Fancy seeing you here! Speaking of fancy, I hope you aren’t insecure about your bank account! This park I am about to share with y’all is situated in an area of Dallas that had me feeling like a literal peasant. I have never seen so many sports cars in my life and not to mention the 15 million dollar mansions surrounding the park! Have I built up enough anticipation? Ok, Good. Let me introduce you to the Great Gatsby of Parks in Dallas, Turtle Creek Park!
History
Turtle Creek Park has a very rich (pun not intended but very clever nonetheless) history. It is the second oldest park in Dallas. Now, while turtle creek has been in use since 1837 by the Texas Rangers, the City of Dallas didn’t purchase the parkland until 1909. Prior to the purchase, developers founded Oak Lawn Park. This was one of the first suburbs in northern Dallas which gave the park its first name “Oak Lawn Park”. Since the purchase, the park has been slowly developed, with the New Deal’s WPA installing bridges, park benches, & trails that are still in use today. In 1936, the park’s name was changed to Robert E. Lee Park but was officially changed to Turtle Creek Park in 2019. The park is maintained by the Turtle Creek Conservatory.
Location
Turtle Creek Park is located in the park cities (highland park & university park) neighborhoods of North Dallas. Technically, this is one park made up of several mini-parks. These parks all run along Turtle Creek and encompass 20 acres of space. There is ample parking available no matter where you stop along the creek. You can park alongside the road, and you won’t have to worry about getting towed! Lakeside Park & Reverchon Park are the book-end parks to Turtle Creek Park. I counted 8 individual parks along Turtle Creek. However, it is hard to pinpoint if this is an accurate count or not. These parks include:
- Lakeside Park
- Davis Park
- Connor Park
- Prather Park
- William B. Dean Park
- Lee Park
- Turtle Creek Parkway Park
- Connection to the Katy Trail
- Reverchon Park
While every section of the park is absolutely out of a storybook, if I had to recommend any parks, in particular, to check out it would be Davis Park and Lakeside! Of course, Connor Park is a close runner-up with the cool circle drain in the middle of the creek! Now, I would choose these parks as the top ones to visit for a few reasons listed below:
Davis Park
- Davis park is very forested.
- It’s located by the Highland Park Fire station & Library which are both gorgeous. (Great Instagram Backdrop!)
- Tennis Courts & Pools
- Oh, and it bears my name!
Lakeside Park
- Cute teddy bear sculptures are located near the bridge
- Ducks & Turtles can be found swimming along the creek
- There is a waterfall & a bridge that overlooks it
- The lush greenery & manicured lawn makes for a tranquil place to stop and rest your feet.
Activities
Well, now that you’re convinced you need to visit Turtle Creek Park, what will you do when you get there? Obviously, my main recommendation is to walk around and explore the parks. However, if you are looking for a more structured event, the Turtle Creek Park conservatory does have events planned from time to time. Be sure to check out their page before visiting!
Well, there you have it! In short, Turtle Creek Park is the central park of Dallas! It is peaceful and makes you feel like you have escaped the city! Of course, if you check out one of the parks let me know! Also, if you do happen to head that way in Dallas, I recommend stopping at Roly Poly by SMU to grab food! Of course, I have to shamelessly plug my favorite restaurant!
