Although more than sixty years have passed since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in downtown Dallas, visitors still come daily to Dealey Plaza to pay their respects (or discuss conspiracy theories). They take tours—on foot, on Segways, by trolley, in electric cruisers, and even in a restored 1963 midnight-blue Lincoln Continental convertible. And each year, about 350,000 pay a fee ($25 for adults) to enter the Sixth Floor Museum, located in the former Texas School Book Depository, to see the “sniper’s perch” from which Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shots. Other must-sees include the FBI’s 3-D model of Dealey used during the Warren Commission investigation, the Jack Ruby trial transcripts, and Lee Harvey Oswald’s wedding ring.
“That year, 1963, unites generations of Dallasites,” says Kim Bryan, the museum’s chief philanthropy officer. “Even though I was born long after 1963, I grew up hearing stories from my parents about that day. Now my twelve-year-old son asks me about November twenty-second.”
Dallas was just beginning to assert its identity in those days. Although the city has changed dramatically in the ensuing years, it’s relatively easy for visitors to go back in time and get a feel for the Big D of the early sixties.
Dine + Drink
On the sixth floor of Neiman Marcus’s flagship location, downtown, the Zodiac has been the go-to spot for chic Dallasites to fuel up for a day of exercising their credit cards since 1953. It’s open only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday, so you can indulge in a Mad Men–inspired liquid lunch with a blood orange Manhattan—Brother’s Bond Bourbon stirred with blood orange juice and a hint of spiced-clove syrup. Admire the mannequins draped in Dior and Chanel as you sip the chicken-broth consommé, accompanied by the restaurant’s famous puffed popovers and strawberry butter. For your main course, dig into the NM Waldorf, a classic chicken salad with crisp grapes and walnuts.
Treat yourself to a timeless afternoon tea in the French Room at the grande dame Adolphus Hotel, which opened in 1912 and completed a major renovation in 2018. Delicate nibbles arrive on a three-tiered platter, including scones, canapés, cucumber sandwiches with mint cream cheese on sourdough (crusts cut off, of course), and a mango-coconut cake.
For dinner, history buffs will be drawn to Campisi’s Egyptian Restaurant, on Mockingbird Lane. Despite its name, Campisi’s serves classic Italian fare—when he bought the place in 1950, owner Carlos Campisi left up the sign from the previous tenant, a bar called the Egyptian Lounge. Inside, the lights are dim, jukeboxes sit atop every booth table, and the red booths show their age, worn smooth by countless diners over the years. Campisi’s is famed for its thin-crust oval-shaped pizzas, its rumored connections to the mob, and its status as a favorite of nightclub owner Jack Ruby, who dined on a steak the night before the JFK assassination.
Shop
The city’s wealth of well-stocked vintage stores includes Dolly Python, on North Haskell Avenue, a sea of retro cowboy boots, Tiffany-style lamps, and taxidermy. We found a blindingly bright pair of orange go-go boots and a satin robe by Mary McFadden, who died last month at 85 and designed for the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Bella & Brawn is a hidden Bishop Arts District gem for both women’s and men’s clothing, as well as accessories and home decor. It’s best known for hand-poured candles in vintage vessels such as glass candy dishes and milk containers. Owner Aimee Hughes, a nurse practitioner by day, curates a collection of vintage glassware and sixties Carhartt jackets. “My favorite thing to overhear is customers saying, ‘My grandmother had this,’ or ‘I remember this from my childhood,’ ” Hughes says. The store is filled with showstopping pieces, both new and retro, including an Italian leather purse from the late fifties that Hughes tells me looks just like one that graced the cover of Vogue in 1960.
Stop by Oak Cliff’s Top Ten Records, Dallas’s longest-running record store. It opened at its current location, on Jefferson Boulevard, in 1956 and now operates as a nonprofit music and film shop, media archiving center, and membership library. Dallas patrolman J. D. Tippit stopped in to make a call here shortly before he was shot and killed by Oswald not long after JFK’s assassination. The black rotary phone he used still hangs from the counter—no one knows who he called that day. Flip through albums by the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, the Cascades, and Bobby Vinton. Rosi Linda Sanchez, a Top Ten board member, recalls how a customer from the suburb of Euless came in to buy a Father’s Day gift this year. “Her dad grew up in Oak Cliff in the sixties and used to come to Top Ten after school,” she says. “I love moments like this that highlight our deep connections to this community.”
Stay
After exploring Dallas’s rich history, unwind in the rooftop infinity pool of the five-star Hôtel Swexan, which opened last year, about a mile from Dealey Plaza. Later, slip down to Babou’s, a speakeasy named after Salvador Dalí’s pet ocelot, where you can sip a refreshing Melting Clock Elixir (Casamigos blanco, watermelon, and fresh lime) while dancing the night away on the leopard-print carpet. For a more relaxed evening, venture through the secret bookcase to a dimly lit nook called the Library. Cozy up with a plate of crispy Wagyu corn dogs and a good book while surrounded by ancient samurai armor and vintage manuscripts.
For a totally mod experience, check out the Joule, near the Arts District. Although it opened in 2008, this hotel is housed in a stunning, 1920s neo-Gothic high-rise, originally the Dallas National Bank. Inside, the Joule boasts an impressive collection of mid-century modern art, including an original Warhol. You can enjoy quirky experiences such as a subterranean spa, a hidden bar that serves caviar with a bag of Lay’s potato chips, and Tony Tasset’s iconic thirty-foot Eye sculpture watching over guests on Main Street.
You’ll want to kick up your go-go boots at the Statler Dallas, which opened its doors in 1956 and quickly became the go-to spot for celebrities and business moguls visiting Dallas. The Statler was the pinnacle of midcentury glamour—with a rooftop pool and the distinction of being the first hotel with elevator music (invented to calm fearful first-time passengers). Elvis performed here, Audrey Hepburn graced the lobby, and even Llinda Llee the llama was flown in via private jet by Neiman Marcus CEO Stanley Marcus. The hotel underwent a $255 million renovation, completed in 2017, that preserved its vintage charm. A light yellow Chevy convertible is parked out front, transporting you to the era of pillbox hats and madras sport coats. Grab a pint and hit the bowling alley at Scout, an outdoors-themed sports bar, or enjoy a classic cocktail at the downstairs speakeasy, Bourbon & Banter.
