I’ve lived in Dallas for a full year now, and I’ve hosted my parents, my brother, and several friends for weekends in the Big D. I’m going to tell you how I’d spend my ideal weekend in Dallas so that you can plan your trip to Dallas like a local!
Dallas gets around 100 days that reach 100 degrees per year, so it’s likely that your weekend in Dallas will be perfect for spending time outdoors and on patios.
For young people, Dallas culture is pools, brunch, and White Claw. Dallas is NOT cowboys (except for Dem Boys), horses, and accents. In fact, it’s the 7th largest metro area in the US and behaves as any other city would.
So, let’s say you’re my guest. Here’s how we’d spend a weekend in Dallas together:
Friday:
Welcome to the Big D. If you’re my guest, I’ll get you from the airport. However, the train straight to downtown only takes 40 minutes and costs $2. At 5 pm on a Friday, you’re better off taking the train because traffic is outrageous here. What is a 20-minute car ride on Sunday is 45 minutes or more on a Friday during rush hour.
6PM, Friday:
I’m going to take you to Deep Ellum to fill our bellies with the best tacos in Texas. Ruins has over 200 types of Mezcal and 200 types of Tequila behind the bar, so margaritas are a requirement. The pobre guey taco is the best bean and cheese taco you’ll ever eat. Depending on our appetites, they have a dessert waffle made of churro dough and top it off with cotija ice cream – I’ve made the trek over there several times just for the dessert!
We’ll go home, relax, and get ready to go out.
10PM, Friday:
We’ll head over to British Beverage Co (BBC) in uptown for live cover band music and dancing until the bars close.
Some people will choose to go back to Deep Ellum because it’s only a $7 uber ride and there’s a dueling piano bar, a salsa bar, and others that are a blast, but this is MY ideal weekend in Dallas, so we’re going to dance our faces off at BBC.
2AM, Saturday:
Home.
Saturday:
Get a Morning Blast juice or coffee from Brewed & Pressed, and walk around downtown. Our downtown area is dead on the weekends, so you can scoot or walk to the giant eyeball, see the museums, and enjoy Klyde Warren Park before brunch.
12PM, Saturday:
Dallas culture is brunch, so try to make a reservation a few days before. In my world, we’ll walk to brunch at the Common Table. Get the mimosa pitchers, it’s a better deal than most. Note: Dallas does not to ‘bottomless’ mimosas.
Other popular spots are BreadWinners in Uptown, STIRR in Deep Ellum, and Oddfellows in Bishop Arts District. If you go to Oddfellows, get the apple cider mimosa.
2PM, Saturday:
Nice n toasty, we’ll post up at my apartment’s pool for a few hours. Don’t forget the white claw!
If you don’t drink or it isn’t pool season:
If you don’t have a pool or people to hang out with, there are plenty of other ways to spend a Saturday in Dallas. Pecan Lodge is a famous barbeque joint that opens at 11. I recommend getting in line no later than 10:30 AM.
If you’re spending time indoors, I recommend the Holocaust Museum or the Dallas Museum of Art and Sculpture Garden (it’s free). Dallas Farmer’s Market has plenty of different foods and vendors as well and has both an indoor and outdoor portion on weekends. If you’re interested in presidential history, walk by the JFK Memorial or go into the 6th Floor Museum at Daley Plaza. You can also get a ride out to the George W. Bush Presidential Museum at SMU’s campus.
If you’ll be outdoors, consider shopping your way through the local spots in Bishop Arts. Deep Ellum is fun to walk around and shop in. To truly be like a local, go for a walk, rollerblade, or bike ride on the Katy Trail.
There are plenty of professional sports and live music in Dallas as well. I use the Gametime app to see what music and sports venues have going on.
5PM, Saturday:
Time to relax and have dinner. I recommend ordering in i Fratelli Pizza or if you feel like going out to a nice dinner, check out Sixty Vines. If you’re coming off a pool day, walk to Katy Trail Icehouse for dinner and a summer beer.
If you’re going out, I recommend checking out Kung Fu in Uptown or heading out in Deep Ellum.
Sunday:
Again, weekend mornings in Dallas are so perfect to enjoy walking around and checking out the neighborhoods, the Katy Trail bike path or our myriad parks and museums. While brunch is still big on Sundays, if you have to fly or drive home, you should check out the Pecan Lodge instead of boozy brunch. The doors open at 11 but definitely get in line by 10:30.
Dallas has plenty of outdoor spaces to enjoy before your flight. The Arboretum is beautiful and often has events on Sundays.
If you’re looking for a relaxed lunch in the city, go to Katy Trail Icehouse or the Truckyard. Get there before 12 or 1, because there will be a line out the door most Sunday afternoons. It’s not uncommon to see people with their carry-ons, making one last stop before heading to the airport. An uber from here to the airport will cost about $25.
So there you have it.
A weekend in Dallas is a weekend of summer beers, pools, and just enough history to let you feel like you’ve done something productive.
Have you been to Dallas? Head over to my Instagram and let me know what your favorite thing to do!
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