Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum offer a look into one of the most pivotal moments in American history. In the heart of downtown Dallas, this historic site preserves the legacy of President John F. Kennedy, telling the story of his life, presidency, and tragic assassination through exhibits, original artifacts, and immersive experiences. If you’re a history buff or even just a curious traveler, Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum are must-visit stops on your Dallas itinerary.
This post contains affiliate links, and we may earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you!) if you purchase when you click on the links. Thank you for supporting Love Dwells Here!!
When we travel with our kids, we love visiting a variety of places. Sometimes our goal is just to be carefree and have fun, and we make sure to visit a lot of amusement parks or other entertainment-heavy attractions, but other times we want to incorporate educational activities into our trip. Luckily, our kids are totally used to this way of traveling, and they look forward to the historical or educational stops along the way just as much as the entertainment stops.
Our Dallas hotel was in a great spot downtown, making it super easy to walk to Dealey Plaza in the morning. We watched “The Kennedys” and “JFK” and discussed both at great length before leaving on our trip, so the kids had a pretty good understanding of what happened on that fateful November day, and they were looking forward to going to Dallas to see where President Kennedy was assassinated.
President Kennedy, along with First Lady, Governor Connally, and his wife, was traveling down Main Street on November 22, 1963, when over 100,000 people lined the streets eager to catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade. At 12:30pm, after turning onto Elm Street, shots rang out, injuring both President Kennedy and Governor Connally. The white X in the road marks where the fatal bullet struck President Kennedy’s head before the motorcade raced off to Parkland Hospital.
Checking out the Grassy Knoll – the bright yellow sign does a great job of directing your attention to the grassy slope on the side of Elm Street. The small patch of grass was in front and to the right (west and north) of President Kennedy during the assassination, and many have speculated that this is where shots “may” have been fired from by a second gunman.
However, the Warren Commission maintains that the shots were fired from the 6th-floor window by a single gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald. They argue that he was shooting from the square window to the right of the arched window of the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository Building.
While waiting for the Sixth Floor Museum to open, we chatted with a guy who completely disagrees with the Warren Commission findings and believes that the Kennedy assassination was not only a conspiracy but also involved the government. Because our kids asked so many questions and were so interested in the information he had to show them, he let them have a cool magazine with autopsy photos and frames of the Zapruder film. When Ben and Lexie saw that he had a speaker and a microphone, they immediately asked if they could use it – and to our surprise, he hooked it up for them and let them sing. They entertained the crowds on Dealey Plaza by singing “Let It Go” for about ten solid minutes!
Right before ten, we made our way to the Sixth Floor Museum (housed in the Texas School Book Depository) for the self-guided audio tour. We purchased our tickets online in advance and were able to bypass the line of 100 or so that had formed before opening. The audio tour takes you through the sixth floor and highlights the life, assassination, and legacy of President Kennedy. While the window area where Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot Kennedy has been preserved, you can look out nearby windows, but you cannot take photographs. Once you’re finished with the sixth floor and the audio tour, you can go up to the seventh floor to look out the windows directly above where the shots came from (and take pictures).
The seventh floor has a photo mosaic made out of photographs from the Dallas Times Herald. We spent a lot of time looking at each individual picture that made up the overall picture.
After spending a couple of hours in the Sixth Floor Museum, we headed across the street to check out the Dealey Plaza Monument, which has a great view of the triple underpass.
Nicholas, who LOVES conspiracy theories, really enjoyed hearing all of the conflicting viewpoints on what happened on that November day. He wanted to make sure that we didn’t leave without getting a picture of him in front of the grassy knoll.
We had a great time checking out the Sixth Floor Museum and wandering around Dealey Plaza. I love exploring the places we’ve learned about and experiencing them alongside the kids. The audio-tour of the museum kept the kids engaged and focused which allowed Jacob and I to listen and learn more about the Kennedys as well.
Things to Remember When Visiting Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum
- The Museum is open daily (except for Christmas) from 12pm-6pm on Mondays and 10am-6pm the rest of the week. The last ticket of the day is sold at 5:15pm, so plan accordingly.
- It takes roughly 90 minutes to go through the sixth floor with the included audio tour.
- Admission to the museum (including the audio guide) is $27 for adults, $23 for kids (6-18), and free for five and under. You can save $3 per person by ordering tickets online in advance.
- Photography is prohibited on the sixth floor, so make sure to head up to the seventh floor if you want to take pictures out the window.
- Even though the exhibits are somewhat graphic, it’s about an assassination, after all, we found it to be a great place to go in Dallas with kids.
- Check out CityPASS to save 40% on admission to the 4 best attractions in Dallas, including the Sixth Floor Museum and the George W. Bush Presidential Library.
Have you been to Dallas before?? Do you like checking out historical places when you’re traveling??
Looking for more Texas travel inspiration? Check out these posts:
- George W Bush Presidential Library
- Cadillac Ranch: Roadside Americana in Amarillo | Texas
- National Park Bucket List
