5 parks that make life in Dallas better

Almost every park in Dallas makes life better, and any plan for a new park is an enjoyable thing. But there are some parks that are special because they are unusual or well designed, because they immerse us in nature, or because they are beloved old parks that have adapted to our needs over the decades. Below are five such gems.

The Trinity River Audubon Center is a 120-acre park built on a former illegal dump in south Dallas. Today the center is a gateway to the Great Trinity Forest, the largest urban hardwood forest in the country, with hiking trails and an educational building. Visitors can take guided tours and learn about native plants, birds, and river animals such as alligatorgar and conservation efforts. It’s a hot destination for school classes, but also great for civilians.

A great egret can be seen in the Great Blue Heron Pond at the Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas on October 7, 2020. (Smiley N. Pool / Dallas Morning News)(Smiley N. Pool / Employee Photographer)

Joppa Preserve is a 318-acre park near the historically black Joppa district, an area that Dallas often neglects. The reserve is a gem of an urban park frequented by bird watchers and maintained by volunteers from the Texas Master Naturalist. The Trinity Forest Trail runs through the park and leads to the Great Trinity Forest. Inside the park, the first June 10th celebration took place in Dallas, 1866.

The Trinity Forest Trail meanders through the Joppa Preserve pictured in Dallas on September 28, 2021. (Elias Valverde II / The Dallas Morning News)(Elias Valverde II / employee photographer)

Native Texas Park is a 15-acre park outside the George W. Bush Presidential Center that has been curated to showcase various landscapes of Native Texas. A self-guided tour takes visitors through native grasses and prairies, Texan wildflowers, and native trees in Post Oak Savannah. Visit different species of plants in full bloom in spring and autumn. The park shows how wonderful nature can be, even on a strip of land in the middle of the city, next to a motorway.

A woman walks her dog in 15 acres of Native Texas Park. Blackland Prairie, Post Oak Savannah, and Cross Timbers Forest line the one mile network of trails on the south side of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in University Park.(Tom Fox / employee photographer)

The Lawn at Redbird is a sprawling green space in the middle of the newly developed Southwest Center Mall bordered by a Foot Locker, the old Sanger Harris (some might say Macy’s) building with its mosaics and arches, and other shops. The developers are bringing a successful feature of other malls to this south Dallas mall. Hillcrest Village Green in Far North Dallas is a similar concept, offering a large lawn surrounded by shops and restaurants, a spot for picnics and sunshine. The lawn in the middle of the NorthPark Center has been an oasis from the hustle and bustle of shopping for many decades. We hope that Redbird’s green space will become a popular place to refresh yourself in a big city.

Parts of the old Red Bird Mall have been demolished while other areas have been repurposed for new retail and office space.(Red bird)

Flag Pole Hill is a 107 acre park that is hugely popular and widespread, but apparently designed specifically for children. It has a fun playground with lots of interesting equipment for climbing. It has small hills that are perfect for rolling down and old trees that are perfect for climbing. There are paved paths that are suitable for cycling. And the pavilion, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is a lovely spot for a birthday party. A birthday party in a city park might sound old-fashioned these days of laser tag bowling arcade rock and roll party camps, but it can be a nice getaway into nature for guests and their adults alike.

Children and adults toboggan along Flag Pole Hill on Friday.(GJ McCarthy – The Dallas Morning News)

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