The Park Cities encompass two well-known areas in Dallas that are all about location, location, location. As neighbors, Highland Park and University Park offer a variety of places to eat, sightsee, enjoy and relax. We love the close proximity to the heart of downtown and the easy access to major highways on our way up north. You’ll find magnificent homes that range drastically in character, which means everyone is sure to find something they love in this neighborhood. Check out some of our favorite places in Park Cities to live, play, shop, snack and dine:

Highland Park | The southern area of Park Cities is known for its history, charming homes, school district and extremely small radius. Highland Park Independent School District is usually found on any short list of best schools in the country and offers a strong education and parent involvement. You’ll find homes of all ages and lots of all sizes in this beautiful “small town within a big city.”

University Park | Just north of Highland Park, University Park also feeds into Highland Park Independent School District. Similar to its neighboring city, University Park is known for its convenient shopping and dining districts. You’ll find many University Park natives in this area who have chosen to come back to this family-orientated community to raise a family of their own.

Frontiers of Flight Museum | Located next to Dallas Love Field Airport, this aerospace museum is a perfect place to spend an afternoon surrounded by an amazing collection of military, commercial and general aviation aircraft. Founded by Kay Bailey Hutchison, the museum is also affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum | Located at Southern Methodist University, the museum features the specific time in history during President Bush’s terms in office and provides access to official documents and artifacts from his administration. With a family-friendly atmosphere, it’s a unique and interesting place to visit for every member of your family.

Highland Park Village | We know it’s not a specific shop, but we couldn’t leave out America’s oldest outdoor shopping mall. Known for its high-end retail stores, Highland Park Village is always vibrant and lively with shoppers. There are also great places to stop and eat when your arms are getting too tired to carry all your shopping bags.

BelAir | Another stretch on this one, as it’s no longer located in the Park Cities since they moved locations this spring to the Design District. We thought it would be a good reminder for those missing their favorite home interior store that it’s now just a hop, skip and a jump away from its original location.

JD’s Chippery | Located in Snider Plaza, we are secretly jealous of the SMU students’ next-door location to our favorite cookie shop. Once featured on Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, we think we could give host Adam Richman a run for his money on those delicious M&M cookies.

Carlo’s Bakery | If you haven’t heard of this yet, it’s time for a trip to Preston Center. Founded by Buddy Valastro, star of TLC’s Cake Boss, this all-occasion bakery had lines out the door for months after its grand opening. We love it all, but highly recommend a hand-made cannoli.

Montlake Cut | It can be hard to find fresh seafood in a land-locked city like Dallas, but Montlake Cut goes above and beyond expectations. This Seattle-inspired restaurant offers fish and raw-bar specialties of all kind. You’ll also find Nathan Grace’s President there at least three times a week (don’t tell her we said that).

Javier’s | A swanky, authentic Mexico City restaurant that we just can’t get enough of. Ask any Dallas native with good taste in Mexican cuisine, and they’ll tell you to go to Javier’s. Want the experience to never end? Javier’s also has a cigar lounge you can enjoy after dinner. We’ll have a margarita please (or two…or three…).