A Mecca for Giving Thanks

DOWNTOWN DALLAS — Amid the tall high rises of Dallas' CBD, the wandering pedestrian will often find him or herself stumbling upon some great sites completely by accident. Thanksgiving Park just such a place — one of the city's best kept secrets and a personal favorite.

This quiet parks sits in the center of several busy downtown streets: Akard, Pacific, Bryan, Ervay, tucked beneath several towering office buildings. Constructed in the mid-1970s, this three-and-a-half acre sanctuary came at a time when social thinkers were attempting to make sense of the social upheaval of a decade earlier. The park stands as an emblem to multi-cultural acceptance, ecumenism and social responsiblity.

The information center staff are eager to explain the history of the park and show off the cutesy scribblings of grade-school kids vying for scholarships the park gives out. Thanks-giving Square fuctions as a 501(c)3 non-profit. In the Hall of Thanks, you'll see a round room with Roman pillars featuring a pictoral park history, as well as excerpts from letters written by our nation's Founding Fathers, describing the importance of giving thanks.

In addition, the park grounds offer graceful features, which are a top draw for shutterbugs of all sizes, shapes and abilities. With a terraced waterfall and graceful landscaping, there's no shortage of picture opportunities at this photogenic park. The grounds offer manicured beards of grass, oak trees with character, and striking architecture, such as the swirling chalk-white Chapel of Thanks (pictured right), reminscent of the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan.

Among the parks many charms are several pearls of widsom embossed in granite throughout the grounds — messages such as "Love Your Neighbor as Yourself." They exist as small and subtle reminders of what to reflect on when the hectic, fast-paced city crowds you in. That's why Thanks-giving Park gets our vote for Top Places to Eat outside during the work day.

Getting there. Thanks-giving Park is located at the hub of the underground tunnel system, between the Akard and St. Paul stations of the DART rail line. It's within walking distance of the Dallas Museum of Art, Fountain Plaza, the Dallas Public Library, Dallas City Hall and the Dallas Convention Center.

Thus, if your wandering feet happen to move you to the park, you'll know you're within close proximity of interesting sites, with plenty of cool bars and restaurants along the way.