Houston may be Texas’s biggest city, but it doesn’t quite pack the powerful punch of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. These two North Texas cities encompass much of what Texas represents—the Wild West cattle-driving culture, and the Southern-fried glitzy lifestyle, respectively. This perfect combination of uniquely Texas elements makes the Metroplex an ideal place to kick off a journey to the Lone Star State.

Visitors can immerse themselves in all things Texas and have themselves a good ol’ time in the process. Stop by the stockyards. Do the Dallas TV show museum. Buy those boots, hats, and belt buckles. And be sure to load up on the trinity of Texas cuisine—barbecue, Tex-Mex, and down-home Southern cookin’—at any of the dozens of top-notch restaurants throughout Dallas and Fort Worth.

After soaking up the Metroplex, discover the genuine charm of the area’s outlying communities. Magnificent courthouses anchor downtown squares, which offer distinct Texas antiques, refurbished historic theaters, and perfect pecan pies.

Daily weather reports remind North Texans they’re still firmly planted on the southern edge of the Great Plains. Summertime highs regularly reach triple digits, and winters often bring subfreezing temperatures and snowstorms.

Fortunately, Texas’s version of the Twin Cities offers plenty of diversions from the weather. World-class art museums, professional sports teams, rodeos, and shopping are first-class attractions in the Metroplex, and side trips to charming nearby towns such as Waxahachie and Denton reveal the community spirit that migrated to the area with its proud pioneers. The region’s 30-plus lakes offer additional sources of entertainment and respite, an inviting option on a hot summer day.

The towering twin metro cities have cemented their reputations—Dallas as a financial hub of the South, and Fort Worth as an agricultural center of the West. Though the two are only separated by about 35 miles, their cultural differences are extensive, offering travelers to this region the best of both worlds: glitz and grit, The Big D and Cowtown, the Old South and the Wild West.

The Best of Dallas/Fort Worth

• Sixth Floor Museum
• Fair Park
• Dallas Museum of Art
• Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District
• Kimbell Art Museum
• Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth