Things to Do in Balch Springs

Located in the vibrant Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) ranks among the leading art institutions in the country and is distinguished by its innovative exhibitions and groundbreaking educational programs.

A fleet of nine carriages bearing the NorthStar insignia clips and clops through the city streets of Dallas and Fort Worth, ferrying riders through historical tours and evenings filled with romance. Passengers watch the city skyline pan past their open-top carriage or opt for shelter beneath a cloth canopy as they visit historic locales. Ahead of them, a professional driver sports a white tuxedo shirt, boots, and Western hat, and his noble steed, trained at the company farm to be gentle and politely decline drag-race challenges, maintains a natural grace. Since its establishment in 1990, the company has had the honor of participating in a number of special local events, including football-victory parades and the Adolphus Children’s Christmas Parade.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra speeds up audiences’ heartbeats from adagio to allegro with a thrilling lineup of classical and contemporary performances. Radiating the enthusiasm and boasting the musical chops of the Fab Four themselves, Twist and Shout will give the symphony a night off on May 11, taking the stage for a night of Beatles classics sure to delight hair-shaking moptops and headbanging whiskbrooms. The Meyerson's world-class acoustics and magnificent, shoebox-style chamber will imbue hits including "Hey Jude," "Yesterday," and "A Hard Day's Night" with a epic quality—not unlike having Charlton Heston read a grocery list aloud.

The aquatic playland at Surf and Swim aims to bring the quintessential beach experience to a controlled water park. Inner tubes and their passengers float atop a wave pool's sprawling waters, splashing as the sun lovingly stares deep into their eyes. Pipes, plastic animals, and fountains pepper the kids area, and the aptly named Chill and Grill Cafe serves up burgers and fries. On select nights, the park transforms into an outdoor movie theater, where groups can swim and bob for their ticket stubs while watching a full-size screen.

In 1979, millionaire Donald J. Carter and Mavericks' founding president, Norm Sonju, began making efforts to secure an NBA team in Dallas. His dream became a reality at the 1980 All-Star game, when league owners voted to admit the new franchise for an entry fee of $12 million and Mr. Carter's entire baseball-card collection. The newly formed Mavs experienced quick success, making the postseason six times during their first decade. The 1990s proved not so kind, however; the team failed to make the playoffs even once. That ineptitude came to a prompt halt with the start of the new millennium, when, under a fresh and outspoken ownership regime, the team set off a string of 12 straight playoff appearances, highlighted by its first NBA title in 2011.

On a single day in the middle of World War II, actions in three isolated incidents represent an ethical lesson taught to this day at the Dallas Holocaust Museum. On that day – April 19, 1943 – three Belgian men attacked a train destined for Auschwitz, freeing its passengers; the occupants of the Warsaw Ghetto united in revolt; and at the Bermuda Conference, officials from the British and American governments declined to take action against ongoing atrocities in Europe. The Dallas Holocaust Museum’s main exhibit locates a crucial distinction in presenting these three events: the difference between "bystanders" and what the museum calls "upstanders." The exhibit was created in the hopes that every visitor would become an "upstander," moved not only to remember a horrific past but also to take action when faced with modern threats to human rights.

A self-guided audio tour relates the heroism of those who stood up on that date in 1943 as museum guests explore artifacts, photographs, and a full-size boxcar. Special exhibits that often focus on photography supplement the permanent installation, and testimonies from volunteer survivors and liberators provide a firsthand perspective on the historical tragedy and its lessons. Along with exposing more than 30,000 students and 22,000 walk-in visitors to its messages annually, the museum advocates engagement with the world through educational programs designed for everyone from educators to law-enforcement officials.