Dallas Scavenger Hunt

48 free finds among bronze longhorns, a spiral chapel, a park over a freeway and Fair Park's Art Deco halls.

Dallas Scavenger Hunt

TeamMeet at (place and time)

  1. Stay with your team on public plazas, parks and sidewalks.
  2. Cross streets only at marked crossings, with the signal.
  3. Buy nothing, take nothing and climb nothing, steers included.
  4. Photograph nobody outside your team without asking.
  1. A tower with a ball on topReunion Tower, finished in 1978 and 561 feet tall, is known locally as the Ball. Tick it from the ground; this list does not go up.
  2. An old train station near the towerUnion Station was renovated in the same 1978 project that built Reunion Tower. Write the color of its stone.
  3. The name of the old cattle trailThe steers remember drives along the Shawnee Trail, which passed through Austin, Waco and Dallas. Find the trail's name on a plaque.
  4. A herd of bronze longhorns crossing a streamPioneer Plaza's 49 bronze steers and 3 trail riders make the largest bronze monument of its kind in the world. Count the riders.
  5. A steer taller than your tallest teammateEach steer stands six feet high. Stand beside one for a size check; no climbing.
  6. Every tower you can count from the top of the plazaWrite the number.
  7. A white arch over the Trinity River, 40 stories tallThe Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge opened in 2012; 58 white cables hang from its arch. Count as many cables as you can from downtown.
  8. The ball on the tower lit up after darkIts lights run animated patterns in every color. Write two colors you saw.
  9. A longhorn standing in the waterCount how many have their hooves wet.
  10. A red sandstone courthouse from 1892Old Red replaced courthouses lost to fire; four of the five before it burned. Count its towers.

Next step Turn it into a photo hunt

How it works

Forty-nine bronze steers, a gold ring you can walk through and a park on top of a freeway: this Dallas scavenger hunt holds 48 finds in four areas, each free to see.

Read the full guide

Start with the longhorns

Pioneer Plaza and Reunion opens first. Thanks-Giving Square and The Arts District, with Klyde Warren Park, are a short walk north and east. Fair Park sits two miles east of downtown. Choose an area in the menu, then press Print this list.

Proof on paper

Most finds ask for a name, a count or a year, so teams prove a find by writing it. The note under each is the judging rule.

Tips
  • Skip Fair Park during the 24-day State Fair of Texas, from late September to mid-October, when the fair fills the grounds.

Questions and answers

Can you do a free scavenger hunt in Dallas?

Yes. Every find is seen from plazas, parks and sidewalks. Reunion Tower is ticked from the ground, museums and halls from outside, and nothing needs a ticket or a purchase.

Does it work for a scavenger hunt in Dallas, TX with kids?

Yes, with an adult in every team. Pioneer Plaza's longhorns and Klyde Warren Park's fountain and reading corner suit children best. No climbing on the steers.

Is there a hunt for the wider DFW area?

This list stays in Dallas proper, where four areas can be walked or reached by a short ride. For Fort Worth or the suburbs, the any-city list works on any downtown.

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All 48 finds

Pioneer Plaza and Reunion 12

  • A herd of bronze longhorns crossing a stream Pioneer Plaza's 49 bronze steers and 3 trail riders make the largest bronze monument of its kind in the world. Count the riders.
  • A longhorn standing in the water Count how many have their hooves wet.
  • A red sandstone courthouse from 1892 Old Red replaced courthouses lost to fire; four of the five before it burned. Count its towers.
  • A rider on horseback turning the herd Write what the rider wears on his head.
  • A steer taller than your tallest teammate Each steer stands six feet high. Stand beside one for a size check; no climbing.
  • A tower with a ball on top Reunion Tower, finished in 1978 and 561 feet tall, is known locally as the Ball. Tick it from the ground; this list does not go up.
  • A white arch over the Trinity River, 40 stories tall The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge opened in 2012; 58 white cables hang from its arch. Count as many cables as you can from downtown.
  • An old train station near the tower Union Station was renovated in the same 1978 project that built Reunion Tower. Write the color of its stone.
  • The ball on the tower lit up after dark Its lights run animated patterns in every color. Write two colors you saw.
  • Every tower you can count from the top of the plaza Write the number.
  • The name of the old cattle trail The steers remember drives along the Shawnee Trail, which passed through Austin, Waco and Dallas. Find the trail's name on a plaque.
  • The tallest skyscraper in Dallas It rises 72 stories and 921 feet. Point to it from the plaza.
Show all 48 finds (36 more)

