Free Irving Travel Guide & Mobile App

Plan your Irving trip with Evendo. Get free guides to top attractions, restaurants, hotels, and bars. Web access or download the mobile app.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play Download the Free PDF guide
Irving
Irving photo 2
Irving photo 3
All photos

Irving, Texas combines Las Colinas canals, historic museums, live entertainment, international dining and North Texas attractions near DFW Airport.

A City Between Dallas and Fort Worth

Irving occupies a strategic position in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area, close to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and within easy reach of both major city centres. Its landscape shifts noticeably from the established streets and civic buildings of downtown Irving to the office towers, canals and landscaped promenades of Las Colinas. This contrast gives the city an identity of its own: part historic North Texas settlement, part carefully planned business and entertainment district.
Read more about Irving

From Heritage District to Las Colinas

The Heritage District preserves Irving’s older civic character around Main Street, while the canals of Las Colinas reflect the ambitious late twentieth-century development that transformed former ranchland into a commercial and residential centre. The bronze Mustangs of Las Colinas, one of the largest equestrian sculptures in the world, provide a memorable focal point beside Williams Square. Nearby, the Mandalay Canal offers a calmer setting of bridges, waterside paths and Mediterranean-inspired architecture. At the Toyota Music Factory, concerts, comedy and dining bring a contemporary rhythm to the area.

Museums, Arts and Local Life

Irving’s cultural attractions include the Irving Arts Center, the National Scouting Museum and the Ruth Paine House Museum, which explores the home’s place in the history surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The city’s restaurants reflect the wider metropolitan area’s international character, with Tex-Mex, barbecue and Mexican cooking joined by South Asian, Vietnamese, Korean and other global cuisines. Parks, golf courses and open spaces add a recreational dimension, while DFW Airport and the surrounding business districts give Irving a distinctly connected, work-oriented energy.

When is the best time to visit Irving?

Best: March–April, October · 22–26°C
Average daytime high and rainfall by month
MonthHigh (°C)Rainfall (mm)
January1645
February1850
March (best)2260
April (best)2675
May3195
June3455
July3635
August3640
September3375
October (best)2680
November2070
December1560

Getting to and around Irving

How to get there

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the principal gateway for Irving and serves extensive domestic and international air connections; airport terminals and ground transport are spread across a very large site. The city is also reachable by the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Orange Line, which links parts of Irving and Las Colinas with destinations including downtown Dallas and DART’s wider network. Road access is substantial, with major highways such as State Highway 114, State Highway 183, Interstate 635 and President George Bush Turnpike serving different parts of the city. Intercity rail and coach travellers generally arrive through Dallas or Fort Worth and continue by local transport, hired car or rideshare.

Transportation

Irving is geographically dispersed, so a car, hired vehicle or rideshare is often the most practical way to combine the Heritage District, Las Colinas, the airport area and outlying neighbourhoods. The DART Orange Line serves rail stations in Irving and Las Colinas, while local buses cover additional corridors. Las Colinas has the Las Colinas Area Personal Transit system, an automated people-mover intended for circulation within the district, though visitors should check current operating arrangements. Walking is pleasant around the Mandalay Canal, Williams Square and parts of the Heritage District, but these areas are not connected by one continuous pedestrian network.

Best attractions in Irving

Irving’s attractions range from the landscaped waterways of Las Colinas to museums and performance spaces rooted in local and national history. At Williams Square, the bronze Mustangs of Las Colinas appear to gallop across a fountain plaza, while the nearby Mandalay Canal provides bridges, promenades and waterside architecture for a slower exploration. The Toyota Music Factory combines concerts, comedy and dining in a major entertainment complex. The Irving Arts Center presents exhibitions, theatre and community arts programming, and the National Scouting Museum traces the history and objects of the Scouting movement. At the Ruth Paine House Museum, guided interpretation examines the modest Irving home’s connection to the events surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The Heritage District offers a different atmosphere, with older civic buildings, local businesses and streets that reveal the city’s pre-Las Colinas identity.

Show more attractions

Best landmarks in Irving

The Mustangs of Las Colinas are Irving’s most recognisable public landmark: a monumental bronze herd designed by Robert Glen to evoke the movement of wild horses across the Texas landscape. Their setting at Williams Square forms part of the visual identity of the planned Las Colinas district, whose Mandalay Canal is another defining feature, with waterways, bridges and Mediterranean-influenced buildings arranged as an urban landscape. The Irving Arts Center represents the city’s civic commitment to visual and performing arts, while the Old Irving Heritage District preserves the architectural and municipal character of the earlier town. The Ruth Paine House Museum is significant less for monumental design than for its place in modern American history and its careful preservation of a mid-century suburban home. Together, these sites express Irving’s evolution from prairie settlement to regional business centre.

