Visiting Reunion Tower Dallas, Texas

When a friend in the UK booked a ticket to visit me in Dallas, I immediately started planning things to do and asked myself, what can visitors to Dallas do that is truly unique?  As it turns out the answer to this question is 560 feet in the air: The Reunion Tower, often referred to by locals as, The Ball.

You may have seen it in the opening credits of the television series Dallas. The geodesic dome known as Reunion Tower and the adjacent Hyatt Reunion Hotel became instant icons the day they opened. Reunion Tower was officially opened to the public in 1978. It was part of the fifty-acre Reunion Project, which included the construction of the Reunion Tower, the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion Hotel, Reunion Arena, and the renovation of the 1916-vintage Union Station.

Strategically located on the southwest edge of Dallas, the Tower, with its ever-changing light show, marks the entrance into downtown. If you’re staying at the Hyatt Regency Reunion Hotel, you’ll never be lost!

Since Dallas was built in the middle of a prairie (meaning it’s flat as a pancake), I thought the best way for my visitor to get a bird’s eye view of the area was to take him to Reunion Tower. To be honest, I wanted an excuse to go there myself to check out the recent renovations. 

Reunion Tower History

The original plan for the Reunion project was a hotel with a revolving restaurant on top. But that idea did not go over with the developers and it was decided that the revolving restaurant should have its own building. The result was the Reunion Tower, which included an observation deck with a 360-degree unobstructed view.

From the Reunion Tower website:

The observation deck was closed for repairs and renovations in the fall of 2007, and it underwent some minor renovations in 2008. Fast forward six years – on October 5, 2013, the re-engineered Geo-Deck (named for architect Buckminster Fuller’s “geodesic sphere,” the tower’s fabled shape) reopened to the public. The new Geo-Deck was completely re-imagined, full of engaging innovations including an interactive digital display named the “Halo,” high-powered zoom telescopes, walls and ceilings highlighted with color-changing lights, and a floor designed as a stylized map of the city.

Geo Deck

Reunion Tower is one of the few places in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that I get nostalgic about. It’s not only the best place for 360 degree views, the glow of city lights is especially magical at dusk.

Some of my favorite memories of the Reunion Tower and the Hyatt Hotel involve the salon and beauty trade shows hosted there.  I did makeup for Guy Kremer, Mahogany, Luis Romero, and many other top international hairdressers of the day. There were always late nights, parties, beautiful hair, wardrobe, and makeup. These guys were the rock stars of the hairdressing world, and the memories of working with them will always be tied to the Hyatt Reunion.

The Best time to visit Reunion Tower

  We planned to arrive at the Tower about an hour before sunset, so we could visit the newly remodeled observation deck (now called The Geo-Deck), and then take happy hour in the bar at Five Sixty, while enjoying the best possible view of Dallas. As luck would have it, it was a clear sunny day and we had a spectacular sunset that seemed to last forever.

The revolving restaurant has stood the test of time…there’s a fun vibe and it still feels very modern.  If you want to experience the restaurant and the view without breaking the bank, go for happy hour. 

FAQ:  Reunion Tower 

• As the tower prepared to open on April 15, 1978, local police officials were asked if the lighted ball would distract motorists. “Probably not,” was the reply. But within an hour and a half of the opening, traffic on highways leading to downtown came to a halt. Police and fire switchboards were overloaded for 15 minutes. Eventually, a police cruiser with a public address system was dispatched to Stemmons Freeway to admonish drivers to keep moving.
• At 560 feet tall, Reunion Tower is the fifteenth tallest building in Dallas.
• The district was named after “La Reunion,” a local utopian settlement of French, Belgian, and Swiss immigrants founded in the 1850s and later incorporated into the city of Dallas.
• The floor of Five Sixty rotates at a speed of one revolution per hour. On a clear day, you can see Fort Worth, thirty-two miles away.
• There are 259 custom LED light fixtures at the intersections of the aluminum struts that form the dome.

FAQ is from the Reunion Tower website.

It’s human nature to take for granted things and places we see on a daily basis. I have friends that live in the most magical places in the UK and they never think twice about it. As many times as I’ve been to the Hyatt Regency Reunion Hotel for video production jobs over the years,  it had been over two decades since I visited Reunion Tower. Now that I’ve reacquainted myself with how magical it truly is, I’m adding it to my list of regular haunts in Dallas.

Reunion Tower and Geo Deck Updates 2025

There’s a swanky new restaurant at Reunion Tower called Crown Block. The views are just as amazing as always but the restaurant no longer rotates. The food got an iffy review from D Magazine. I say go and have a drink. 

If you’re going only to visit the Geo Deck there’s an admission and it’s not cheap.  If you don’t want to have dinner at Crown Block maybe consider going for a cocktail and this way you can still get the great views. The Geo  Deck is at 470 feet. There are interactive maps and hi-def telescopes for viewing. 

Is Reunion Tower worth a visit?

If you’ve never been to Dallas before and you like views, I’d say yes. If you’re staying at the hotel, definitely. However, if you don’t want to shell out the fee for the observation deck, maybe go to the rooftop bar at the Statler Hilton for views and a completely different atmosphere.