Dallas, Texas – 3 Unique Attractions To Visit
Dallas, Texas is a modern city with fascinating neighborhoods, plenty of art and culture, and a number of unique attractions, well worth a visit.
Located in North Texas, Dallas is an exciting city with a contemporary skyline. The city is known as the place where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. It is also known for the unforgettable TV show, Dallas.
Areas to visit include the Arts District, with its fascinating art galleries, exhibiting paintings and sculptures. Distinctive neighborhoods in the city include Deep Ellum, with its stories about blues and jazz, and hipster hangouts like the Bishop Arts District or Lower Greenville. There are also a number of unique attractions to visit on a vacation in Dallas, including a giant eye, Bonnie Parker’s grave, and more than 100 bronze hands.
1. Eye
You can rightfully say Dallas has its “Eye” on you when you visit this three-story sculpture of a human eyeball. The Eye stands in front of the Joule Hotel in Downtown Dallas, resting in a garden just off Main Street. The sculpture is hyper-realistic and even has streaky red veins.
Literally called Eye, this was created in 2007 by artist Tony Tasset and is modeled after his own eyes. It was originally fabricated from fiberglass for a temporary display in Chicago and stands 30 ft tall. After being used in the display, it was placed in storage for some years and made a brief showing in St. Louis. However, it was finally brought to Dallas in 2013 and was purchased by the hotel as part of its extensive art collection and placed in its sculpture garden.
When Tasset was interviewed by Co.Design he denied any symbolism behind the work. He said he “just wanted to make something awesome.” He did, indeed!
2. Bonnie Parker’s Grave
Who doesn’t remember the infamous outlaw duo, Bonnie and Clyde? Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were a pair of criminals who roamed the Central United States with their gang in the Great Depression. They are well known for their bank robberies, but their personal preference was to rob rural gas stations and small stores.
The duo finally met their maker and Bonnie was buried in a quiet cemetery in Dallas, next to her mother’s grave. From the gravestone, it can be seen that Bonnie was born on October 1, 1910, and died on May 23, 1934.
Many people visit her grave and leave mementos and flowers. The grave can be found in Crown Hill Memorial Park in Webb Chapel Road in Dallas. After you enter the gates, turn to the left and drive slowly until you see the burial plot next to a row of shrubs. The video included here shows you the way. By the way, Clyde Barrow was also buried in Dallas in Western Heights Cemetery.
3. Adrian E. Flatt, M.D., Hand Collection
Returning to body parts, we now have a look at the hand collection of Adrian E. Flatt, M.D., located in Dallas. This orthopedic surgeon had an obsession with hands and created a collection of bronze hands of famous people, including presidents, astronauts, and baseball greats.
It was while Dr. Flatt was specializing in hand surgery that he got the idea of making hand casts, so he could plan his surgeries. In the 1950s, Dr. Flatt initially made plaster molds of his fellow surgeons’ hands. Flatt was fascinated with the unique size and shape of each hand, shown through life-like, precise bronze castings.
In the 1960s, he expanded his collection by making bronze models of the hands of people like Dwight Eisenhower, Walt Disney, Doctor Seuss, and Mickey Mantle. The collection then grew to include the hands of astronauts and composers.
The collection can be seen at the Baylor University Medical Center, where Dr. Flatt taught future orthopedic doctors. The collection has more than 100 unique bronze casts.
Enjoy visiting the unique side of Dallas, Texas on your next vacation!
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