Cotton Bowl Stadium and Fair Park Dallas: What to Know Before You Go

Fair Park includes historic exposition buildings, museums, an esplanade and Cotton Bowl Stadium. The buildings and esplanade were built for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, and the grounds sit just east of downtown Dallas.

Cotton Bowl Stadium is within Fair Park and hosts State Fair events including the State Fair Classic, Red River Rivalry and State Fair Clasico.

If a game or stadium event is the main reason for your visit, plan your approach around the stadium as well as the wider fairgrounds. The Cotton Bowl Stadium guide to tickets, entry and getting there focuses on stadium logistics.

Museums are spread across the park, and their hours, admission and exhibits vary by organization. Check the museum you plan to visit before setting out rather than assuming every location follows the same schedule.

The State Fair of Texas is an annual fall event held at Fair Park. The fair uses the grounds and Cotton Bowl Stadium for its events, while its attractions and activities operate on their own schedules.

During the Fair, attractions listed as open include the Children’s Aquarium Dallas, Texas Discovery Gardens, African American Museum and Hall of State. The African American Museum and Hall of State are free with Fair admission. For a museum visit outside the Fair, check that organization’s own website for current hours and admission.

Admission tickets are available online and at the entrance-gate ticket booths, and you can scan a mobile ticket from your phone. Prices and ticket offers vary by day and discounts, so check the official site before you go.

Choose your destination before entering Fair Park: the stadium, a museum and a State Fair attraction may call for different routes across the grounds. Fair Park’s buildings and esplanade form a large historic setting, so allow time to move between the place you enter and the attraction you’re visiting.

For museum visits, check the individual institution’s hours, admission and exhibits in advance. If you’re going for a stadium event, use the event’s entry information to identify the right gate and approach. The State Fair also operates attractions around the grounds, so consult its current visitor information for the day’s details.

Fair Park Station on DART’s Green Line serves the fairgrounds; it sits at Parry Avenue and Exposition Avenue and is accessible. From a Dallas motel, Fair Park Station is about a 38-minute walk or a 6-minute drive. The station also connects with bus routes 23 and 214 and DART GoLink, an on-demand service.

MLK, Jr. Station also serves the Fair on the Green Line. It is south of R.B. Cullum Boulevard, near Gate 6, which can be a useful arrival point for the Cotton Bowl.

For more on local rail and bus options, see how to get around Dallas by DART and bus.

If you’re driving, plan your parking around the event and follow current Fair Park or event guidance for the appropriate lot and entrance. Rideshare and shuttle arrangements can change for major events, so confirm the current instructions before you travel. Taxi service at the Fair uses a stand at Pacific and Gurley, just outside Gate 1.

For the State Fair, use its current visitor information for admission, hours, transport and event access. Museum schedules are set by each organization, so check the relevant museum’s site as well.