Wednesday, April 6, 2016

You Ask Me What I Like About Texas: DFW Edition

In the short time I have been blogging, one of the things I have enjoyed most is making blog friends from all over.  I have lived in Texas my whole life, so it has been fun to interact with people from different areas of the country and see how they live.  I've made a few references to Texas and have noticed some fellow bloggers planning trips to Texas this summer, so I came up with an idea to highlight some of my favorite spots in The Lone Star State.  In honor of Gary P. Nunn, this series will be called "You ask me what I like about Texas."  With the help of some family and friends, I will feature a different city in each post and tell you some of the things we love there.

As I mentioned in my post, Just a Small Town Girl, most of my life has been spent in small towns...just not always the same town.  I have lived near the DFW Metroplex most of my life, spent my junior high and high school years in beautiful Wimberley in the Texas Hill Country, spent a little time in the West Texas town of Abilene doing a little college, lived my early 20's near Fort Worth, moved way out to Del Rio after I married the love of my life, made a pit stop in the Waco area (before Chip and Joanna made it cool), then finally settled close to the Metroplex to raise our family.  I love Texas and look forward to sharing some of my favorite places and people with you!

I'm kicking this off with what I know best...The Big D.  Although, very little of my favorites are actually in Dallas.  There are so many things to cover...and I tend to stay north...way north of Dallas, but Fort Worth is one of (if not THE) best city's in Texas, so I'll cover it, too.  I'm just more familiar with the Dallas side.  Maybe one day, I will expand this series a little more and do some of our favorite towns in the Metroplex like McKinney, Grapevine and Granbury, but for now, they'll all be lumped into one post.  Again, these are just my opinions.  If you were coming to town and asked my advice, this is where I would tell you to go!

Where to eat:

Pizza:  Goodfella's in Dallas & Plano

Italian:  Covino's Pizza & Pasta in Plano

Tex Mex:  Rafa's Cafe (I heard from a good source, that this is one of Laura Bush's favorites, too)
Mi Cocina, Multiple Locations, but our favorite is Watters Creek in Allen
Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth (Get there early on weekends, it will be packed, but worth it)

Brunch:  Breadwinners, Multiple Locations, but our favorite is on Lover's Lane Dallas

BBQ:  Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum
Riscky's in Fort Worth

Date Night:  We have a three way tie...
Bob's Steak & Chop House
Jasper's
Rick's Chop House, Downtown McKinney

One of my birthday dinners at Jaspers. That's creme brulee with a HOMEMADE butterfinger on top!

Sushi/Asian:
Densetsu in Plano
Blue Fish (which is a chain), but we love the one at Watters Creek.

Burgers:
Twisted Root, Multiple Locations, but our favorite is Deep Ellum
Keller's Drive-In

Dessert & Ice Cream:
The Pantry in Downtown McKinney
Jasper's
The Food Trucks in Klyde Warren Park

My family at Klyde Warren Park.

Best Patio:
Mi Cocina, Watters Creek & The Shops at Legacy
Breadwinners, Lover's Lane
The Rustic, Dallas
Joe T. Garcia's, Fort Worth
Love Shack, Fort Worth
Sundown at Granada, Dallas

Deep thoughts on the patio of Love Shack.

Coffee Shop:  Snug on the Square in Downtown McKinney
(That's all I've got for you guys. We don't get up early enough to go drink coffee somewhere, it's all I can do to make it to the kitchen most mornings).

More Local Favorites:
Food Trucks at Klyde Warren Park, Dallas
Fort Worth Food Park
If you're not from the South, you have to stop by Sonic and Whataburger.

Kendall at the Fort Worth Food Park a few years ago.

Places to See & Things To Do:

Historical/Landmarks:
Sixth Floor Museum & Dealy Plaza, where JFK was assassinated
George W. Bush Presidential Library
Reunion Tower

Just hanging out with George & George at the library.

Scenery:
Dallas Arboretum
White Rock Lake, Biking & Hiking Trail
Fort Worth Botanical Gardens
Fort Worth Water Gardens

Sports &Recreation:
American Airlines Center (Home of the Dallas Mavericks)
AT&T Stadium (Home of the Dallas Cowboys)
Globe Life Park (Home of the Texas Rangers)
Texas Motor Speedway
Byron Nelson, PGA Tour
The Colonial, PGA Tour
I think we have a hockey team, too... ;)  #TexasGirl

Touring Globe Life Park.

