Dallas was a prime-time soap drama that ran from 1978 to 1991, and was also one of my favourite childhood TV shows. I was probably the only 3rd grader who would race home after school to get my homework done so I could watch Dallas. Because of this, visiting Southfork Ranch has long been on my bucket list.
Dallas – The Original Series
The first season of Dallas was filmed entirely on location at a ranch just north of the city. Unfortunately that location no longer exists. After the show was renewed for a second season, it was decided that they would film interior shots on a soundstage in Hollywood. However, for exterior shots, they wanted to continue shooting on location in Dallas. The production located a new house, and made a deal with the owners for filming. One stipulation the owners had was to film during summer vacation, when they wouldn’t disturb their children’s schooling. This meant the cast and crew were filming in Texas during the hottest time of the year. Nonetheless, this carried on for years, as the show ran for 14 seasons. It was a huge hit for it’s entire run, and produced one of the biggest cliffhangers of all time.
In 1980 the entire country became gripped over the mystery of “Who Shot JR?”. The season 3 finale ended with JR Ewing being shot by an unseen assailant. The speculation only grew over the summer, captivating audiences and media headlines. When the season 4 premiere aired eight months later, it resulted in one of the most watched events in television history. Approximately 83 million viewers tuned in to find out who the shooter was. The series continued to be high in the ratings, and ran until 1991, when it ended after 14 seasons.
Dallas – The Revival
The series finale run wasn’t the end, of course. There were multiple reunion movies made over the years. Then, in 2012, the series returned on TNT, reuniting Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, and Linda Gray. They were joined by a cast of younger actors, including Jordana Brewster and Jesse Metcalfe to carry on the stories of the Ewing family. This series ran for three seasons and also filmed exterior scenes at Southfork Ranch.
Travel To Southfork – Attempt 1
In 2013, I was on a business trip to Dallas. During my time off, I was planning to visit Southfork Ranch. Unfortunately, the area was hit by a brutal ice storm, which shut down the entire city. My whole group ended up stuck in our hotel for several days. It soon became clear I wouldn’t be able to see the ranch. We did leave the hotel for a couple walks, as an ice storm doesn’t keep a group of Canadians captive. It was very interesting to see the city covered in ice.
One the day of our flight home, the weather was just starting to let up. We were able to get over to The 6th Floor Museum, the site of President Kennedy’s assassination. After that, we headed out for a terrifying drive to the airport.
Travel To Southfork – Attempt 2
Having not had the chance to visit during that trip, it’s long been a goal to get to see it. In 2023, I was planning my trip to LA for LocationCon2023 so I decided to build in a short stop in Dallas. There was a flight to Dallas on a Friday afternoon, which would allow me to visit Southfork on Saturday morning, and then fly to Los Angeles that afternoon. I booked my flights, hotel, and car, and figured everything was set.
On the day of my departure, my flight from Ottawa to Toronto kept getting delayed by several minutes at a time. After multiple delays, I realized I would miss my Toronto-Dallas flight. I spoke to the airline customer service team, who told me they had no other options for me to get to Dallas until the next day. This meant I wouldn’t have a chance to get to Southfork Ranch. I called a friend who is a travel agent, and had him pull up the flight options. He confirmed there were no options from Ottawa, but we did find a Montreal-Dallas flight that had seats available. I spoke to the airline agent again and had them change me to that flight.
I then had to get myself to Montreal. First step was to Uber to the train station, then a train to Montreal, and then another Uber to the terminal. Fortunately I arrived in just enough time to catch the flight. If I hadn’t done this little adventure to Montreal, there’s no way I would have made it to Dallas.
The Visitor Center
My flight landed very late in Dallas, and I arrived at my hotel around 1am. I went straight to bed as I knew I wanted to arrive at the ranch before it opened. Since I was flying to LA that evening, I wanted to make sure I had the maximum time to see everything.
When you first arrive at Southfork Ranch, you’ll park at the Visitor Center. I sat in my rental car and finished off my Sonic tots and strawberry limeade. Once 10am hit, I went inside and bought a ticket for the first tour. You could theoretically explore the grounds on your own without buying the tour. However, for the cost, I think it’s well worth it.
Once you buy your ticket, you go into a small museum at the back of the building. As you enter, you’ll see a collection of the stars’ handprints on the floor in cement.
Walking through the museum, you’ll be able to view a number of props, costumes, and other artifacts used on the show. One of the highlights is the actual prop gun used to shoot JR.
The museum has a number of scripts on display. Many of these scripts are autographed by the cast.
The Tour
After exploring the museum, a guide will greet you and take you out back to a tractor and wagon. You’ll hop on board and your guide will drive you around the property. The guide will share history of the property and stories about how the ranch came to be used on Dallas.
Inside the Ewing Mansion
The driving portion of the tour ends at Ewing Mansion, where you’ll be greeted by another tour guide. This guide will take you through the house. You’ll hear about the original owners and how it was developed into a tourist attraction. While the interior scenes were filmed on sounds stages, the house still has a very interesting history. Each bedroom is decorated in the theme of a character from the show. The guide will share lots of stories about filming. The house tour will also include the living room, kitchen, dining room, and a bathroom.
Outside the Ewing Mansion
Once you finish the tour of the house, you and freed up to explore the property on your own. I spent a good amount of time taking photos and videos around the house.
I started in front of the mansion. There’s a large lawn area in the space in front, and I took some photos from a variety of angles. I also couldn’t pass up the chance to take a photo at the front door.
Once I finished in front, I walked to the side of the house to see the front driveway. It starts at the Southfork front gates, then leads from the street to the mansion, and then continues back to the rest of the ranch. There is also a gazebo which I imagine is used for weddings.
I went around back to see the rest of the house. This is where you’ll find the garage, pool, and patio. The pool looked considerably larger on TV, so I imagine some fans will be surprised at the size. A good number of scenes took place at the patio table as well.
The Ranch
Once I finished at the house, I went exploring around the property. It was a very hot day but I wanted to make sure I saw everything. The ranch has a number of buildings and vehicles that were also used on the show.
The Cemetery
There is an area next to the Ewing Office that has a small cemetery. There aren’t any actual corpses buried here, just fake headstones for 3 characters. These headstones were originally used at a real cemetery to film scenes, but were then given to the ranch, and are displayed here.
There is a small rodeo arena that sits on the property. We were told it was actually built by Lorimar Productions to be used on the series. Once filming finished, it was left up for the ranch to use.
The Ranch fittingly has a number of livestock, including horses, goats, and of course Texas long-horn cattle. It’s cool to see them up close, but important to keep at a safe distance.
Before leaving, stop back inside the the Visitor’s Center and pick up some souvenirs. They have a variety of merchandise from the TV show, along with Southfork Ranch branded items and some general Texas themed souvenirs.
Southfork Ranch offers the tour I described above, along with other experiences. These include conference and event facilities, and even the chance to spend a night in the Ewing Ranch. You can get lots of info on their website. Check it out here. Make sure you give yourself lots of time to visit the site without rushing. The ranch is also located north of the city of Dallas, and there is no public transportation to the area. I highly recommend renting a car to visit the area. It will give you the freedom to explore on your own schedule, and not worry about finding a way back.
