Southfork Ranch — Attraction in Parker

Oh my! I am excited and mad at the world at the same time at the moment because I accidentally deleted a majority of the photos I took today from one of the MOST ICONIC homes and working-class ranches in the free world!

I've driven by it a 100x's if I've driven by it once, this home and ranch associated with the decades-long television series, "DALLAS" in a large commercial vehicle with my late father in the 1990s and 2000s, BUT when Dad and I would happen by it was closed for business for that day, or it was a day when some particular activity or event was going on at the Southfork Ranch. Until today!

Dad's long gone, and I'm an Old Married Man, BUT I grew up on the iconic television series and so wanted to visit Southfork when it was open for business!

Today was the day. My Wife and I took a late afternoon ride out. We paid $40.00 to take the grand tour, and I was in star-struck 7th heaven the whole time! Taking pictures and talking to people, including my fellow site seers.

The tour itself is excellent 👌 👏 🙌 👍 ✨️ I highly recommend that y'all take the tour. A tram ride to the main house. Four bedrooms and seven bathrooms throughout. It is adorned throughout with all things DALLAS and the stars of the original series in photos, prints, paintings, and life-size cardboard cutouts.

I was particularly impressed with how well the late, great Larry Hagman was depicted, from his devilish J. R. Ewing Grin to the aged thespian in the throws of a long showing in television and film -- the original television series plus the re-boot! God rest his soul.

You can, in many ways, still feel his presence. Casting a long, tall shadow with a devilish J. R. grin and a hardy WELCOME TA SOUTHFORK Y'ALL! So very glad you're here.

The second most substantial presences that I felt while there was that of the late great Jim Davis, who played Patriarch Jock Ewing, and Sweet Miss Elle, played by the incomparable Barbara Bel Geddes. God rest their souls.

The Southfork Ranch is undergoing changes, renovations, and expansion under NEW OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT NOW. So, I encourage all DALLAS fans to be patient with them while they work their magic and all the plans they have in store for Our Beloved "Ewing Family Home." Things will come to pass!

They are a Team and a Crew looking to turn over a new leaf and return Southfork Ranch to its former stoic greatness! As it should be.

It's a National Treasure and a Living, Breathing Monument to some of the best weekly television artistry that'll probably never be duplicated, redone, recast, or redeveloped for today's modern world to consume anew yet again!

That's WHY it's crucial right now to renew and restore Southfork Ranch and Home Site to its former glory for future generations to take in long after you or I are gone from this World as Hagman and all the rest! Tip ta tail the opportunity for new life and new representation awaits!

Don't keep J. R. And the Family waiting now. ...

My husband and I booked a trip to Texas for February 2020. I have always wanted to ride on a Texas ranch, so we booked the trail ride and ranch tour at Southfork Ranch after being advised to book in advance. We scheduled this for day three of our trip so we could get over jet lag and plan our transport as we were staying in the city.

The day after arriving, it was glorious weather (25 degrees) and the following day was also good, however there was some rain in the evening. We received an email the day before the trail ride advising us to keep an eye on the weather. Although the forecast was initially not good, it changed to an occasional shower for the day of our ride so we got up early to make our way to Southfork as we couldn't see any reason for it to be cancelled. Just as we were leaving our hotel, we received an email to say the riding was cancelled. I explained that we had come from the UK, and this was something we had been looking forward to since booking the previous year. We were told the ground was too muddy due to the rain the previous evening.

I asked if there were any alternatives for us to still ride, i.e. a lesson on the ranch and was told abruptly 'No'. It was interesting how the good service I had been receiving through messenger when I first booked, changed to abrupt responses where no effort was made to offer any alternative. As we only had two more days in Texas, and the following day was set to get colder/wetter, there was no room to reschedule.

We hung around our hotel for a few hours as we still intended to go to the ranch for the tour of the house/grounds. When we arrived there was no rain, albeit it was cold. The ground was dry and not muddy. We spoke to the lady at the shop about our disappointment. We asked about the mud and were told there were no hills, but the wrangler would have checked the ground and deemed it unsafe.

In the UK, mud and cold weather do not stop us from riding and as the trail ride only included walking, we could not understand the cancellation. It appeared we were the only ones there to ride, so we could only assume they didn't feel like going out in the cold for just two people, without any consideration for our individual circumstances.

There was no apology from the wrangler and the ranch could have done more. They would have known the five-day forecast in advance and also their threshold for cancelling. They could have contacted us in advance to find out our plans and offer us an earlier day to avoid disappointment.

I understand the safety of horses and riders comes first - I've been riding all my life and know the importance of this, but the ground was fine and there was no rain while we were at the ranch. If the conditions on the trail were as described, why could we not be offered a ride around the ranch itself which was extremely flat and dry?

We were told we would receive a refund for the trail ride but were very...

have a friend visiting who wanted to visit the site of the show "Dallas" and I couldn't say no! When you've lived in Dallas all your life, you forget about so many places that when a visitor reminds you of all the wonderful places Dallas has to offer - it is nice. We drove over on a Saturday afternoon in August, so it was HOT. The site has lots of shade trees and most of your time is spent inside. You can park right outside the gift shop (if they're not too busy, you can park in front, only a few steps away). When you enter the gift shop it is very spacious, not crowded with things, but several options to take home. My friend bought a Tshirt. We saw a man buying a cowboy hat, as well. So much to see! You purchase your tickets right inside the gift shop and they let you know exactly when the next tour leaves. He told us it would be 5 minutes so we rushed thru the museum, only to stand in line at the door at the end, so if you have 5 minutes - take it and enjoy the museum on your way to the back for the tour. Lots to see on the walls along the way. We all loaded onto a tram to take us over to the house. We were seated in a large room and given the history of the land - which, being a local, I was surprised to know it had changed hands so many times! The show was on during a time in my life when I didn't watch much tv at all, so I was barely familiar with the cast (with the exception of Patrick Duffy, whom I had met downtown one time during filming there, and of course Larry Hagman). But still, it brought back memories of another time, and it was fun to hear the other people in the group talking about their experiences with the show. There was a good group with us, and most seemed from another country. The speaker who addressed us in the beginning with the history asked if anyone needed translation before she began. Three people needed French translation so she handed them some papers so they could follow along in their language. We finished the tour and were on our own to walk back to the gift shop. We stopped to look at the cars they drove and beyond that in another room was a big screen playing the 2012 remake. It looked like a good show from the few minutes I saw of it. Tickets for my friend and I were $30 each but she said we get a discount, I'm not sure how much because she treated! But it's because we're over 60, I believe. Hey, I don't mind :) Great tour, enjoyed it all and the speaker was friendly and stayed with us as we all went every which way. She engaged with us and smiled a lot. Go...