Fair Park

Written by Jeff Heath

Fair Park was built in 1936 for the Texas Centennial celebration. The Texas State Fair is held in Fair Park every October. The park has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark because the grounds have one of the largest collections of art-deco buildings in the United States. The 277-acre park is located two miles southeast of downtown Dallas just off I-30 and is home to eight museums, the Cotton Bowl and the outdoor Starplex Amphitheater.

Museums at Fair Park

The Museum of Natural History features habitats of native animals, birds, Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park

minerals and plants. Science Place has hands-on displays, a planetarium and an IMAX Theater. The Age of Steam Museum offers a nostalgic look at a time when railroads were king. The Aquarium at Fair Park features 375 species of exotic and native aquatic animals. The Hall of State was built in 1936 and contains the Museum of Texas History, which depicts epic-scale historical figures in marble and mosaics. The Music Hall at Fair Park is home to the Dallas Opera. The Horticulture Center is a 7-acre southwestern garden.

Cotton Bowl

The Cotton Bowl was built in 1930 during the Depression for $328,000. The stadium seats about 70,000 for collegiate football games and was once the home of the Dallas Cowboys. College football's national championship has been won or lost at the Cotton Bowl eight times. The Cotton Bowl game is held here on New Year's Day and participating teams for 2002 are expected to earn $2.5 million per school. The 2001 Cotton Bowl featured Kansas State and Tennessee. Kansas State won 35-21. Selection for the upcoming Cotton Bowl game will be December 2, 2001.