Southfork Ranch

I had a meeting with a customer in Wylie in the afternoon, so I had about three hours of free time before the meeting, so I searched Tourist Attractions near Wylie, and there was a Southfork Ranch not far away.
It was the filming location for the TV series "Dallas" which aired on CBS for 13 years from 1978 to 1991.
I've never watched "Dallas" and I don't plan to watch it in the future, but it is said to be a very famous series that has been translated into 56 languages around the world.
I toured with tourists from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Congo as well as the United States.
The experience of tram riding pulled by a tractor to J.R. Ewing's mansion was fun.
The tour took about an hour and 20 minutes, and it was an unforgettable experience.

We booked an hour long trail ride here while visiting Texas for our anniversary. It is a beautiful property with a cool and unique history. The horses all appeared to be healthy and well cared for. Our guide, Karen, was very friendly and the horses, Echo and Denny, were really sweet. While the trail ride started and ended promptly on time I wish it would've been a little longer and would've been more of a trail ride rather than a large circle of the property (routed past the overflowing dumpsters). Karen stopped and took everyone's pictures by the famous main house which was nice and she took her time answering questions and letting us hang out with the horses after the ride was over. Over all it was a great experience just slightly underwhelming in the "trail ride" aspect. We would probably ride here again if they had a longer or different route.

Other than the pool area, this was not used in the show Dallas. A waste of time. I should've asked for a refund.

We initially went to the Southfork ranch to check out their "Trade Days", which happens the weekend preceding the 4th Monday of every month. Parking is $5 cash

There were lots of different local vendors (e.g., handmade bags, soaps, candles, baked goods, and vintage kitchenware) as well as some vendors that sold items auctioned off of Amazon return pallets.

The trade days were alright, nothing exciting, or spectacular.

While we were at the Southfork ranch, we decided to tour the mansion to where the famous "Dallas" tv show was filed in the 70s-00s! Cannot believe that show lasted 14 + seasons! If you go to the trade days, you get $5 off of admissions to the mansion tour.

Since there were over 20 of us in the group, the tour guide gave a very detailed history in the sitting room (due to the group size) inside the mansion. Afterwards, you are free to roam the mansion. The TV show didn't actually film inside this mansion, but it was nice to see the exterior of the house where the show was filmed!

Needless to say, I went home to go watch the show ;)

It was a springy spring day, when all through the house, the seniors were brunching even the clowns. The chairs were full, it was warfare, In hopes that Creel would soon speak there. The children were nestled all snug in their own heads, while visions of coltillion awards fluttered in their heads.

This is a really great place to take guests from out of town. I feel like most people are looking for that "Texas" feel and if you're not going to The Stockyards, you may not know where to take people besides food establishments. Just an FYI, we don't all wear cowboys and boots here. LOL. This is a good start especially if your guests know this vintage show. Even if they don't know it, just the tour of the ranch and homes alone is a total vibe. I love antiques and vintage decor so this was right up my alley. See my photos.

It has been almost 13 years since I have been to South Fork Ranch and now since I live here, I can come here anytime I want.

Tour costs $16 dollars now so a $6 dollar increase since the last time I went. The gift shop is now where you purchase your tickets for the tour instead of where Jock's car is located. The tour times goes by every hour on the :15th minute. Once you buy the ticket you can go inside the mini Dallas museum which takes 10 minute look around, but I sat in there and watch the Dallas clips.

They have a tram that will drive you and they do a little drive by of the ranch and give you the history. There are many parts I do not recall. They also added in the new Dallas as part of the tour and giving facts. They drive you to the Ewing Mansion and outside looks the same as it does on the TV and the balcony is much bigger than on TV and the house seems bigger too, but it is really smaller than on TV.

What you really pay is to tour inside of the house which is nothing to jump up and down. They now have the room where JR got shot and still a little messy. They have Lucy and Bobby Ewing room of what they would imagine and the living room is Jock Ewing's room and upstairs is a huge bathroom with a shower, a tube and 2 bathrooms and a bedroom. It is nothing too much to jump up and down. I saw the kitchen and still looks the same as I remember it outdated, but it is for the tour guests.

The tour itself takes around an hour to do and then they let you go explore the ranch and you can literally go anywhere. I definitely did do some exploring as I was able to get to one of the Pokemon gyms. I saw all of the horses, longhorns and donkeys up close it was really cool. I think I spent a good 45 minutes walking around, but it was pretty hot that day. You can see Elena's cottage where she stayed at, but the door was closed so I could not look inside. I was scared to fully open the door and take a look.

Overall, it was a good couple of hours of wasted time. I wish the gift store sold more Dallas merchandise.

You don't have to be a fan of the "Dallas" TV series to appreciate this ranch. The Ewing Mansion exterior was mostly used but parts of the interior were filmed during the last three (revived) seasons.

You can purchase tickets at the door or online. Most tickets are $16. Groups and seniors get a discount. Props from the show and some of the rooms used for filming are on the tour.

Bonus points for the Longhorn cows on the ranch.

Very nice place. We had a wedding rehearsal dinner here. Great property, good service, and neat place to visit.

I would recommend this place especially if your guests will be outside. The grounds are so nice and open.

Plus, you can see "Who shot JR room"

My day at Southfork Ranch started with a trail ride. The trail guide - Jackie - was an equestrian major. She did an outstanding job with the horses and guest, some of who have never straddled this form of transportation before. As an experienced rider, it did concern me the horses were not shod. There are several issues a horse can develop from not being shod, i,e,. Increased risk of injury due to a stone bruises, arthritis reduction for older horses and hoof protection overall. Forever Resorts need to have a large animal vet on staff or call. Disappointed to see the other animals being barbed did not have air
movement through the stables. Being raised on a ranch - I may be a little sensitive to their well being.

The house tour was awesome and Vicky, the host, knocked it out of the park. The landscaping could use some upkeep.

It would appear the management needs a project
manager that understands the meds of large animals and how to care for the property.

If it had not had been for the impressive attitude and customer service of Jackie and Vickie, the visit would have gotten a two.