretch and unwind properly post-ride. Also enjoy a health and wellness Zone, activities for the kids, healthy snacks, food trucks, and a bike valet.

6. There's a concert at the finish line.
Grammy Award-winner DJ Spinderella, of Salt-N-Pepa, is the host of Methodist Dallas Finish Festival, which takes place on City Plaza from 9:30 am-1 pm on November 4 (the ride begins at 8 am). Fans of 1310 The Ticket will recognize headliner Petty Theft, while DJSC, the exclusive DJ of the Dallas Cowboys, will also perform.

7. The Methodist Dallas Finish Festival is free.
Have a cheering squad that isn’t riding? Invite friends and family to join you at the post-ride concert, which is free and open to the public.

Ready to roll? Register here.

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Ghosts of Cowtown

New ghost tour explores one of the spookiest spots in North Texas

Fort Worth Stockyards Livestock Exchange Building

US Ghost Adventures

There's a new ghost tour in town.

A national travel company is showing off the scary side of the Fort Worth Stockyards with the launch of a brand new ghost tour.

US Ghost Adventures, an Orlando-based company that hosts ghost tours in some of the most haunted cities in the country, has just added Fort Worth to its list of tour locations. The one-hour tour is held nightly at 8 pm and includes eight stops within a one-mile walking distance.

Some of the haunted highlights from the tour include Miss Molly’s Hotel (109 W. Exchange Ave.), a former brothel where unexplained activity – think lights turning on and off, heavy breathing, and footsteps heard on the stairs – have long been documented.

The Stockyards Hotel (109 E. Exchange Ave.), built in 1904, is said to be home to the apparition of its developer, Colonel T.M. Thannisch, as well as rodeo cowboy C.D. “Junior” Colwell, who is said to have committed suicide to avoid jailtime for swindling people.

Tour participants will also visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame (2515 Rodeo Plaza), where it’s said the six-foot, four-inch ghost of famed actor John Wayne has been seen admiring the cowboy memorabilia on display – even with a museum dedicated solely to him located just steps way at John Wayne: An American Experience.

While other ghost tours exist in Fort Worth, US Ghost Adventures owner Lance Zaal says his tour specializes in storytelling.

“US Ghost Adventures offers EMF detectors and focuses on telling the history behind the hauntings,” says Zaal.

When paranormal activity takes place, theories suggest electromagnetic disturbances can be seen with electromagnetic field (EMF) detectors. Lights on the detector indicate the strength of the disturbances, with a green light meaning little to no activity, yellow meaning moderate activity, and red meaning high activity.

Fort Worth was one of 12 new cities recently added to the US Ghost Adventures roster, including Houston and El Paso. The company operates tours in more than 50 cities across the country, and full list of new cities include:

The tour is $25 per person and there’s a two-person minimum. There's also an option to add a 30-minute bonus tour of four additional stops for just $6 per person.

Reservations should be made in advance online, and participants should meet at the Livestock Exchange Building at 131 E. Exchange Ave.

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