Leonhardt Lagoon at Fair Park

Registered as a Dallas Landmark and National Historic Landmark, Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex. Constructed in 1936 at Fair Park for the Texas Centennial Exposition, the Leonhardt Lagoon is named for philanthropist Dorothea Leonhardt. Restored in the 1980s, the lagoon was drained, cleared of excess vegetation and replanted with native Texas plants that would restore the lagoon’s ecological balance. In 1986, the center of the lagoon welcomed two serpentine gunite-and-steel sculptures fashioned by artist Pat Johanson that resemble large entwining plant forms that create a bridge for visitors to traverse. The lagoon also offers swan boat rides and the Leonhardt Lagoon Nature Walk, which has 25 numbered markers and four descriptive panels that highlight the birds, insects, plants, trees, fish and other wildlife that live at the lagoon.

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