Deep Ellum Travel Guide

Dallas's coolest district is Deep Ellum , five blocks east of downtown between the railroad tracks and I-30 at Elm and Main streets. Famous in the 1920s for its jazz and blues clubs (and supposedly named by Blind Lemon Jefferson, though it's more likely to stem from the Southern pronunciation of "elm"), the old warehouse district now accommodates avant-garde galleries, theaters, hip clothes stores and excellent restaurants and clubs. To the despair of its original inhabitants, prices are rocketing as the area drifts mainstream. However, rebellious and nonconformist nature makes a great antidote to the prevalent stuffiness of Dallas.