Free Things to Do During Summer in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area

Free concerts at Rockwall are always fun for the whole family. Dancing has been known to break out in all age groups, from the teenagers on vacation to the young-at-heart geriatric couples. The independent theatre, the Dallas Angelika, has free premieres but tickets are only available to those signed up for subscribe to their website. Signing up for flicketz.com is also another way to possibly get free tickets to previews to shows at the Magnolia or Inwood, plus their two-for-one deals are a great bargain.

The Dallas Museum of Art has a broad collection of art, ranging from early Greek statues standing in the perfect contrapposto pose to some quintessential Mondrians. Winston Churchill watercolors, Van Gogh's haystacks, and Japanese vases are just some of the things that you can see in the three levels of the museum. The Reeves Collection is a quaint little gem that merits a walk-through if not a full study. The DMA offers free admission on Wednesdays in the month of July. Thursday evenings has free admission from five to nine and the first Tuesday of each month is free as well.

The Crow Collection of Asian Art is just across the street from the DMA in the clustered Arts District of Dallas and is always free, including any exhibitions. Even if the museum visitor is not particularly interested in Asian art, from an aesthetic point these pieces are worth viewing. Some of the works, like jade Buddhas, are absolutely stunning. For the rest of the month of July, the Nasher Sculpture Garden has free admission on Thursday nights, which pairs well with the DMA's free admission on the same evening. While not a large collection, what the Nasher lacks in size it makes up for in unique pieces. Borofosky's Walking into the Sky can be seen by any outside spectator just walking down the street. Multiple pieces by the prolific Pablo Picasso, four Matisse sculptures, two from the audacious Joan Miro, and a statue from Gaugin are all worth a gander. Be sure to walk in James Turell's work and glance up at the night sky, free from the overwhelming glare of the city lights.

The permanent collection at the Kimbell Art Museum is always free but this museum, more than the previous ones mentioned, has a very small collection. There is a reason for its littler size-the paintings there are by extraordinary artists and these works are always representative of their style. The revival of interest in Caravaggio's life led to the acquisition of The Cardsharps twenty years ago. Titian, Duccio, Fra Angelico, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Mantegna, Bellini, Parmigianino-these are the names in art history textbooks, the ones studied in art schools, the heroes and masters epitomized and marveled. The Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth is right across the street from the Kimbell and is free every first Sunday and every single Wednesday. Another major art collection is the Rachofsky House in Dallas but the only minor setback in visiting is that a tour has to be scheduled. Because the Rachofsky House is in actuality a privately owned house without the fallbacks of security guards and what not, great care is taken to ensure that the pieces stay in perfect shape. Scheduling a tour is not as big as a hassle as it may seem, especially if there is a Friday public tour. The house has a massive, open backyard and is surrounded by gorgeous houses. While the art is very modern (as in the artists are still living, still creating art kind of modern), the tour guides have a passion that makes the art understandable and approachable. There is nothing to shy away from, only something to learn.