Buckner Park

Although opened in 1915 with a playground apparatus for the Davy Crockett School across the street, land acquisition continued until 1917 for the park that was named after Dr. R.C. Buckner, founder of the Buckner Orphan Home.  The park contained a wading pool, showed outdoor movies, and was landscaped with shrubbery and exquisite flowers.  The original plan for the park, designed by renowned city planner and landscape architect, George Kessler, called for a large grassy oval surrounded by a walkway and plantings.  After World War II, the neighborhood and the park fell into disrepair.

 

Although the neighborhood had benefited from restoration of the old homes, the park had continued to be neglected. In 2006, the Friends of Buckner Park was formed in order to raise money to revitalize the park.  The vision of the group is to resurrect the main features of Kessler’s plan, once again making it a center of community gathering. The park has recently been renovated.  Donations are still being sought to fund the gazebo planned for the center of the grassy oval.

 

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

This 66 acre botanical garden is located on the southeast side of White Rock Lake and is built in Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.  It boasts year-round gardens and breathtaking views of the city.

 

Klyde Warren Park

This urban park is located over the Woodall Rogers Freeway between North Pearl Street and North   St. Paul Street.  It was designed to bridge the Central Business District with Uptown, and is flanked by several restaurants and upscale apartments and condos.  Easily accessed by the trolley from Uptown.

 

White Rock Lake Park

Located just northeast of Peak’s Suburban Historic District, White Rock Lake is a 1,015 acre city lake and is one of the most heavily used parks in theDallas City Parks system. 

 

Santa Fe Trail

The Santa Fe Trail is a 4.2 mile concrete trail which is a part of the City of Dallas trails system.  Used by bikers, runners and walkers, it connects multiple parks throughout lower east Dallas, including both the White Rock Lake Park Loop Trail and the Union Pacific Trail.  It lies on what was once a railroad right of way.

 

Fair Park

Originally constructed for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, Fair Park boasts the world’s largest collection of Art Deco buildings and sculptures.  It is home to the annual Texas State Fair and hosts the rival football game between UT and Oklahoma.  This 277 acre park is home to multiple museums, gardens and music venues, including: African-American Museum, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park, The Hall of State, Texas Discovery Gardens,  the South Dallas Cultural Center, Music Hall at Fair Park (Dallas Summer Musicals), Gexa Energy Pavilion (concert venue), Magnolia Lounge, and the Fair Park Band Shell.

 

Trinity River Audubon Center

The central structure in the Great Trinity Forest, this large urban open space park is a nature center, and is part of the Trinity River Project.  The National Audubon Society has a natural history museum and nature center in the building and its surroundings, and is home to over 200 species of birds.  Recreational amenities include Birding Classes, hands-on exhibits,  five miles of nature viewing trails, and the Children’s Discovery Garden.

 

Dog Parks

A designated park for dogs is located within the collection of historic homes in the Meadow’s Foundation.  This dog park is on a block of lower Swiss Avenue at Liberty Street.   It is surrounded by a white picket fence, befitting the neighborhood.  Multiple other recreational parks are in Peak’s Suburban Historic District and in the surrounding neighborhoods, which allow dogs.  Other off-leash dog parks are Dog Park Central, on the southwestern corner of the intersection of Good-Latimer Expressway and Commerce in Deep Ellum, and White Rock Lake Dog Park on Mockingbird Lane.