Reunion Tower lets you see why they call Dallas “Big D.” On a clear day, from the observation deck you have a 360-degree view stretching for 13 miles in any direction. In 2013, the restored observation deck 470 feet above the streets reopened with a new indoor GeO-Deck that includes touch-screen monitors and a snack bar. Visitors can still walk around the outdoor deck for a nearly unfettered view of the city through free telescopes.

Credit: Photos by Gerald E. McLeod

The tower was completed along with the adjacent Hyatt Regency Hotel in 1978. The top three floors of the tower are surrounded by a geodesic frame illuminated with 259 LED lights that are computer-controlled to generate different patterns and colors. “The Orb,” as some Dallasites call it, hangs over downtown at night like a glowing golf ball. The touch-screen monitors in the GeO-Deck are easy to use and offer several options to explore the scenery. The seven-minute video about the Kennedy assassination is an eyewitness account by Clinton Hill, the Secret Service agent who jumped on the trunk of the limousine right after the president was shot.

The Tower is at 300 Reunion Blvd., a few blocks south of Dealey Plaza where JFK was murdered. The observation deck is open daily, except on Christmas, and hours are adjusted seasonally. A commuter rail station is across the street. More info at www.reuniontower.com.

1,273rd in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips,” is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 40312, South Austin, TX 78704.

This article appears in December 18 • 2015.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.