Show more landmarks

Explore Irving on the map

Plan your Irving trip on one map. See where the top attractions, landmarks, restaurants, bars and hotels are, find what's near where you're staying, and book hotels and experiences in a few clicks.

Neighbourhoods in Irving

Best restaurants in Irving

Irving’s dining scene reflects both North Texas traditions and the international population drawn to its airport, corporate districts and neighbourhoods. Texas-style barbecue and Tex-Mex remain essential regional reference points, while Mexican restaurants, taquerias and bakeries add depth beyond familiar tourist menus. Around Las Colinas, Valley Ranch and the MacArthur corridor, visitors will find a broad selection of South Asian, Vietnamese, Korean, Middle Eastern and other international cooking, as well as contemporary American restaurants and cafés. The city’s food culture is generally neighbourhood-based rather than concentrated in one historic market quarter, so a car or rideshare can be useful when exploring different areas. Hotel and business districts provide additional dining choices, while the Toyota Music Factory combines restaurants and casual food options with evening entertainment. Local dining ranges from quick counter service to polished meals in waterside or corporate settings.

Show more restaurants

Best bars in Irving

Irving’s evening life is centred more on live entertainment, restaurants and social venues than on a dense nightclub strip. The Toyota Music Factory is the city’s principal after-dark anchor, hosting concerts, comedy and other performances alongside bars and dining spaces. In Las Colinas, the Mandalay Canal and nearby commercial areas create a more relaxed setting for drinks and evening meals, with activity varying according to events and the business calendar. Hotel bars around the airport and Las Colinas serve visitors and corporate travellers, while the Heritage District offers a more local, low-key atmosphere. Large concerts and sporting events in the wider Dallas–Fort Worth area can substantially change traffic and demand. Visitors should check individual venue arrangements in advance, particularly for age restrictions, ticketed performances and transport after late events.

Show more bars

Best nightclubs in Irving

Irving’s evening life is centred more on live entertainment, restaurants and social venues than on a dense nightclub strip. The Toyota Music Factory is the city’s principal after-dark anchor, hosting concerts, comedy and other performances alongside bars and dining spaces. In Las Colinas, the Mandalay Canal and nearby commercial areas create a more relaxed setting for drinks and evening meals, with activity varying according to events and the business calendar. Hotel bars around the airport and Las Colinas serve visitors and corporate travellers, while the Heritage District offers a more local, low-key atmosphere. Large concerts and sporting events in the wider Dallas–Fort Worth area can substantially change traffic and demand. Visitors should check individual venue arrangements in advance, particularly for age restrictions, ticketed performances and transport after late events.

Show more nightclubs

Best shops in Irving

Shopping in Irving is distributed among suburban centres, entertainment districts and neighbourhood retail corridors rather than concentrated in one traditional bazaar. Las Colinas offers shops and lifestyle businesses around its offices, residences, canals and entertainment venues, while Irving Mall provides a conventional indoor shopping environment with chain retailers and services. MacArthur Boulevard and Valley Ranch contain further everyday retail, restaurants and specialist businesses. The city’s international communities are reflected in South Asian, Middle Eastern, East Asian and Latin American food shops, bakeries and small retailers, where visitors may find spices, sweets, prepared foods and imported ingredients. For keepsakes, locally themed gifts connected with Texas, the Mustangs or the wider Dallas–Fort Worth region are more typical than a single signature Irving handicraft. Shopping is easiest by car, since the city’s retail areas are widely separated.

Show more shops

Get your free copy of our complete guide to Irving, delivered straight to you.

Everything on this page, from attractions and restaurants to essentials and local phrases, in one PDF you can read offline, print or share.

Already have an account? Sign in

By clicking Create account, you accept the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Irving essentials

