How to Spend 8 Hours in Dallas: The Arboretum and White Rock Lake
Updated October 6, 2026
Eight hours in Dallas is enough for a full day outdoors in East Dallas. Spend a long stretch in the gardens of the Dallas Arboretum, walk the shore of White Rock Lake from Winfrey Point and finish with pizza at Cane Rosso.
White Rock Lake was built as a city reservoir early in the twentieth century, and it is now a big green space in East Dallas, ringed by a trail of a little more than nine miles. On its southeast shore, the Dallas Arboretum fills old estate grounds with themed gardens, fountains and two historic houses. Each fall, the gardens host Autumn at the Arboretum, with a village of thousands of pumpkins. Buy arboretum tickets on its website before you go. The lake and the arboretum are a short drive from downtown with no practical rail link, so take an Uber from downtown to the arboretum, from the lake to Cane Rosso and back downtown.
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The 8 hour plan, stop by stop
Stops and travel: 5 hr 10 min to 6 hr 55 min of 8 hours
The arboretum spreads over the former estates of oilman Everette DeGolyer and the Camp family on the lake's southeast shore. Its themed gardens, fountains and terraces change through the year, from tulips in spring to pumpkins in fall, and the DeGolyer house now holds a restaurant. It opens daily. As of October 2026, adult tickets cost $21.95 Monday to Thursday and $25.95 Friday to Sunday.
Tip: As of October 2026, Autumn at the Arboretum runs until November 1. Lunch at Restaurant DeGolyer, inside the old house, saves leaving the grounds, and picnics are allowed anywhere outside the dining areas.
- Time here
- 3 hr to 4 hr
- Website
- dallasarboretum.org
NaviTime to head out from Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden for Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake. It's a 19 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
Winfrey Point is a grassy rise on the east shore of White Rock Lake, just north of the arboretum, with wide views across the water to the skyline. The lake trail passes below it, popular with walkers, runners and cyclists. Pelicans gather in the coves in the cooler months. It is free to visit and open daily, and the grass on the rise is a good place to sit and watch sailboats.
Tip: Walk north along the shore trail toward the old Bath House and turn back whenever you like, returning the same way. Keep right, since bikes move fast on this path.
- Time here
- 40 min to 1 hr
- Website
- dallasparks.org
NaviTime to head out from Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake for Cane Rosso White Rock. It's a 21 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
Cane Rosso is a Dallas pizza group that cooks Neapolitan style pies in a wood fired oven, with blistered crusts and toppings that range from classic margherita to local twists. The White Rock branch sits on Gaston Avenue in East Dallas, a short drive from the lake. It opens daily from late morning to late evening, closing an hour earlier on Sundays, with brunch on weekends.
Tip: Pizzas here are 14 inches and soft in the middle by design, so eat them with a knife and fork or fold the slices. Two people can share one pie with a salad or starter.
- Time here
- 50 min to 1 hr 15 min
- Website
- canerosso.com
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