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SOUTHFORK RANCH

Now you can visit the Ewing Mansion

The ranch known to television viewers across the world as the home to the infamous Ewing Family celebrates twenty years of the long-running hit series "Dallas" in 1998. Viewers in 96 countries have made "Dallas" one of the most successful series in the history of television, and its legacy is still felt today.

The ranch, including the famed Ewing Mansion, was recognized for years as the backdrop for series favorites like Ewing rodeos and barbecues, breakfasts with Miss Ellie, family skirmishes, and the other daily activities that were associated with the "Dallas" lifestyle portrayed on-screen from 1978 through 1991. Now, more than twenty years after the series began, the ranch that served as the home to J.R., Bobby, Sue Ellen, and Miss Ellie operates as both a tourist attraction and an event and conference center.

Hosting more than 1,300 private parties and attracting several hundred thousand visitors each year, Southfork has prospered in the years since "Dallas" left the air. After 12 million dollars in renovations to the Ewing Mansion and the 63,000 square foot event center, Southfork now includes event capabilities for groups as small as eight and as large as 10,000.

Several new components have been added to the facility during its expansion. A "Dallas Legends" exhibit allows guests the chance to re-kindle their "Dallas" memories, showcasing clips from the series and famous props like the gun that sot J.R. in the renowned 1980 cliffhanger. Two retail stores give guests the chance to experience true "Dallas" shopping, and "Miss Ellie’s Deli" serves visitors homemade soups and sandwiches in the shadow of the Ewing Mansion.

The anniversary excitement will continue throughout 1998, as Southfork anticipates its busiest year ever. The daily broadcast of the original series on The Nashville Network (TNN) has elevated viewer interest, providing the ability for former "Dallas" devotees to view the program three times each weekday and attracting an entire new generation of "Dallas" viewers. The reunion movie "J.R. Returns", originally broadcast in November 1996, was one of the most-watched television movies of 1996, and the reunion sequel "War of the Ewings", filmed at the ranch in 1997, was broadcast in April of this year.

Located twenty miles north of downtown Dallas, Southfork is open daily, year ‘round for guided tours, private parties, conventions, meetings, and special events, proof that history is still unfolding at the world’s most famous ranch.

Southfork is owned and operated by Forever Resorts, a national resorts company with 23 properties across the U.S. including Signal Mountain Lodge at Grand Teton National Park, the Rocky Mountain Park Company, and luxury houseboat rentals on Lake Mead.

(MM)

Southfork Ranch

Dallas, TX 75251 USA.
Phone: 972 442 7800
Fax: 972 442 5259

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Copyright 1995-2008 TravelLady Magazine

Copyright 1995-2008 TravelLady Magazine