Southfork Ranch

If you were a fan of Dallas then you’ll more than likely enjoy Southfork Ranch. I grew up watching Dallas so visiting the actual location of the ranch was a thrill. There’s equal representation of the original Dallas as well as the 2012 TNT remake.
The ranch was easy to find using a GPS and there’s ample parking in the lot. There’s a gift shop upon entry with assorted gifts relating to the show. I bought a magnet and t-​shirt for about $ 30. The t-​shirt is very thin though so I’m not sure if the quality is worth the price. After buying the tickets ($ 15 each) they have you wait in the gift shop. You start the tour in an adjacent area next to the gift shop. The tour guide provides history of the ranch and the show. You’re allowed to take photos and take your time viewing everything on display. There’s also a professional photographer on site to take high quality photos for about twelve dollars.
After that you ride over to the main house. The first thing you’ll notice is that the ranch is much smaller than it appears on television. That’s all thanks to the power of lighting and camera angles. The main house is the size of an average suburban home. There’s another tour guide stationed in the home to provide background information about the original ranch owners and their foray into Hollywood glitz and glamour. After that you’re allowed tour the house and ranch grounds solo for as long as you like. JR’s grave is on the property and a vintage car belonging to Bobby or one of the other characters.
We chose not to view the other areas on the property as seeing them from the caravan was good enough for us. The one thing I didn’t care for were the horses tied to a tree in the blazing hot sun. They had water but no amount of water is a match for the oppressive Dallas sun in August. There were stables that were shaded but the horses weren’t given the freedom to go into their stalls.
The staff were all friendly and very passionate about show. I’d recommend the ranch to any fan of the show.

Nice place to take visitors from out of town — they get the Dallas Experience that they have seen on TV!

Ok– I wouldn’t have dreamed this up as entertainment but a colleague wanted to go. I wouldn’t fire up the corporate jet for a visit or anything but if you’re in the neighborhood it’s fun.

For any one who grew up watching the tv show Dallas, Southfork Ranch is so much fun to see! The museum with all of the memorabilia isn’t huge, but it contains so many memories of the show. Fancy dresses, props, and of course, the gun that shot J.R. A short walk from the museum is the actual house from the tv show. The pool was shockingly smaller than what I remember in the show. Turns out, the guide explained that mirrors were used in the pool to make it appear larger! Who knew?! The guide had a lot of information and tidbits about the making of the show. If you are visiting Dallas and are a fan of the show, this is a place to bookmark!

We came here for an outdoor concert and it was a good setup. They have already established pavilions that housed the artist autograph sessions and merch. There was plenty of room to both park and sit, but if you are in the back, good luck as the ground is level so not tiered so those in the back can see over those in front.
With the show being outdoors, they only had portable bathrooms set up. Additionally, the grass in the parking lot was very tall and rough. Other than that, I hope to come back here for an indoor event at some point. Cool space.

Really cool place to see a legendary tv show home. Memoribilia from the show and tours are available. A must see if you have the time.

I loved the Southfork Ranch! My family and I are such huge fans of the show that for spring break we decided to come to Texas. Although it doesn’t look like the house does on the show on the inside, the outside does and it’s amazing! After the guided tour we were allowed to just walk around the grounds on our own! It was so nice. I felt like I was at home! If you’re a fan of Dallas you must visit Southfork!

On a warmer day this would be a fun place to ride horses. The tour is reasonable $ 15.00 per person definitely a must do if you are a fan of the show, Dallas. Impressive little place.

Decided to try, well worth it. Beautiful ranch and everyone so nice and knowledgeable. Able to roam at will which made this an easy going tour. Glad we decided to go.

It was so much fun to finally go to South Fork. I grew up watching Dallas & have always wanted to see the house/​ranch. It was cool. They give you a tour of the house & LOTs of information. I don’t want to say much here because you want to see for yourself. But I learned things I never knew. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

This was just fun! I was a big fan of the original Dallas TV show and loved this place. We went on the tour and my husband was a little disappointed that more of the show wasn’t shot here but the tour guide was very informative and all of the memorabilia was terrific.

My wife and I toured the ranch where outdoor scenes of both the new and old Dallas were shot. We were able to get off of the tram and walk around the various buildings and tour the main house. This is a must for any Dallas fan.

Nice tour, friendly Texas guides. If you are a fan of the show, must see. cardboard cutout of JR for photo op. The bedroom JR got shot in is still intact.

This was a very impressive place and something my boyfriend insisted on visiting since we were nearby in Dallas. I had never seen the tv show before but touring the property and visiting the little museum inspired me to go home and check it out. Our tour guide was very knowledgable and quite charming, she made the whole tour a complete experience. I would recommend visiting this property for sure.

Great tour!
This was a must see especially since my husband and I have seen every episode — both old and new! There is plenty of parking outside the gift shop where you purchase tickets. We got our picture made with the cowboy hats in front of the illuminated Dallas sign at the beginning of the museum. The museum was full of pictures, video, and information on both series.
The tour starts at the back door of the museum. We boarded a tram that took us on a tour of the grounds and dropped us off at the mansion. Our tour guide explained everything we would see in and around the house. She took us in the living room and allowed us to take pictures in front of the fireplace. We were then free to wonder around anywhere on the grounds and in the house for as long as we desired. I thought this was great as most tours are very strict about pictures and staying with your group.
All outdoor scenes are filmed here. The indoor Southfork mansion scenes are filmed on a set. The bedrooms had themes that were partially replicated from ones on the original Dallas series. The pool was much smaller than it looks on TV. It was cool sitting at the same patio table they sit at for breakfast outdoors on the show.
If you get hungry on your visit there is a Miss Ellie’s Deli with a variety of sandwiches. There is a second gift shop next to the deli that has the car that Jock Ewing drove in the show. The shop also has clothing and many other items for sale. If you are a Dallas fan you will want to allow at least two hours for this visit.

