1. 40 | PN June 2015
If everything really is big-
ger in Texas, then participants, volunteers and
attendees at the 35th annual National Veterans
Wheelchair Games (NVWG) should be in for a
heck of time when they roll into Dallas for the
June 21–26 Games.
Presented annually by Paralyzed Veterans
of America (PVA) and the Department of Veter-
ans Affairs (VA), the NVWG attracts hundreds
of participants from across the country. Inclu-
sion is a big focus of the Games, so partici-
pants can take part in four divisions, including
novice, open, masters and senior.
However, the NVWG is far more than just
a sporting event. Hosted this year by the PVA
Lone Star Chapter and the North Texas VA
Health Care System, the Games are also about
friendship, better health, participation, devel-
oping skills and effort.
Besides the 19 events set for this year’s
NVWG, there are also opportunities to expe-
rience and learn about new sports. Optional
clinics for handcycling, power soccer, basket-
ball, quad rugby and table tennis are sched-
uled throughout the Games.
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Conven-
tion Center in Dallas will be the main site
for the majority of the NVWG activities.
It’s located only a few minutes away from
the Games’ hotel, the Sheraton Dallas
Hotel (sheratondallashotel.com).
Games, friendship, art, history, tours, great
Southwestern food and more will all be
part of this month’s National Veterans
Wheelchair Games in Dallas.
Big GamesBig Gamesby Andy Nemann
©istock/PamelaMoore

2. June 2015 PN | 41
Obviously, participating and prepar-
ing for the various events will take plenty of
time and effort, but don’t forget to relax a bit,
explore Dallas and experience some of that
legendary Texas hospitality. Here are just a few
of the many things to check out in the area.
Go On Tour
Dallas is one of the largest metropolitan
areas in the country and trying to decide
what to see and do can be overwhelm-
ing. So, why not let a tour guide show you
around town?
Big D Fun Tours offers several differ-
ent tours aboard a wheelchair-accessible
trolley. Its Dallas Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
makes 16 stops and visits more than 100
points of interest. A similar tour, with-
out the hop on and off option, features a
70-minute tour of the city.
One of Dallas’ most infamous sites
is covered exclusively by Big D’s JFK
Tour. The one-hour, narrated tour takes
you back to President John F. Kennedy’s
assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, by follow-
ing the route of his presidential motorcade
through Dealey Plaza. The tour also allows
you to follow the minute-by-minute timeline
of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Big D Fun Tours asks for a 48-hour noti-
fication to arrange use of its wheelchair-
in The Big Din The Big D
Big D Fun
Tours features
several tour
options through
Dallas aboard
a wheelchair-
accessible trolley.
Courtesy of big d fun tours
map:©istock/drmakkoy
star:©istock/cmfotoworks
Courtesy of the Dallas Convention & Visitors bureau

3. 42 | PN June 2015
accessible trolley. For more information, visit
bigdfuntours.com.
Visit American History
The assassination of President Kennedy was
one of the darkest days in American history
and a guided tour isn’t the only way to get up
close and learn more about this event.
Just a little more than a mile west of the
Sheraton sits Dealey Plaza where Oswald shot
JFK from the sixth floor of the Texas School
Book Depository. Now known as the Dallas
County Administration Building, it houses
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on
the sixth and seventh floors.
The museum chronicles Kennedy’s assas-
sination, the government investigations
that followed and reflects upon his lasting
impact. Among the exhibits are the legendary
Zapruder film that captured the assassina-
tion and the actual sniper’s perch and storage
space where a rifle was found.
The plaza itself is a National Historic Land-
mark District and is largely unchanged since
1963. There is a sidewalk on the north side along
the infamous Grassy Knoll and Elm Street that
passes by the spot where Kennedy was shot.
However, the street is on a slight incline down.
The Sixth Floor Museum is wheelchair
friendly with an accessible entrance at the
northwest corner of the building. For more
information, visit jfk.org.
Head To The Top
Only a couple blocks away from Dealey Plaza
is possibly the most identifiable part of the
Dallas skyline and where you can find the best
view in town.
The 560-foot tall Reunion Tower is one of
the tallest observation towers in the United
States. The observation level, called the
“GeO-Deck,” provides a 360-degree view of
Dallas and the surrounding area. The deck
Dealey Plaza is a
National Historic
Landmark District
and has remained
largely unchanged
since President John
F. Kennedy was shot
there in 1963.
The Sixth Floor Museum at
Dealey Plaza, left, includes
the actual sniper’s perch that
overlooks Dealey Plaza.
CourtesyoftheDallasConvention&Visitorsbureau
Courtesy of the Dallas Convention & Visitors bureau
CourtesyoftheDallasConvention&Visitorsbureau