Thanks-Giving Square 12

  • A bell tower with three bells like the Liberty Bell The tower is 50 feet tall. Count the bells to check.
  • A bridge over a cascading waterfall The 125-foot bridge leads to the chapel door. Count your steps across.
  • A ceiling of stained glass spiraling to the center The chapel's Glory Window has 73 panels, brighter toward the middle. If the chapel is open, look up and write the brightest color.
  • A city hall with an unusual shape Dallas City Hall, finished in 1978, is the city's fifth. Write what is odd about its shape.
  • A fountain loud enough to hide the traffic Stand beside it and write whether you can still hear cars.
  • A garden set 15 feet below the street A four-foot wall hides the cars. Go down and write what you can still hear.
  • A glass skywalk joining two buildings Write how many floors up it is.
  • A gold ring you can walk through The Ring of Thanks is 14 feet across and covered in 23-carat gold leaf. Walk through it.
  • A historical marker downtown Copy its title.
  • A lawn park on Main Street Main Street Garden Park covers 1.75 acres. Count its benches.
  • A spiral chapel 90 feet tall Thanks-Giving Square's chapel takes its spiral from the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq. Walk around it and count its turns.
  • A wall of praise carved with a psalm The Wall of Praise in the Court of All Nations quotes Psalm 100. Copy one line.

The Arts District 12

  • A banner naming the Arts District The district covers 118 acres. Copy its words.
  • A concert hall designed by I. M. Pei The Meyerson Symphony Center opened in 1989. Write one shape you see in its glass.
  • A crosswalk or bench painted as art Sketch its pattern.
  • A dog park on the deck Count the dogs; pet none without asking.
  • A game set out on the lawn Write which game it is.
  • A glass tower with the sky in it Write the color the glass shows today.
  • A park built on top of a freeway Klyde Warren Park covers 5.4 acres over the sunken freeway and opened in 2012. Find a spot where you can see the road below.
  • A reading corner in the park Write what there is to read.
  • A sculpture on an Arts District sidewalk Write what it is made of.
  • A splash fountain for children Count the jets. An adult watches anyone who plays.
  • An art museum with 24,000 objects The Dallas Museum of Art moved here from Fair Park in the 1970s. Tick it from outside.
  • An opera house with 2,200 seats Its seats curve in a horseshoe inside. Tick it from the plaza and write its color.

Fair Park 12

  • A bandshell of arches inside arches Its Art Deco arches face a 5,000-seat amphitheater. Count the arches.
  • A glass conservatory in Fair Park Tick it from outside and write what grows against the glass.
  • A lagoon that works as a sculpture Leonhardt Lagoon was redesigned in the 1980s as an earth sculpture that cleans its own water. Write one plant or animal in it.
  • A long pool with fountain pylons The Esplanade's pylons were restored in 2004. Count them.
  • A stadium that hosted a New Year's college game The bowl game was played here from 1937 to 2009. Tick it from outside.
  • A Texas star on a Fair Park building Count its points to be sure, then count the stars on that wall.
  • Art Deco halls from the 1936 Centennial Fair Park's 277 acres are a National Historic Landmark, built largely for the Texas Centennial Exposition. Count the halls you see from the Esplanade.
  • Four round carved faces on one building The Centennial Building's four cameo reliefs were conserved in 2000. Find all four.
  • The Hall of State It is among the finest Art Deco buildings in Texas. Write what stands over its entrance.
  • Lighting pylons around the amphitheater Count them.
  • The restored Parry Avenue gates They were restored in 2009. Write what stands on top.
  • Six giant figures along the Esplanade The six monumental sculptures were restored in 2004. Pick one and write what it holds.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page in September 2026: 48 finds on foot in Dallas, Texas, at Pioneer Plaza and Reunion, around Thanks-Giving Square and Main Street, in Klyde Warren Park and the Arts District, and in Fair Park, sorted by area, all scored from public plazas, parks and sidewalks with nothing bought, nothing ridden and no ticket. Nothing was copied from another list; no brand, team, bar or brewery is named. Levels are our judgment. Names, dates, sizes and places in the notes were checked on 2026-09-24 against English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by Pioneer_Plaza, Reunion_Tower, Dallas_County_Courthouse_(Texas), Margaret_Hunt_Hill_Bridge, Bank_of_America_Plaza_(Dallas), Thanks-Giving_Square, Main_Street_Garden_Park, Dallas_City_Hall, Klyde_Warren_Park, Arts_District,_Dallas, Morton_H._Meyerson_Symphony_Center, Dallas_Museum_of_Art, Margot_and_Bill_Winspear_Opera_House, Fair_Park and Hall_of_State. Licence: own work