I need ideas on fun stuff to do/places to go with visitors that aren't touristy!! (Dallas: hotel, homes)

[missboots23]

My sister and her husband are coming into town the second weekend of May and have never visited here before. I haven't lived in the area too long, so I am still learning of neat places to go to. They are thinking of moving here, so I wanted to be able to show them not just typical DFW touristy stuff (i.e. JFK museum, art museum, etc). I know there are alot of neat neighborhoods around Dallas that have fun stuff to do. They will be in town for four days, so we don't have a ton of time...but I want to get some good food with them (Mexican/Tex-Mex, Steak, BBQ). They are pretty much into doing anything. I have some ideas but anything different would help!! Thanks!

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by missboots23

My sister and her husband are coming into town the second weekend of May and have never visited here before. I haven't lived in the area too long, so I am still learning of neat places to go to. They are thinking of moving here, so I wanted to be able to show them not just typical DFW touristy stuff (i.e. JFK museum, art museum, etc). I know there are alot of neat neighborhoods around Dallas that have fun stuff to do. They will be in town for four days, so we don't have a ton of time...but I want to get some good food with them (Mexican/Tex-Mex, Steak, BBQ). They are pretty much into doing anything. I have some ideas but anything different would help!! Thanks!

Adelmo's Italian Dallas - hidden jewel of a place.

Maximo's Mexican food by the Galaria- great salmon and great drinks.

Holy Grail Pub in Plano for dozens of beers, great scotch and general whiskey(y) selections, good wine and great food at very reasonable prices.

Consider visiting the Kimbal Art Museum in Fort Worth. It's my favorite museum south of the Mason Dixon Line.

[TurtleCreek80]

In Dallas- Arboretum, Nasher Sculpture Garden, Fair Park Summer Musicals, NorthPark Center, Highland Park Village, Mia's or Mi Cocina for Tex-Mex, spend an afternoon in North Oak Cliff- browse stores, have dinner at Bolsa or Tillman's and have cocktails on the patio at Hotel Belmont afterwards, Peggy Sue's in Snider Plaza is great BBQ in a cute 1950's vibe restaurant. Snider Plaza also has great shopping! See if there's live music at Lakewood Theatre/ Granada Theatre/ Kessler Theatre that interests you. Have dinner at Park or Louie's on Henderson Ave. Go to the Dallas Farmer's Market. See if it's a "Late Nights" weekend at the DMA or a "First Saturday" at the Nasher.

In Fort Worth- Kimbell or Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth Zoo, Botanical & Japanese Tea Gardens, Joe T Garcia's for Tex-Mex

[missboots23]

Thanks for the help so far Keep em coming!

[CherokeeStar]

Consider driving over to Fort Worth and spending the day downtown. Sundance Square has great shopping and dining, including Mi Cocina which is great Tex-Mex (with locations in both Dallas and Fort Worth). Bass Hall is near Sundance Square, and if you like jazz, that's the place to be on Friday, May 13, as the world-renowned One O'Clock Lab Band will be in concert that night. I'm partial to that band, because it's from my alma mater, the University of North Texas, but they are a Grammy-winning ensemble with fans worldwide.

The Stockyards, of course, are a big attraction, and there are plenty of places to shop and dine there as well. It's a quick drive from Sundance Square to the Stockyards.

The Fort Worth Zoo is amazing, and is very close to the FW Botanical Gardens, which are always beautiful in May, especially the Rose Garden. The Japanese Water Gardens are also really lovely. There are lots of restaurants in that area, too, and one of the best known BBQ places is nearby - Angelo's Barbecue on White Settlement Road. (That place has been an institution for decades - at least since I was a teenager in the 1970s, maybe even longer.)

Fort Worth also has world-class museums - several within walking distance of one another, so if you decide you want to do something cultural, you can see western art (Amon Carter Museum), modern art (Modern Art Museum), and classic art (Kimbell Art Museum) all in one day.

I grew up in Fort Worth, then moved to Dallas after college, and am always surprised to hear it when Dallas people say they've never been to Fort Worth. There is so much to see and do in Fort Worth, and the museum district there is much more completely developed than the one in Dallas.

