Best Indoor Activities in Dallas: 10+ Ways to Beat Bad Weather
Mud. Wet. Cold. AKA, a weather nightmare. Everybody hates the drizzly blues (or, since it’s Texas, the scorching heat and icky sweat)! Fortunately, there are plenty of indoor activities around Dallas where you can stay comfortable, dry, and entertained.
A rainy day in Dallas (or an unbearably hot one) doesn’t have to ruin your day!
Whether it’s raining, freezing, or 105 degrees outside, here are our top 10 climate-controlled, indoor activities in Dallas.
Top 10 Best Indoor Activities in Dallas
There are hundreds (literally, hundreds) of indoor activities in Dallas, and we’ve culled the best of them. Cozy, free, immersive, active, cultural, group-friendly, etc. We have categorized this list for every kind of day.
We’ve spent years trying these activities, writing about them, loving them, and often dragging our friends and family along for them. We have museum memberships, Broadway season passes, and we’ve taken enough dance classes to make us consider putting a pole in our garage.
We’ve been humbled by K-pop choreography, gotten lost inside Meow Wolf, hunted down $5 arcades, and conducted what can only be described as “very serious high tea research.”
And because we’ve been out there exploring, we can recommend the coolest, most unique, and most worthwhile indoor attractions across DFW.
Here’s What’s Up Dallas!
Best Cozy Hangout: The Wild Detectives
The Wild Detectives is part bookstore, part coffee shop, part bar, part performance venue and, increasingly, one of Dallas’s best “third places.”
This artsy spot is warm, woody and wonderfully bookish. Best of all, there is almost always something happening. Come for a drink and stumble into an author reading, book club, or live performance.
Want Romance?
Across the street, only a three minute walk away, is Blush Bookstore. Alongside BookTok’s bestsellers, it stocks only romance books. Dark, contemporary, fantasy, young adult, you name it.
It’s all there and waiting for you (along with a cute patio).
Best Food Outing: High Tea at Lavendou Bistro
We once hosted a tea party featuring a 32-question trivia competition and a blind taste test, where ten people pitted their tea knowledge against our resident amateur tea master. So, when we tell you the tea at Lavendou Bistro passed inspection, take our word for it.
We walked in dressed to a “T” (get it?) and proceeded to have a great afternoon. The desserts had us happy as Bugs Bunny, and the entire tea service was only $28 per person when we visited. There are other high teas in DFW, but this one is by far the best deal— and a delicious option for indoor activities in Dallas! !
Need an Upgrade?
Try the Grapevine Urban Wine Trail, a walkable collection of wine tasting rooms in historic downtown Grapevine, where you can sample award-winning Texas wines. There are also paid crawls, but take it from a family who has done the Urban Wine Trail multiple times: you can absolutely enjoy this activity without signing up for a thing!
Best Free Activity: Crow Museum of Asian Art
If you want one beautiful, completely free place to disappear for a while, make it the Crow Museum of Asian Art. We recommend the newer, larger, less crowded Richardson location over the Dallas one. It is currently our favorite free museum.
It’s peaceful, intimate and filled with centuries of art from China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia. We loved it from our very first visit, which makes the Crow an easy recommendation.
Swordfights!
We haven’t visited the Samurai Collection in Harwood District yet (a shame, we know), but there’s a very real chance it could unseat Crow. We’ve heard such great things, so if you’re looking for another option, look no further.
Oh — and it’s free too!
Best Group Activity: Round Two Arcade
We found Round Two by pure coincidence. We’d gone to Cidercade (a popular arcade with a cider taproom), walked in, saw a wall of people and said, “Absolutely not.” Once we left, we ended up finding our now favorite Dallas arcade instead! Sometimes the best indoor activities in Dallas are the ones you stumble upon by accident.
Round Two in Bishop Arts has 40+ retro games, excellent vibes and, somehow, $7 all-you-can-play admission for adults. Frogger. Pac-Man. Donkey Kong. Mario. Asteroids. It’s a glorious little blast to the past.
Take a Swing!
Round Two’s sister spot, Another Round, is only 4 minutes away and trades the arcade games for a funky indoor mini-golf course. Put them together and you have two of our favorite group outings in Dallas, and in the best areas of Dallas too!
Best Immersive Experience: Meow Wolf Grapevine
You’ll have to venture outside Dallas proper for this attraction. However, it’s 100% worth it! Meow Wolf’s The Real Unreal is a mystery-themed art installation (we shan’t say more).
Amusingly, our group of six all wanted completely different things. Two people wanted to unravel the mystery. One wanted incredible photos. Three were there strictly for good art and vibes. Somehow, The Real Unreal delivered for everyone, making it one of the most engaging indoor activities in Dallas.
Everybody left happy.
Call it Meow Wolf magic. We went in two hours before closing and soon found ourselves wishing we had given ourselves three hours — or more.
Pro-tip: It’s best to go in blind!
Step Into the Story!
Have you heard of Netflix House?
You must go! Located inside Galleria Dallas, this permanent (and very immersive) entertainment destination invites fans to step into interactive experiences based on popular Netflix shows like Squid Games or Stranger Things. It’s expensive but fun, fun, fun!
Best Live Entertainment: Broadway Show at Music Hall
We love theatre! We’ve seen The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Wicked, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Color Purple, and more, and all of them at Music Hall in Fair Park.
