By Elizabeth Sims
Staff Writer
Kids sprinted back and forth on a large, open stretch of grass with footballs and Frisbees. Joggers zipped by on a gravel track that surrounded the grassy field.
Families lounged around bright green tables and chairs, sampling the delicacies from the five food trucks parked on the left side of the park, completely unaware of the never-ending line of cars roaring just under their feet.
During spring break, I took a day trip to a bridge over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway. This was not just an ordinary bridge, however; this was the Klyde Warren Park.
Officially open last October, Klyde Warren Park was the city of Dallas’ way of connecting the neighborhoods in Uptown with unique culture of the Dallas Arts Districts and downtown.
Though the space is only five acres, it holds a wide variety of attractions. With anything from food trucks, an area for young children and pets to museums and concerts halls just across the street, there are boundless opportunities to make a day in this area.
On my visit, I took the DART to the Pearl Street-Art District station and made the short walk to the park. As soon as I stepped onto the fresh-cut grass, I knew that I was going to have a good day.
I, along with my mother and younger brother, decided to walk around the park and take it all in. Despite a larger crowd of people, the walk was pleasant and the park did not seem crowded.
When we reached the far end of the park, we stopped to check out the geometric and very modern children’s playground that looked more like a piece of public art than a jungle gym.
Just beyond the playground was a shaded area dedicated to reading and board games. Local magazines and newspapers were stocked in multi-colored metal racks with board games and chess sets stacked below. Though we did not stop to play any of these games or flip through the papers, several people had gathered around to partake in these relaxing activities.
After venturing around the perimeter of the park, we decided to get a snack from the food trucks. With anything from New York style subs to Vietnamese fusion, we certainly had a variety of options. Since we were only purchasing a
snack, we decided upon the New York style sub truck called Gandolfo’s. There we purchased Black-and-White Cookies, which are soft shortbread cookies with half-chocolate, half-vanilla frosting, and settled onto a stone bench to enjoy our treats.
The soft, sugary cookies were gone in a matter of seconds, leaving our sweet tooth satisfied. Soon after, the melodious sounds of a quartet, made up of three cellos and a drum, warming up echoed across the park. This was one of the many local music groups that come to the park daily to showcase their craft and entertain visitors. We listened to them play before we saw a group of people with their dogs in tow heading for a fenced in area near the end of the park.
Curious, we followed them and discovered that the park had an area for dogs to playas well. With rolling hills made out of turf and an in-ground fountain that streamed water every 15 seconds, the dogs were able to enjoy themselves while their tired owners relaxed on concrete benches.
After watching the dogs play for a solid 15 minutes, we ventured over to the Dallas Museum of Art, just across the street from the park. We toured the museum and decided that this was where we would end our day.
The Klyde Warren Park’s proximity to both the Arts District and downtown provides a wide variety of activities
outside the park, with the Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center just a short walk away. With all of these factors considered, this park is the perfect place to spend the day with friends and family.