4. June 2015 PN | 43
features interactive displays, high-definition
zoom cameras, powerful telescopes and
indoor/outdoor viewing.
The tower is also home to a casual cafe and
a revolving, fine-dining restaurant, Five Sixty,
by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Reservations
are suggested for the restaurant (214-741-5560).
Reunion Tower is “completely accessible”
with easy access to each level.
For more information, visit
reuniontower.com.
Saddle Up
Checking out history and modern sites is great,
but this is Texas and you need to spend time
working on your inner cowboy or cowgirl.
If you’d like to dress western, then Wild
Bill’s Western Store (wildbillswestern.com) is
the place to start. Located only a few blocks from
Dealey Plaza, Wild Bill’s has been making cus-
tom boots and hats for more than 40 years. You
can watch as they use steam from a set of Texas
longhorns to shape and style a hat just for you.
Whether you
splurged for some new
duds or not, mosey on
over to Pioneer Plaza
right in front of the
convention center.
The more than four-
acre park features a
re-creation of a cattle
drive in bronze with
longhorn steers being
driven by three cow-
boys on horses. Not all
areas of the park are
The 560-foot tall
Reunion Tower is
one of the tallest
observation towers in
the United States and
offers amazing views
of the Dallas area.
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey
Plaza features many exhibits and
displays about President John F.
Kennedy and his assassination,
including the Zapruder film.
©istock/mihaiandritoiuCourtesyoftheDallasConvention&Visitorsbureau
Courtesy of the Dallas Convention & Visitors bureau

5. 44 | PN June 2015
wheelchair accessible,
but the park does have a
paved sidewalk.
Rolling around the
park or competing in
the Games should help
you work up quite an
appetite and there are
plenty of great West-
ern options nearby.
If you’ve got a hankering for barbecue, head
just across the street from Wild Bill’s to Sonny
Bryan’s Smokehouse (sonnybryans.com), which
has been around since 1910.
More Texas-themed food and fun can be
found just a couple of minutes south of the
Convention Center on Lamar Street at the
iconic Gilley’s Dallas (gilleysdallas.com). Home
of the Urban Cowboy legacy, Gilley’s features
burgers, live music and even armadillo racing.
Texas is also known for its great Tex-Mex
cuisine and one of the city’s best places for it is
BOTHPHOTOSCourtesyoftheDallasConvention&Visitorsbureau
CourtesyoftheDallasConvention&Visitorsbureau
The 5.2-acre Klyde
Warren Park is part of the
Dallas Arts District and
features paved trails and
plenty of green space.
Top: Pioneer Plaza
re-creates a cattle
drive in bronze with
longhorn steers being
driven by three
cowboys on horses.
Inset: Gilley’s Dallas
is home to the Urban
Cowboy legacy.

6. June 2015 PN | 45
just minutes from the Sheraton.
Pepe’s & Mito’s Mexican Cafe
(pepesandmitos.com) on Elm
Street has been named best Tex-
Mex restaurant by D Magazine
and has appeared on Diners,
Drive-Ins and Dives.
Get Artsy
Dallas is obviously well-known
for its western roots, but it’s
also a modern, cosmopolitan
city with the largest arts dis-
trict in the nation.
Only blocks from the Shera-
ton, the Dallas Arts District spans
68 acres and 19 contiguous blocks.
The district is comprised of muse-
ums, performance halls, corporate offices, residences, restau-
rants, churches and even a school.
One of the largest areas of the district is the 5.2-acre
Klyde Warren Park (klydewarrenpark.org). This award-win-
ning urban green space is built over an eight-lane freeway
and features paved trails, a dog park and a botanical garden.
Art museums are a big part of the district and the Dallas
Museum of Art (dma.org) is one of the largest in the nation.
The accessible museum features more than 22,000 pieces and
visitors can watch conservators preserve and restore art in the
Paintings Conservation Studio.
Just across the street is the unique Crow Collection of
Asian Art (crowcollection.org). The free and accessible col-
lection features permanent and rotating exhibitions of arts
from China, Japan, India and Southeast Asia.
There is so much more to do and see in the Dallas area,
including The George W. Bush Presidential Center on the
campus of Southern Methodist University and the famed
Fort Worth Stockyards, but some things are best to discover
on your own.
For more information on visiting the Dallas area, go to
visitdallas.com. n
CourtesyofDallasMuseumofArt
Courtesy of Dallas Museum of Art
Top and bottom: Located inside the Dallas Arts District, the Dallas Museum of Art is one of the largest in the nation with more than
22,000 pieces of art. The accessible museum also allows visitors to see conservators preserve and restore art.