If you love theater, like us — or suspect you might — this is your chance to watch a Broadway production come alive without ever leaving Dallas. And theater isn’t the only attraction at Fair Park. Our guide to Fair Park covers the surrounding museums and attractions too, so you can easily turn the excursion into a full day of fun and indoor activities in Dallas.
Hungry? Even Better!
We have a brand new recommendation: Texas Star Dinner Theater!
Why merely eat dinner when someone can be dramatically murdered while you do it? Texas Star combines your meal with a Wild West murder mystery! 10/10 recommend. You’re inner-theatre-kid will love it. Ours did!
Medieval Times is another dinner theater option. If you’ve never been, it’s worth the trip. Expect knights, jousting, and sword fighting.
Best Overall: Museum-Hop the Dallas Arts District
This is probably our best recommendation from this entire post. The Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Museum of Asian Art, and Nasher Sculpture Center are practically neighbors (I’m talking walking distance). We prefer visiting them one at a time, but you can 100% spend hours wandering between the three. Better yet, the D.M.A. and Crow offer free general admission, and Nasher has free-admission days. Exploring museums is truly one of our favorite indoor activities in Dallas.
We’ve visited almost all of Dallas’s free museums, and a museum crawl is one of the easiest ways to build an absolutely fantastic day indoors.
Museums Galore…
If museums are really your thing, try the Perot Science Museum too. We have a membership, and for good reason. With five floors of interactive science exhibits, it’s captivating enough to easily fill an entire afternoon. There’s plenty to explore, making it another great indoor activity when you have several hours to spare.
Best Quiet Option: Half Price Books Flagship
Sometimes you don’t want a “to-do”; you just want a quiet, low-pressure venue where you can browse, sit, read, and spend time. We have just the place!
Dallas is home to the largest Half Price Books store in the world, a 50,000-square-foot flagship location where you can wander through endless books, records, games and whatever else catches your eye. And tucked inside is La Casita Coffee, a cafe with cozy tables where you can grab a bite to eat. It’s a great option for indoor activities in Dallas. We love this place. It is a sleeper hit, and if you need somewhere chill, go here.
One Step Further!
Okay, this might sound left-field, but if books aren’t your thing, try a cat cafe. Same vibe, different experience. It can get crowded, but Whiskers & Soda in Lake Highlands lets you grab a drink and hang out with a room full of adorable cats and kittens—many of whom are looking for homes.
Located in a mall, there’s also The Charming Cat Corner in Lewisville which isn’t crowded at all!
Best Unusual Activity: Pole, Aerial or K-Pop Dance Class
Please, for the love of fun, occasionally do something that makes you say, “Wait…we can do that?” We’ve taken more pole-dancing and aerial classes than we can count. It’s so fun, and we have zero regrets.
We’ve also tried K-pop dance classes (multiple times) and have been routinely humbled by people much younger and substantially more coordinated than us. But everyone has been ridiculously encouraging, which makes it a lot easier to laugh at ourselves; laughter is very good medicine!
Heck, you don’t have to take our recommendations! Woodworking, blacksmithing, sewing— it doesn’t matter what you choose to pursue. The point is, you do not have to already be good at something to have a great time learning it.
Get Artsy!
If you want something easy, how about an art class? We’re big fans of Art House. One of us went in with essentially zero drawing skills and came out with a brand-new hobby: digital art.
There’s also painting, drawing, glass fusing and more — pick your poison.
Best Year-Round Cultural Experience: The African American Museum of Dallas
The African American Museum of Dallas surprised us. We expected an emotionally heavy afternoon centered largely on Black suffering. Instead, we walked into a museum that acknowledges that history of pain without allowing it to become the entire story.
The AAM focuses on celebration, emphasizing Black art, culture, creativity, resilience, and triumph. This deeply worthwhile museum is also completely free, making it an easy addition to your list of indoor activities in Dallas. Five stars from us. Go.
Bonus Option!
We cheated a bit by deluging you with museum recommendations, so here’s something completely different that you probably haven’t heard of before:
DFW Young & Social.
With a mix of free and affordable events, DFW YAS is a social club built specifically around making friends. They host everything from board-game nights and craft socials, to book clubs, mixers and dance classes (all indoors). If you’re new to Dallas or simply trying to expand your circle, this is the group.
Final Thoughts
Indoor activities in Dallas do not have to feel like Plan B. Some of our favorite experiences in the entire city happen indoors, and we would choose them whether it was raining sideways, 109 degrees outside (gotta keep up with these new temps), freezing, or a perfectly gorgeous day.
So pick something memorable. Learn something. Play something. See a show. Wander through a museum. Get dressed up for tea. Whatever you do, don’t let the weather send you home.
Side note: We post whether it rains, snows, or otherwise blows! We’re committed – so stay tuned in and check out our other posts. Can we get an amen?!
FAQ: Indoor Activities in Dallas
Our favorite rainy-day activities in Dallas include museum hopping through the Arts District, playing games at Round Two, visiting the Dallas World Aquarium (another bonus activity), browsing Half Price Books, or making an afternoon out of high tea.
For adults, we especially recommend Meow Wolf or taking a class that’s outside your usual wheelhouse!
Start with the Perot Museum, Dallas World Aquarium or PINSTACK (boom, two more bonuses! This FAQ is working for you, right?). Families can also try ice skating, the National Videogame Museum (We are just giving these away), or one of Dallas’s many arcades, depending on the age and interests of your kids.