Enjoyed the visit. Makes me want to watch the show over again to remember who everybody is. In the meantime, I will have to settle for the new series. Anyway, this museum us must-​see if you watched Dallas and are in the area.

Drive past it to get FREE picture.
Sincerely, if you are going there to get a picture of the house as you remember from the show DALLAS then drive right past the gate on the same road and go to the very first street you come to on across from Southfork. You will get a perfect view of the front.
Luckily my wife was willing to do this. We saved enough money to eat more Dallas BBQ. Okay, so I like my BBQ. She still was allowed to go into the gift shop and get her JR Ewing fix.

Overrated.
Came here for a work function in which we ate in the mansion and could self tour the premises and building. The original Dallas was a little before my time so a remake of this show didn’t really catch my interest. The lady there to talk about the mansion made me feel pretty awful that I hadn’t watched the show. At one point she even asked me if I had ever watched tv, she seemed so disgusted that I didn’t watch Dallas. She was confusing us over and over again by saying they did film there to changing to saying they didn’t film there, back and forth a few times.
Last, play something other than the Dallas theme song on repeat. It felt like the «It’s A Small World» ride at Disney (If you’ve been you KNOW what I’m talking about!)

Parking was easy! You enter into a nice Gift Shop, pay your fees for your tour, and walked into a very nice museum of the TV program. Pictures, chairs they sat during filming, videos, interviews, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, etc. and bast array of information about the program.
Tourists left the end of the museum frequently. Usually a large tram carries people to the ranch, but the day it was very windy, not so cold, but it had rained very very lightly. The one we had was a covered van. We were given an over-​view of the ranch & the house, inside & outside. We were allowed to roam freely about the property. The most disappointing part of the tour was to learn that only the outside of the ranch was part of the Dallas show, the inside scenes were filmed in Hollywood. We were told they have weddings, proms, birthday events, among others so they can get very busy!
The new Dallas the one being shown tonight (if you’ve been watching) was filmed in one of the rooms, which was re-​painted outside in black like an old saloon, but it was actually a replica of Lucy Ewing’s bedroom — see profile for photo.
The swimming pool was quite small, in the TV, they used a mirror & camera lenses to make it appear larger than it actually was.
During their re-​union of the original cast members, they were filmed inside the ranch.
But of course, I’ve read about that ranch before I visited Southfork Ranch — years ago, but it’s all brand new to me again, during the tour.
If you’re a Dallas fan, this is a must see!

Took my mom here last summer. Don’t know if I’ll ever be back since Larry Hagman has passed, but I’ll try to.
From the highway you pull up into the Visitor’s Center. The parking lot was quite empty when we drove in. Inside the museum (Visitor’s Center) you have the option of 1.) Just browsing the center, which is free 2.) Taking the tour of the ranch, which costs about $ 10 when I visited. If you plan on buying souvenirs, or eating at Miss Ellie’s Porch Restaurant, then you’ll need to bring more money.
We paid for our ticket to visit the ranch, and the guide showed us the mini-​museum. Open entering the museum a photographer takes your photo and tries a lot to sell it to you. He’s quite persistent!
After the photos, you get to walk around the TV museum while waiting for the tractor ride to the ranch. On the ground are the cast member’s footprints in cement. On the walls are TV props and photos: Lucy’s wedding dress, old TV guides from the 80s, the gun that shot J.R., ect.
At the end of the museum you will find a platform to wait for the tractor. He arrives every thirty minutes to drive to the ranch. The tractor is pulling several carts, so there is plenty of room for everyone in the tour.
The ride to the ranch takes about ten minutes, and the guide talks about the fields behind the house, the events that go on at the ranch, and points out various places where famous scenes were shot.
When you arrive at the house, you’re overwhelmed about how small it is. The guide tells you that they make the house look bigger on TV. The swimming pool is tiny, and so are the grounds.
Inside, you sit down in what used to be the garage, but has since been converted into a lecture room. The guide goes over the history of the ranch, tells you what scenes are filmed here and which ones are done in L.A. She tells about the current new show, and compares it to the old one.
After the lecture, you get to roam the house and grounds (max two hours) and take as many photos as you want. Each room is designed around a character. Bobby’s room looks incredibly childish. Upstairs is J.R.s room and the famous balcony. You get to stand over the balcony and look over the grounds. There are horses and cows roaming around.
It was a great experience. When we went to take a photo of the front of the house it took awhile to get a private shot because so many people were on the lawn snapping photos, but no big deal. We didn’t eat at Miss Ellie’s diner, but we did go into the gift shop and we saw Jock’s Cadillac.
If you visit during the summer like we did, make sure to wear comfortable clothing. It can be extremely hot. Any Texan can tell you that. :)
Great trip! I recommend if you’re a fan of the TV show.

Wer in der Gegend von Dallas ist, sollte sich unbedingt die Southfork-​Ranch ansehen. Das personal dort ist sehr aufgeschlossen und es werden auch für einzelne Personen Führungen durchgeführt. Man darf dort in alle Zimmer und sich in aller Ruhe in den Sessel von JR Erwing gemütlich machen.