The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex is a sprawling, diverse area with lots of tourist destinations and Texas black history.

The Big D, fueled by the oil economy has an impressive skyline and every comfort you could want. One of the most beautiful section of Dallas is Fair Park, leisure and cultural hub that houses the Cotton Bowl, where an annual bowl game is played, an Imax Theater is located, an amusement park with a massive ferris wheel, a small lake, and the African-American Museum Dallas (3536 Grand Avenue, 214-5659026). Housed in an architecturally impressive domed structure, well integrated into Fair Park and very accessible to families.

Deep Ellum is a neighborhood of nightclubs and restaurants that became popular in the 1920s because of all the blues musicians who performed there, including Bessie Smith and Leadbelly. Over the decades Deep Ellum (aka deep on Elm Street) evolved from a black enclave into a white hipster haunt. The area is a little past its peak of popularity as a destination but still has a plenty of clubs, bars, and tattoo shops. I enjoyed a meal at the Angry Dog (2726 Commerce Street, 214-7414406), a long, high ceiling bar/restaurant that …

Even though I have taken many business trips to the Big D, I haven’t had the chance to put my Mizunos to work. On this trip I finally got the chance.

As I stepped from the coziness of the downtown Fairmount into the chilled November air, I was reminded of something: over 4 decades ago, when I was a mere 3rd grader in Macon, Georgia, we lost a great advocate for civil rights and black people in JFK. And it happened at a location not far from where I stood. Suddenly, I flashed back to the plate that hung on my mother’s living room wall. It bore the images of JFK, MLK and RFK. (If you are a boomer from the south you know what I’m referring to).

I decided not to run to The Grassy Knoll and back to the past, I took the concierge’s suggestion to hit the Katy Trail, which was only about 3 quarters of a mile from the hotel.

I hit it at the beginning, which is right by the American Airlines Arena (where the Mavericks play). if you are looking for a landmark. About a mile …

Most people only think of professional sports teams when they think of Dallas, but the city is much more than just the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers and Stars. Dallas is a growing, thriving city full of exciting new entertainment districts, dining, shopping, hotels, arts and cultural institutions—with more on the way. There is something for everyone here in the “Big D”!

Named as one of the best places for African-Americans to do business by Black Enterprise Magazine, Dallas has a thriving African-American community that is making moves to ensure that our city is an amazing place for Black professionals to visit. There are festivals, annual events and permanent venues and institutions that cater to the soulfully sophisticated tastes of today’s urban traveler. Illustrations of African-American contributions can be found throughout the city in everything from the architectural style of the Tenth Street Historic District to the artistry and soul that pulses through the South Dallas Cultural Center.

Whether you’re in search of a good plate of food, amazing live music or an experience that’s a little more off the beaten path, you are in for a treat! With more restaurants per-capita than New …