Currency and Payment
The currency is the US dollar, written as USD or with the $ symbol. Credit and debit cards, including contactless payments, are widely accepted at hotels, restaurants, shops, museums and entertainment venues, although smaller businesses or temporary vendors may still prefer a physical card or cash. ATMs are available in commercial areas, hotels and at the airport; international visitors should check their bank’s foreign transaction and cash-withdrawal charges. Prices normally exclude sales tax, which is added at the till, and restaurant bills commonly require a separate tip for table service.
Safety
Irving is a spread-out metropolitan city, and sensible urban precautions remain appropriate. Keep valuables out of sight in parked cars, take care around busy entertainment areas and use well-lit routes after dark, particularly when walking alone near quiet office or canal sections. Traffic can be fast and roads wide, so pedestrians should use marked crossings and take care at multi-lane junctions. During hot weather, carry water and limit strenuous outdoor activity during the afternoon. Visitors using airport, hotel or entertainment shuttles should confirm the collection point before travelling, as large sites can have several separate loading areas.
Emergency Situations
In the United States, call 911 for police, fire or urgent medical assistance; the number is free from mobile and landline phones. Give the dispatcher Irving’s street address, a nearby landmark or the location of the relevant hotel, venue or airport terminal, and describe the emergency clearly. For non-urgent police matters, use the local department’s published non-emergency contact rather than 911. Visitors with medical needs should carry identification, insurance details and a list of medicines, and should note that emergency treatment in the United States can be expensive without suitable travel insurance.
Do's and Don'ts
Tip restaurant servers, bartenders, taxi drivers and other service workers when customary, as gratuities are an important part of many US service wages; check whether a gratuity has already been added to a large group bill. Queue patiently, respect venue security procedures and follow posted rules at museums and performance spaces. At the Ruth Paine House Museum and other sites connected with serious historical events, maintain a respectful tone. Do not underestimate distances between districts, assume that every area is walkable or cross a road outside marked crossings. Texas heat also makes water, sun protection and sensible clothing practical necessities.
Local Tips
Think of Irving as several linked districts rather than one compact centre: begin with the Heritage District for local history, Las Colinas for canals, sculpture and entertainment, and the airport corridor for transport convenience. The Irving Arts Center and National Scouting Museum add cultural variety beyond the best-known Las Colinas sights. Travellers interested in twentieth-century American history can set aside time for the Ruth Paine House Museum, subject to its visiting arrangements. Because traffic affects the entire Dallas–Fort Worth area, allow generous margins for airport transfers, concerts and journeys across the city, especially at weekday peak periods.
Eve, your Evendo local guide

From Eve

Local phrases worth knowing

You don't need to get them perfect. A few words go a long way, and locals appreciate the effort.

6 phrase groups · English, local and pronunciation

Basics
EnglishLocalSay it
HelloHowdy[haw-dee]
GoodbyeSee ya later[see yuh lay-ter]
YesYup[yuhp]
NoNah[nuh]
Please/You're welcomePlease/No problem[pleez/no prob-lem]
Thank youThanks[thanks]
Excuse me/SorryExcuse me/My bad[ex-kyooz mee/my bad]
How are you?How y'all doin'?[how y'all doin']
Fine. And you?Fine. And you?[fine. and yuh?]
Do you speak English?Y'all speak English?[y'all speak ing-glish?]
I don't understandI don't get it[I don't get it]
Eating & Drinking
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to see the menu, pleaseCan I check out the menu?[can eye chek out the menu?]
I don't eat meatI don't eat meat[I don't eat meat]
Cheers!Cheers![cheers!]
I would like to pay, pleaseI'd like to settle up, please[I'd like to set-tle up, please]
Emergencies
EnglishLocalSay it
Help!Help![help!]
Go away!Get outta here![get out-ta here!]
Call the Police!Call the 5-0![call the 5-0!]
Call a doctor!Call a doc![call a doc!]
I'm lostI'm lost[I'm lost]
I'm illI'm sick[I'm sick]
Shopping
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to buy...I'm fixin' to buy...[I'm fixin' to buy...]
I'm just lookingI'm just lookin'[I'm just lookin']
How much is it?How much does it cost?[how much does it cost?]
That's too expensiveThat's too pricey[that's too pricey]
Can you lower the price?Can you cut the price?[can you cut the price?]
Time & Numbers
EnglishLocalSay it
What time is it?What's the time?[what's the time?]
It's one o'clockIt's one o'clock[It's one o'clock]
Half past (10)Half past (10)[Half past (10)]
MorningMorning[Morning]
AfternoonAfternoon[Afternoon]
EveningEvening[Evening]
YesterdayYesterday[Yesterday]
TodayToday[Today]
TomorrowTomorrow[Tomorrow]
1One[wun]
2Two[too]
3Three[three]
4Four[four]
5Five[fahyv]
6Six[siks]
7Seven[sev-uhn]
8Eight[ayt]
9Nine[nahyn]
10Ten[ten]
Transport & Directions
EnglishLocalSay it
Where's a/the...?Where's the...?[where's the...?]
What's the address?What's the address?[what's the address?]
Can you show me (on the map)?Can you show me (on the map)?[Can you show me (on the map)?]
When's the next (bus)?When's the next (bus)?[When's the next (bus)?]
A ticket (to ....)A ticket (to ....)[A ticket (to ....)]

History of Irving

Settlement on the Texas Blackland Prairie

The area that became Irving lies within the North Texas prairie, a region long used and travelled by Indigenous peoples, including communities associated with the wider Caddo and Comanche worlds. Anglo-American settlement expanded during the nineteenth century after Texas joined the United States, encouraged by land development, farming and transport links. Small agricultural settlements formed around the fertile prairie, where cotton, grain and livestock shaped everyday life. Irving’s early story was therefore connected to the broader transformation of North Texas from Indigenous homeland and open ranching country into a landscape of farms, roads, railways and growing towns.

