Pioneer Plaza is more than just your ordinary park. A bronze ensemble of lifelike cattle punctuates this 4.2-acre (1.6 hectare) park overlooking City Hall and the Dallas Convention Center. Nationally-acclaimed artist and native Texan Robert Summers is the artistic force behind the unique sculptures. The 70 bronze steers memorialize the cattle drives that took place along the Shawnee Trail back in 1854.
Dallas' Central Public Library's namesake is J. Erik Jonsson, a civic leader who worked for Texas Instruments. In honor of his heritage, the library has a handcrafted scale model of an eighth-century Viking ship, the Drakkar, in permanent exhibit on the second floor Children's Center. The library's copy of the Declaration of Independence may be viewed in the Declaration of Independence Room on the seventh floor. While there you should check out the First Folio, the authentic first printing (in 1623) of William Shakespeare's plays. If your visit is more literary in nature, roomy aisles and shelves hold a tremendous collection worthy of a large city's main library. The wooden library tables and chairs create a comfortable atmosphere in which to study or read for enjoyment.