Field notes
- The Dallas Museum of Art and the Crow Museum of Asian Art have free general admission.
- The Sixth Floor Museum is three blocks from DART’s West End Station.
- The Farmers Market’s food hall is indoors and open every day.
Dallas storms tend to arrive fast, and summer heat can be just as hard on outdoor plans. The good news is that the city’s best indoor places are close together, and several are free. Here is a rainy-day plan, built from each place’s own visitor information.
Free and indoors
The Dallas Museum of Art has free general admission every day it is open, Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; tickets are required for everyone and can be reserved online. The Crow Museum of Asian Art, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is always free and open six days a week. Both have galleries in the Arts District; see Dallas Arts District Guide: Museums, Concert Halls and How to Plan a Day.
Museums worth a ticket
| Museum | What to expect | Practical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nasher Sculpture Center | Modern and contemporary sculpture in indoor galleries and a garden | Adults $10; children under 12 free; free First Saturdays |
| Perot Museum of Nature and Science | Science and nature exhibits for all ages | Timed entry; 2 to 3 hours; closed Tuesdays through April 7, 2027 |
| The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza | John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation, on the sixth floor | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; last entry 4:15 p.m. |
| Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum | Exhibitions on history and human rights | Docent highlight tours on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month, 1:30 p.m. |
The Sixth Floor Museum
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza tells the story of President John F. Kennedy; its main exhibit, John F. Kennedy and the Memory of a Nation, is on the sixth floor, and special exhibits are on the seventh. The museum says it is three blocks west of DART’s West End Station, which connects to all DART lines, so you can stay dry most of the way by train.
Arrive well before 4:15 p.m. at the Sixth Floor Museum; that is the last entry time.
The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
The museum asks visitors to reserve tickets and offers guided tours for groups. Museum docent educators lead a 90-minute highlight tour of the permanent exhibition on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month and on select Sundays, leaving the lobby at 1:30 p.m. It is part of Dallas CityPASS, which the museum says saves up to 56% on four top attractions.
Eat and shop indoors
The Market at the Dallas Farmers Market is a 26,000-square-foot indoor food hall with restaurants, specialty food vendors and local makers, open every day. It is a dry place to spend an hour and have lunch; see Dallas Farmers Market Guide: The Shed, The Market Food Hall and When to Go and Where to Eat in Dallas: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Way to Find a Good Meal.
Libraries
The Dallas Public Library runs events at its branches through the year, including seasonal family programs, and branches make a calm, free place to wait out a storm.
A rainy-day route
- Morning: the Dallas Museum of Art, then the free Crow Museum of Asian Art, also in the Arts District.
- Lunch: the Nasher’s cafe or the Farmers Market food hall.
- Afternoon: the Perot Museum with children, or the Sixth Floor Museum for history.
- Evening: a concert in the Arts District’s halls.
When storms are severe
Storms can be severe. Follow official warnings, stay off flooded roads and wait indoors until a storm has passed. Most of the places above are good shelters while you wait.
More about the free museums
The Crow Museum of Asian Art, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, has two locations, one in the Arts District and one on the UT Dallas campus, and presents a rotating calendar of exhibitions, programs and events. It closes on Mondays, major holidays and occasional extra days for special events or bad weather, so check before you set out. At the Dallas Museum of Art, the free coat check at the main entrance takes backpacks and bags, which helps on a wet day, and the building is fully wheelchair accessible.
Getting around without getting soaked
DART trains are the easiest way to move between downtown stops on a rainy day. The Sixth Floor Museum points out that it is five blocks north of Union Station, where the Trinity Railway Express to Fort Worth stops, and paid parking is next to the museum if you drive. The Perot Museum’s main parking lot is under the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, which keeps the car dry while you are inside. Perot members also get a quieter hour on Sundays, from 10 to 11 a.m.
If you expect several museum days during a stay, compare single tickets with Dallas CityPASS, which the Holocaust and Human Rights Museum says covers four top attractions.
For free options in any weather, see Free Things to Do in Dallas: Museums, Parks, Trails and Markets That Cost Nothing, and for the kids’ version of this list, Dallas with Kids: Museums, the Zoo, Gardens and Parks Families Love.