Live Like A Ewing: Inside Dallas Southfork Ranch

It was 40 years ago that the original series of Dallas first aired, introducing the world to the drama-loving Ewing family and their vast oil fortune. While the TV series that left the world wondering “who shot J.R.?” ended in 1991, your memories of the show can live on with a visit to the Ewing’s fictional mansion at the real-life Southfork Ranch.

Tour the Dallas set

Nested on 357 acres of ranch land about 35 minutes north of Downtown Dallas, Southfork Ranch and Event Center is the prime location of the Dallas set and home to the famous Ewing Mansion. One of the best ways to explore Southfork is to take a tour, which is free for children under 5 and $15 for adults. Tours are available year round (except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) and run every 30–45 minutes. The tours leave from the Visitor Center by tram, which takes you on a lovely path, with views of horses and Texas longhorns, to the Ewing Mansion. Once at the Ewing Mansion, tour guides provide information about Southfork Ranch and insight about the filming of Dallas. Visitors can marvel over memorabilia like the gun that shot J.R. and Lucy’s wedding dress. After the tour, you can freely walk through the ranch grounds, taking as many pictures as your camera can hold.

Touring the inside of the Ewing Mansion at Southfork Ranch is a great Dallas experience.

Have a Western dining experience and eat like a cowboy

Go horseback riding across the grounds

Dive deep into the Dallas culture by riding horses on the trails at Southfork. There are five slots per day for trail rides through Southfork Ranch, offering a breathtaking and unique experience. If you’re not comfortable atop a horse, consider a one-hour riding lesson from wranglers at Southfork Ranch. You’ll learn all the ins and outs of riding a horse so that in no time, you’ll be able to ride a horse like a true Ewing.

Visitors to Southfork Ranch can ride horses along trails or take horseback riding lessons.

Pick up some Dallas souvenirs

Before you leave the Southfork Ranch, be sure to shop. There are two retail shops, one of which has Dallas-inspired apparel, décor, or accessories, and another that has Southfork Ranch gift items and Texas collectibles. You’ll want a little extra something to take home in addition to all the photos you’ve taken of the Ewing Mansion to remember your Dallas-inspired trip to Southfork Ranch.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

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