John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza

John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza

John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza
4
About
This simple monument to the slain president was built on a plaza adjacent to the Texas School Book Depository building.
Duration: < 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Downtown Dallas
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Lentara71
    Houston, Texas140 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This is a great memorial to remember the President and self reflect the things he stood for.
    A must-see for a trip to Dallas, TX. The memorial signifies what the President stood for. It is shaped to block out the outside sounds and is quiet inside. We came during the day and it was a great pensive experience.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 30 September 2023
  • Ace5150
    Nuneaton, United Kingdom112 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting memorial
    An interesting if not unremarkable monument to assassinated President Kennedy. It probably symbolises something, but the design is lost on me. Over the years, exhaust fumes from vehicles have stained the once bright white concrete, now it looks a tired beige in parts. Unfortunately, when I visited it, a few homeless people were gathering. They weren't intimidating or threatening, but certainly unwelcome. It's a monument that appears to be unfinished, don't ask me why.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 2 January 2024
  • Celine D
    United States7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Kennedy’s life and legacy
    The John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza in Dallas carries a quiet, haunting presence. When you step into the open-air monument, there’s an overwhelming sense of stillness, as if time pauses for reflection. Designed by Philip Johnson, its simple, almost stark concrete walls form a square enclosure, leaving the sky open above, which gives the feeling of both isolation and connection. Standing there, you can’t help but think about the profound impact of Kennedy’s life and legacy. The design, minimal yet thoughtful, leaves room for personal emotions to rise, offering a peaceful space to honor his memory without distraction. Being so close to Dealey Plaza adds to its emotional weight—it’s a place of remembrance that feels both personal and deeply tied to a pivotal moment in history.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 8 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles999 reviews
Excellent
359
Very good
308
Average
236
Poor
60
Terrible
36

Jeramie
Marion, IL1,339 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021 • Couples
This memorial was disappointing at best. It was designed as a tribute to an American president that met his fate on a nearby street but it lacked depth. There is not a statue or a bust…it’s simply four walls that need cleaned or painted.
Written 2 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lamarbradley
Nashville, TN1,258 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
If you are expecting something inspirational or something poignant, you are in for a disappointment. When I saw this from the outside, I thought I must be missing something greater on the inside. Boy, was I wrong. After walking inside, you get a WTH? moment. This is nuts. It's just a bare concrete wall. The tour guide explained that Jackie Kennedy wanted something ugly in Dallas to remind folks of the ugly thing that happened to him there. I kind of get it- Jackie was devastated, but I think if it were up to me, I would want something nice to remind the nation of what kind of man JFK was. C'mon, Jackie- it wasn't Dallas' fault.
It would be as if Mary Lincoln wanted some garish monstrosity built in Washington DC to remind visitors of the terrible thing that happened to her husband there. We didn't get that. We got the iconic Lincoln Memorial, which has been the backdrop of historic speeches, movies, is visited by millions and millions every year and is even on currency and coins of the US. One thing I can say for certain, the JFK Memorial in Dallas will never be featured on any US currency or coins. It is atrocious. You won't need to waste your time walking to see this because many tours begin here, but if you are not taking a tour, don't bother walking over to see this. You will be disappointed at the missed opportunity to build something nice to honor the memory of JFK.
Written 13 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Celine D
United States7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Friends
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza in Dallas carries a quiet, haunting presence. When you step into the open-air monument, there’s an overwhelming sense of stillness, as if time pauses for reflection. Designed by Philip Johnson, its simple, almost stark concrete walls form a square enclosure, leaving the sky open above, which gives the feeling of both isolation and connection. Standing there, you can’t help but think about the profound impact of Kennedy’s life and legacy. The design, minimal yet thoughtful, leaves room for personal emotions to rise, offering a peaceful space to honor his memory without distraction. Being so close to Dealey Plaza adds to its emotional weight—it’s a place of remembrance that feels both personal and deeply tied to a pivotal moment in history.
Written 9 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lentara71
Houston, TX140 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
A must-see for a trip to Dallas, TX.

The memorial signifies what the President stood for. It is shaped to block out the outside sounds and is quiet inside.

We came during the day and it was a great pensive experience.
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Reviews_by_Lee
Austin, TX117 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
not much to say as it is just a bunch of concrete columns with a black square in the middle. Nothing to really see. Certainly wasn't worth the 20 minute walk thru the "interesting" downtown streets with the homeless people to see it.
Written 28 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

craig1086
Atlanta, GA1,872 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020 • Friends
Came here expecting more. For such a legacy of JFK, I expected something more elaborate. But once you go inside, it gets noticeably quiet. Definitely a somber place, but a simple memorial. A sign of the times back then I guess, so maybe it's fitting.
Written 7 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jessica S
Colorado Springs, CO7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
The tour was divided up perfectly in sections. We didn’t walk far but we didn’t even notice as Preston’s information was spellbinding. Also, when people had to pee urgently at the break, he dropped us off, and met everyone at the bathrooms with codes. It’s just so nice when the expectations meet reality. Thank you for an exceptional half day.
Written 5 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ZuniCody
Springfield, VA55 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
This "memorial" is bizarre. A concrete box with a marble pedestal inside and nothing on it.

I visited with a friend from Dallas. When he told me about it I thought he was joking. This pathetic thing kind of made me sad, for JFK's legacy and for Dallas. Maybe that was the point.
Written 6 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ace5150
Nuneaton, UK112 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Solo
An interesting if not unremarkable monument to assassinated President Kennedy.
It probably symbolises something, but the design is lost on me.
Over the years, exhaust fumes from vehicles have stained the once bright white concrete, now it looks a tired beige in parts.
Unfortunately, when I visited it, a few homeless people were gathering. They weren't intimidating or threatening, but certainly unwelcome.
It's a monument that appears to be unfinished, don't ask me why.
Written 2 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tisha Y
Oakland City, IN146 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2021
There were some things about this memorial that I liked and some that I didn't. The grounds are very average.. People were selling their books at tables inside the actual memorial Just sort of messy and unorganized. That was a turn off for me. The water effects around it are very nice and well maintained. The highlight for me was standing in between where he was shot and the upper window in the repository. My husband and I really got a feel for how it may have happened that day in 1963. I think there should be a little more information or Portraits of JKF and Jackie to remind us who they were. I am really glad I went. Overall it is a beautiful place and I hope people will always treat it with respect.
Written 1 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 795
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza, Dallas

All Dallas HotelsDallas Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Dallas
All things to do in Dallas
Day Trips in Dallas
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesCar Hire