Dallas dalliance: Cheap new flights will tempt you to this thrilling and creative Texas city

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Thanks to the TV show, which first aired 40 years ago, we all feel we know Dallas.

But there's much more to the biggest city in Texas than long-running dramas.

It's crammed full of art, serves up some of the best food in the state and, with budget flights launched this year, it is fast becoming one of America's coolest getaways.

High drama: Dallas offers a juxtaposition of glossy high-rises and small leafy neighbourhoods

WHAT MAKES IT 'COOL'? While Downtown Dallas is lined with glossy high-rises, its leafy neighbourhoods have a small-town feel. You'll find old-school blues bars in Deep Ellum, boutique shops in Oak Cliff and rooftop restaurants in Greenville. For architecture, the porch-wrapped mansions of Highland Park are great for ogling.

KENNEDY CONNECTION: The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza recounts the months leading up to, and following, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Peer out of the window from which he was supposedly shot, take in Press photos and make the most of the audio guide. It's hugely popular so pre-book tickets and prepare to wait in line. It's worth it. Admission is $16 (£12), jfk.org.

RACK 'EM UP: It wouldn't be a trip to Texas without a plate of brisket and pork ribs. Loosen your belt and join the line at the Pecan Lodge in trendy Deep Ellum.

The menu features Texan classics including deliciously soft pork rib meat, mac'n' cheese and pickles, with bottles of homemade BBQ sauce on the tables. Sit at the bar to skip the queue, pecanlodge.com.

The restaurant's hip neighbourhood may be the stomping ground for rock lovers, but it made its name as the spot where the big-time blues musicians including Blind Lemon Jefferson, Leadbelly and Bessie Smith performed.

Stroll the street-art covered walls and join the cool crowd on the outdoor patio at Braindead Brewing for a pint of Nimbus APA, braindeadbrewing.com.

ART vs FOOTBALL: NFL fans should take a drive out to Arlington for a tour of the mammoth Dallas Cowboys stadium. You'll walk through the pristine ground, hurl a football across the pitch and explore everything from the players' and cheerleaders' locker rooms to three-storey neon paintings.

The stadium owner's wife is an art fanatic, and corridors are lined with 59 pieces from 44 artists. Take some time at the 3,000-strong LED light display by Jim Campbell near the main entrance showing footage of Cowboys games over the decades. Tours from $22 (£16.50), attstadium.com 

If that's not enough, pop into the free Dallas Museum of Art. The vast, high-ceilinged space is crammed with 22,000 works spanning 5,000 years of history, dma.org.

Creative hub: The Dallas Arts District is the nation's biggest - it's spread across 19 blocks

Do as the Dallasites do and grab lunch from a food truck at Klyde Warren Park opposite. The urban green space is built over a six-lane freeway and you'll see locals tucking into tacos or hula hooping on their lunch break.

BOUTIQUE BUYS: There are malls aplenty, but for more personal offerings head to the Bishop Arts District in leafy low-rise North Oak Cliff, where the main drag, North Bishop Avenue, is lined with independent shops selling jewellery, picture frames and silky PJs.

Perk up with a latte at The Wild Detectives, a bookshop / coffeeshop in a Tango-orange house, then rummage through Sixties ceramics and retro knickknacks at DFW Mantiques.

BIG KIDS: Dallas isn't just for adults. The Perot Museum, located downtown, is a jumble of exhibitions explaining everything from weather systems to metamorphic rocks, with colourful interactive displays.

Adults can brush up on their knowledge, too, while short 3D film screenings, such as Hurricane, bring the exhibitions to life. Tickets from $20 (£15), perotmuseum.org.

The show turns 40: Christopher Atkins and Priscilla Presley in the Dallas TV programme

SLEEP IN STYLE: The newly revamped Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas is one of the most historic stays in town. Built in 1912, it was the first hotel in the world to provide air conditioning.

Nowadays, modcons come as standard, and the rooftop pool is a lovely retreat from the blistering summer heat. The lobby bar, with its deep velvet sofas and towering plants, is a sophisticated place for an early evening cocktail. Rooms from $209 (£158), adolphus.com.

GOOD TO KNOW: Dallas is packed with handy bike-share companies. Hop on a fluoro-orange and silver Mobike to zip around the neighbourhoods, or rent a car. A tank of petrol will cost $26 (£20), hertz.co.uk.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: The Dallas Arts District is the nation's biggest, with 19 blocks of museums, venues and galleries.