Howdy Texas! Day 2 Dallas and Dancing

[CrispyA]

Managed to sleep a little longer today, probably because we did so much the day before. Breakfast was again great, although we did encounter a family who shall hereafter be known as The Toasters. They arrived for breakfast and promptly filled the toaster with all manner of baked goods. They then stood over it to refill it with more baked goods. They ate everything in a toast sandwich, including waffles. Very strange.

First thing today was a trip to Dallas. Paul had been researching and wanted to get the train - firstly as the traffic and parking are meant to be a pain and secondly because we like trying other forms of transport. We parked up at the Fort Worth travel centre and only had a short wait for the train, which was, excitingly, a double decker!

The train journey was really nice - it takes just under an hour and we got to see interesting bits and pieces from the windows. Plus it was air-conditioned, which was needed.

Once we arrived in Dallas, it wasn't a long walk from the station to the 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. This was a good thing as the temperatures were over 100F and it was hard work to walk far in the heat.

You get a self-guided audio tour of the Museum, so we put on our headphones and got the elevator up to the 6th floor. The Museum is really good - you learn a lot about the USA and Texas in the 1960s and about JFK's presidency and how the people felt about him before you get the information about the assassination. Obviously, it was all caught on film so you can see the pictures and then see the corner of the building that Lee Harvey Oswald shot from. The build up to the shooting, from the arrival of the Presidential party at Love Field is really tense as you know what's coming. There are models of Dealey Plaza and lots of footage from the aftermath, which is very moving. There is also some detail about the conspiracy theories - the notion of a second shooting location seems pretty much debunked now.

It was all quite moving - seeing the shock and horror on the faces as people realised he had been killed was quite powerful, as were the images of his wife, still in her bloodstained clothes, refusing to leave Dallas without his body. The Museum is very positive about JFK and his presidency, unsurprisingly, and I was glad to have gained some insight into his life. Because the assassination is so well known and such a memorable moment for so many people, his death has become more important than his life in some ways and it was good to learn more about the man and about how much he wanted to make America better.

Outside the Museum, you can see 2 white crosses on the road marking where the car was when each shot hit (Oswald's first shot missed). We are standing with the road behind us - it's the one with the 3 green signs.

This time, the Repository is behind us - the window in question is the square one at the end of the row of arched windows.

After the museum, we walked a couple of blocks but there isn't much nearby other than a few gift shops and a couple of places to eat. We had a Subway as there wasn't much else and then headed back to the station to get the train back to Fort Worth.

When we got off the train, the heat was incredible - there was a wind but it was a hot wind and we were desperate to get the aircon going in the car. The family were thrilled that I made them pose for this photo with the Fort Worth skyline behind them.

Rather than going back to the hotel, we stopped off at the Stockyards, mainly so the rest of us could pick up some hats as we knew we'd be needing them and we hadn't seen too many other places to buy them. It was very tempting to buy proper cowboy hats but we were worried about getting them back in one piece and how often we would really wear them. However, although I like the straw hats, I'm tempted to get a "proper" one next time . . .

Evan chose a black one that makes him look at bit Tim McGraw

Paul and me got these

It was pretty cool to stroll around in our hats and blend in perfectly as plenty of other people had them too. We also caught the second cattle drive of the day and didn't try to take any pictures - just admired the longhorns mooching past.

Back to the hotel, via a Fiesta supermarket (a Texan chain that does lots of Mexican brands) and a quick dip in the pool. It was very small and pretty close to the construction of a new freeway but it was nice to cool off anyway. Evan had been very patient and only nagged to go in the pool a couple of times, so we indulged him!

After that, we headed back to the Stockyards for the evening. We were going to eat elsewhere and then call into Billy Bob's - the world's largest Honky Tonk. In the end, we went there first and I'm so glad we did. We weren't there on the right night for the bull riding or gigs (those are at weekends and we were there on a Thursday) but we were there for line dancing class!

Billy Bob's is enormous - it has 30 bars, Texas sized dance floors, bull riding arenas, food, pool tables etc. We couldn't take the kids into most Texas bars but they can go to Billy Bob's and absolutely loved it! The boys played pool, but Hannah and I joined in the very friendly line dancing class, getting a cheer when we said we were from England.

The teacher explained we were going to learn a routine to a Country song and then asked if folks liked Keith Urban? There were quite a few nods and then he said, "Well, that's too bad because we're going to dance to some George Strait!" The class was great fun - line dancing is tricky and if you mess up a turn, it all goes horribly wrong. Hannah is a dancer anyway and picked it all up really quickly, so I just copied her if I was stuck (as did a few others nearby!).

There was a live band on after the class, playing Texas country songs which was great. We had some buffalo wings (salad for the veggie) and fries to eat and when the band finished their first set, the DJ announced that it was time for the line dancers to do their stuff!

Hannah and I headed for the floor and joined in with the dance to "". We wished we'd worn our boots, as dancing in sandals isn't quite the same thing! We had a whale of a time and joined in for quite a few other dances, trying to pick them up as we went along - "Footloose" has a great routine!

Everybody in country music seems to have played Billy Bob's it seems. We love Country and listened to a lot of Texas country before our trip as it seems quite separate from the mainstream Nashville music. The stars who have played Billy Bob's do handprints in concrete slabs and we had fun spotting our favourites. Here's Kacey Musgraves, who we saw in Manchester last year.

You can hardly see the Johnny Cash square for all the lipstick kisses on it!

We called into the gift shop on the way out to get bargain Billy Bob's shirts and posed for a picture outside.

We were pretty tired when we got back, but grinning from ear to ear after having such a fun evening.

[caj]

I'd be hopeless at line dancing! But I'd love to watch ... Good on you for giving it a go.

[Melbatb]

The line dancing sounds like a lot of fun! And the museum interesting!

Looking forward to hearing more!

[CrispyA]

The dancing was a blast! And the Museum is fascinating - one of those experiences that the US does so well.

[orlandosgr8]

What a fantastic day, I love that you joined in with the line dancing

[Jesslydevie1]

Sounds like you had a ball , I would love an evening in billy bobs !

[WileyCoyote]

Oh the evening sounds so much fun. How different.
Interesting morning and I have picked up tips for our one day in Dallas !
I can feel the heat in the pics .. Note to self, take a hat !

[Skittl1321]

Years late reading this report, so I'll try to refrain from too many comments bumping threads up, but as someone who lived 22 years in Texas I'm greatly enjoying your perspective! I had no idea Billy Bob's let kids in-great to know in the future. I've only been there for concerts (Texas country is my favorite, I'm less into mainstream country.)

I can't wait to read on. Except missing College Station it sounds like you hit all the highlights of the state!

[CrispyA]

Originally Posted by Skittl1321

Years late reading this report, so I'll try to refrain from too many comments bumping threads up, but as someone who lived 22 years in Texas I'm greatly enjoying your perspective! I had no idea Billy Bob's let kids in-great to know in the future. I've only been there for concerts (Texas country is my favorite, I'm less into mainstream country.)

I can't wait to read on. Except missing College Station it sounds like you hit all the highlights of the state!

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Texas is a great state and we loved our time there. I'd love to see a concert at Billy Bobs - we like Texas Country as well. I think Aaron Watson would be awesome there! Glad you're enjoying the trip report - I love reading other people's.

[Skittl1321]

My favorite artist is Roger Creager. Look him up if you haven't heard him