Pioneer Plaza

Feel like running with the bulls, but can't get to Spain? Try the truly Texas alternative - Pioneer Plaza. Of course, the "bulls" are bronze longhorns, and you won't be so much running as standing and admiring. But the larger-than-life sculptures by native Texan Robert Summers will make you feel the thundering action of an old-fashioned cattle drive.
The park, near the location of the old Shawnee Trail once used for real cattle drives, is scenic in its own right, with a small waterfall and a creek that winds between and around the longhorns and their bronze cowboy masters. Kids and grownups alike will enjoy clambering over the large rocks in the creek, exploring the gravel path that follows the trail of the longhorns and taking in the landscaped native bushes and trees.
But it's the sculptures themselves that steal the show. Tails flying, hooves in mid-trot, the huge beasts seem liable to move at any minute, and it's a little daunting to stand directly in their path. The park is also the ideal place for a Texas-style photo op - visitors will definitely be able to prove they've been to the Lone Star State. One warning - with little shade and lots of sun-warmed bronze, the place is likely to be blazingly hot in high summer. So if you plan to climb aboard a cow (despite signs that ask you not to), make sure to take a cue from the cowboys and wear long pants.
– ELLEN HENDERSON / Staff Writer

ALSO ...
- The park is next to a cemetery, with interment dates of mayors, Texas Revolution leaders and other citizens ranging from the 1850s to the 1920s.
- The 60-foot marble and granite Confederate Memorial in the Pioneer Plaza cemetery is thought to be the city's oldest sculpture, created in 1896.
- The park is short walking distance to the Dallas Convention Center, Reunion Tower, Dallas City Hall, Reunion Arena, the Old Red Courthouse and Union Station.
- Copyright restrictions apply for professional photography.