Best Places to take the Little Buckaroos:
Heard Museum, McKinney Texas
Dallas World Aquarium
Fort Worth Zoo (The Best Zoo Ever)
Six Flags Over Texas
Hurricane Harbor
Casa Manana (One of my favorites!)
The Fort Worth Stockyards
Fort Worth Museum of Science & Omni Theater (Another favorite)
Ice Skating at the Galleria, Dallas
Legoland, Grapevine
Gaylord Texan, Grapevine (Especially at Christmas)
Perot Museum of Nature & Science

The Perot Museum a few years ago. 

Best place NOT to take the Little Buckaroos:
Dallas Symphony at The Meyerson
Dallas Summer Musicals, Fair Park (They do have kid friendly shows, too)
Billy Bob's Fort Worth
Bass Hall, Fort Worth
Bowl & Barrel, Dallas
Love & War in Texas, Grapevine & Plano

Favorite Local Shops, Stores, Shopping Areas:
Dallas Farmer's Market
The American Girl Store at the Galleria
Mom & Popcorn Store, McKinney
Neiman Marcus (Hello...you're in Dallas!)
M.L. Leddy's, Fort Worth, Stockyards
North Park Mall, Dallas (It's just a mall, but it's my very favorite!)

Kendall's first trip to the American Girl Store (almost 9 years ago). 


 Kendall at the Dallas Farmer's Market.  

We LOVE the trains at North Park so much, we can't even turn around for a picture!

Favorite Traditions/Festivals:
Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo
Dallas Blooms
Scarborough Renaissance Festival
The State Fair of Texas

Our little family (before Jentry) at the State Fair of Texas. 

Downtowns Worth Visiting:
Grapevine
Granbury
McKinney
Fort Worth

Hanging out at a Bed & Breakfast in Granbury.

Also, Shelly over at The Queen in Between took a trip to Fort Worth recently and had a great review of all the fun things they did.  Check out what they did here.

Whether you're planning a trip to the DFW area, or a local, I hope I gave you a few ideas of places to visit.

Be sure to check back soon, when we'll be exploring San Antonio, Waco (because everyone wants to drop in and see Chip & Joanna), Austin, Houston and the Hill Country.

What are some of you favorite DFW places to visit?

Thanks for reading!

Emily

P.S. If you live in Texas & would like to guest post for me sharing all your favorite spots...email me!  Let's work together!




13 comments:

  1. Emily these are all great suggestions for the Dallas area! We will be coming in June to the Plano area for a 7 on 7 tourney so I have been looking to plan some other fun things to do while we are there! Thanks so much for linking my Fort Worth post that was so sweet of you!!

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    1. Thank you, Shelly! If you need any other Plano tips, let me know!

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  2. Love this post!!! I love the series idea. We have lived in McKinney for almost 13 years and there are so many great places to see in this area.

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    1. Thanks!! We love McKinney & you're right, there's so much to see & do there!

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  3. Can I come visit?? Never been!! Actually...I was in Texas once for a hot second...I cruised out of Galveston. Love seeing Kendall and her Samantha doll!! I had Samantha too!! When I went to the AG store in NYC I brought her to get all cleaned up...new hair and a scrub! When they asked me me the name of the girl whose doll she was for pick up, I was like....ummmm, she's mine! Guess 30 year olds don't usually bring their 20 year old dolls there!! LOL I was there with my little nieces tho...I didn't just go on my own with my doll!! HA!!

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    1. Too funny! Samantha is the best! I read all of her books growing up! Yes, you need to come to Texas! I'll show you around!

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  4. I have also lived all over Texas, but have now been in the Houston area for a long time. I look forward to following your blog. Tanya TheOtherSideoftheRoad

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    1. Thanks, Tanya! My high school bestie lives in Houston, too!

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  5. Texas is SO close really and we have never been. We keeps saying we want to go to the Lone Star roundup (a car show in Ft. Worth I believe) Maybe one year we will actually go for it.

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    1. Fort Worth is so fun! You would love it! Let me know if you ever get down here!

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  6. Love the title of this post and Gary P Nunn, too. Wimberley is gorgeous. We’ve only been there in passing, but we want to go and stay sometime. Our best friends lived in Del Rio for a couple years and then Abilene for several years. He’s a B1 Bomber pilot for the Air Force. We are opposite…we tend to stay South of Dallas. With that being said, we haven’t frequented many of these places you mention. We do love Granbury, though. It’s such a cute little town. I love the shops around the square. All of my favorite places are usually nestled somewhere in the Hill Country! Great post. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. We are blessed to live in such a diverse state with lots of fun road trips available!

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  7. Oh my goodness, what a list?! I've got a lot to check into. I feel like we need to stay a month now haha. Thanks so much for this post! Do you have any experience with the Great Wolf Lodge in Plano? We are considering staying there for a couple of nights of our trip.

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