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.

What a total disappointment. The "tour" is more like an attempt to capitalize on the people who once enjoyed Dallas. My sister was visiting and she wanted to go so I agreed. Driving up to the property was more exciting than reaching it and seeing how run down it is and so very small. We paid the entry fee, went through the "museum" which housed memorabilia and photos of the hit series. We then got on a tram pulled by a John Deere tractor to the main house where the series was "filmed." We had an almost 20 minute history lesson on the property, series, and whatever else was interesting. Then we were told to walk the property at our leisure, sans map or information on the property. The home was much smaller than expected, the property was set up more for revenue generating opportunities, which is fine, but having a cafe or something for people to enjoy a snack or drink would be nice. I would not recommend this to anyone unless they are mega Dallas fans and want to experience ranch living 40 years later.

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.

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 cashThere 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 ;)

Growing up watching the show late 80'and early 90's was an awesome experience loved it!

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

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.

Seeing Southfork has been on my bucket list since the 80s when I watched the show in Germany with my parents. Watching Dallas was my first introduction to American culture. My experience clearly wasn't unique because our tour group consisted of people from all over the world, and only one American couple. I had expected we would be the only visitors but quite to the contrary, there were bus loads of tourists. From the large parking lot, you fist enter a modern visitor center where souvenirs and tour tickets are sold. There is a small museum with pictures, video and props from the show. The gun used to shoot JR anyone? A white tram then takes you to the house, with some commentary along the way. The house is so small in real life. Both our tram driver and our tour guide were engaging and made the tour interesting by telling stories about filming, both about the stars and the actual owners. Turns out only outdoor scenes were actually filmed here in the summer. Pictures are allowed everywhere, you can even sit at the famous breakfast table and have your picture taken by the pool. After the tour you are free to roam the grounds and see Jock Ewings' car in a side building. On the way out, we took some pictures in front of 'gate 3" the famous Southfork gate seen in every episode that faces the main road. Even my husband, who has never seen the show, enjoyed the experience. Look Mom, I went to Southfork!

They closed early, just as we arrived, due to a water break by construction laborers. That's okay, it happens. What is not okay is being told by the site manager that it was okay to walk around for 30 minutes and then be told twice by staff that we were trespassing. Either get some walkie-talkies, or train staff to be more respectful to guests. Better yet, how about both.