The Town Founded by Schulze and Brown

Irving is generally traced to the 1850s, when J.O. Schulze and Otis Brown established a settlement in the developing agricultural district. The founders are said to have chosen the name Irving in honour of Washington Irving, the American writer whose work was widely familiar in nineteenth-century America. The community developed gradually rather than as an instant frontier boomtown, relying on surrounding farms and regional trade. Irving was formally incorporated in 1903, giving the settlement an organised municipal structure and laying the civic foundation for the town that would later expand far beyond its original scale.

Agriculture, Railways and Civic Growth

During the early twentieth century, Irving remained closely tied to agriculture while improving roads, schools, businesses and municipal services. Rail connections and the growth of nearby Dallas and Fort Worth strengthened access to regional markets, even as the town retained the social character of a smaller North Texas community. Cotton and other farm products were important to the local economy, but Irving’s location increasingly encouraged commercial and residential development. The older streets and civic buildings associated with the Heritage District reflect this period of gradual town building, before post-war expansion reshaped the settlement’s scale and economic direction.

Post-war Expansion and Regional Connectivity

After the Second World War, population growth across the Dallas–Fort Worth area accelerated, and Irving changed from an agricultural town into a substantial suburban municipality. New housing, schools, roads and businesses spread across former farmland. The opening of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 1974, on land within and between the surrounding municipalities, reinforced Irving’s strategic position and encouraged hotel, logistics, office and service industries. The city’s proximity to major motorways and the airport made it increasingly attractive to corporate activity, while modern development began to sit alongside the older town centre.

Las Colinas and the Modern City

The development of Las Colinas from the 1970s transformed a large tract of former ranchland into a master-planned urban district of offices, residences, hotels, waterways and public spaces. The project, associated with developer Ben Carpenter, introduced the Mandalay Canal and the Williams Square Mustangs as defining features of Irving’s contemporary image. Corporate growth, entertainment venues and new neighbourhoods continued to expand the city’s economic base. Today, the Heritage District, Las Colinas and the airport corridor express different stages of Irving’s development, from agricultural settlement to a connected centre within one of the United States’ largest metropolitan regions.

Irving in Photos

Browse through our photo collection highlighting the charm and character of the destination.

0 / 0

Cities near Irving

The closest cities to Irving, if you have time for more than one stop.

Explore more

Texas
More of the region

Explore more of Texas

Discover the diverse landscapes, rich history, vibrant cities, and culinary delights of Texas, the Lone Star State, where adventure and culture await at every turn.

Explore Texas
The Evendo app on two phones

Evendo - Your Ultimate Travel Guide to Irving, Texas

Discover the best of Irving with Evendo, your 100% free app-based travel guide covering attractions, landmarks, restaurants, and more.

  • Detailed information on attractions, landmarks, shops, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, tours, experiences, and activities
  • Rich set of information including images, descriptions, local tips, maps, and contact details
  • Easy booking for hotels, tours, tickets, and experiences
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play
More about the Evendo app

Unlock the hidden gems of Irving, Texas with Evendo. Your all-in-one travel guide app for attractions, landmarks, restaurants, and more. Download now!

  • Travel essentials and local advice
  • User-friendly navigation and 'Near Me' feature
  • Curated local tips for an authentic experience
  • 100% free with no in-app purchases
  • Global coverage of over 7,000 destinations

Planning a trip to Irving, Texas? Let Evendo be your ultimate guide. Our free app provides detailed information on all the best attractions, landmarks, shops, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, tours, experiences, and activities in Irving. Imagine exploring the stunning Mustangs of Las Colinas, the tranquility of the Mandalay Canal Walk, or the thrilling rides at the Toyota Music Factory. With Evendo, you get rich information, including images, descriptions, local tips, maps, and contact details, making it incredibly easy to plan and organize your trip.

Not only can you discover amazing new places, but you can also book hotels, tours, tickets, and experiences directly within the app. No more searching multiple websites for what to see, do, and experience. It’s all here, in one place. Imagine dining at the famous Via Real Restaurant or enjoying a night out at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

The app also features essential travel tips, easy navigation, and a 'Near Me' feature that shows you what's around you, no matter where you are. Curated local tips ensure you experience Irving like a local. And the best part? Evendo is completely free with no in-app purchases or additional costs. Plus, it covers over 7,000 other destinations worldwide, so your next adventure is just a tap away.

Get the latest from Evendo

Hand-picked travel deals, new destination guides and trip ideas, straight to your inbox.