In Dallas, you might want to go to the Arboretum and then enjoy a walk or bicycle ride around nearby White Rock Lake.

If you like historic architecture, you can go either north to McKinney or south to Waxahachie and enjoy driving through the historic district where you'll see tons of Victorian homes with lots of "gingerbread" trim. Both towns have great historic downtown areas. I haven't been to McKinney's downtown in a while, so can't say what sort of shops there are now, but it has traditionally been filled with nice boutiques and good local restaurants. Waxahachie is similar, though sadly my favorite restaurant there burned recently. Still, there are other choices on the Waxahachie Square, and the courthouse there is beautiful. Scarboroguh Faire (renaissance festival) is just outside Waxahachie, and that's always a fun way to spend a day. Oh, and Waxhachie has a really nifty place just off the Square where you can go in and do a mosaic project. They have all the supplies and big work tables - you just pay for what you use. Lots of fun!

The Dallas Old Red Courthouse Museum is another interesting place with lots of local history. And while you're downtown, be sure to check out the Dallas World Aquarium. It's WONDERFUL! Definitely worth spending a couple of hours there.

You might also want to check out the Bishop Arts area in North Oak Cliff. They have really cool and funky shops, several great restaurants to choose from, plus a really cool artists' collective. We love Hunky's for one of the best hamburgers in Dallas, and we think Eno's has the best pizza in Dallas (extremely thin crust). Eno's also has a great selection of beer on tap, plus wine - usually not the same boring choices you find everywhere else.

Burger Girl in Uptown Dallas is another place for a great burger. There's some good shopping nearby, including Crate 'N Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, and one of our favorite funky shops - Froggy's. There on Knox Street you'll also find Chili's and On The Border - both are originally from Texas, so even though these are chains NOW, they are still Texas food.

Just a little ways south of Uptown is the West Village, which has tons more shopping and dining, including another location of Mi Cocina and just across the street, Taco Diner for a completely different type of Mexican food. The Magnolia Theatre is there as well, and they show more interesting films than you'll find at any multiplex.

Mockingbird Station is another nifty place for shopping and dining and movie-watching. The Angelika has great art-house films much of the time. And Trinity Hall is probably the best Irish pub in Dallas.

If you're in to nature, you might want to check the schedule and see whether the Connemara Nature Preserve is open and/or has anything scheduled for that week-end, like a bird walk.

I haven't been to Old City Park in ages, but it's a great place for people who like living history.

If you like Christian-inspired artwork, there's the Museum of Biblical Arts near NorthPark. And of course, who can resist a day of shopping at NorthPark? The mall also is home to a pretty impressive sculpture collection. The mall's developer, Raymond Nasher, is, after all, the guy whose collection has its own museum now - the Nasher Sculpture Garden.

Fair Park has great Art Deco architecture, plus the railroad museum, and I think the snake & reptile museum is still there (a favorite with a lot of kids).

The Frontiers of Flight Museum at Love Field is another great place to spend a couple of hours. In additional to old planes, it has the Apollo 7 (I think that's the right one) capsule and some space suits.

One place I've never been but have been told is great, is the Trinity River Audubon Park.

I know many folks think of Dallas mainly as a great place for shopping, and while we DO have lots of that, we also have lots of other fun things to do. But don't overlook Fort Worth - it's really worth spending one of your four days there.

Let me know if you're looking for anything specific and I'll try to help. I spent about 20 years in Fort Worth, then 4 years in college in Denton, and I've been in the Dallas area for most of the last 30 years, so even if I haven't BEEN to a local attraction, I may know something about it.

[cmacemm]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Adelmo's Italian Dallas - hidden jewel of a place.

Is this off Cole and Knox?

[Lakewooder]

A good driving route is downtown up Cedar Springs to Turtle Creek Blvd (note Dallas Theater Center by Frank Lloyd Wright) jog over to Lakeside Dr - stop and feed the ducks - turn right on Beverly left on Abbott, circle through SMU, then go east on Mockingbird to White Rock Lake - right on W. Lawther Drive (follow the lake shore), then turn right on Lakewood Blvd (or make a stop at the Dallas Arboretum) to Abrams then go left on Abrams down to Gaston (right), right on LaVista, left on Swiss Avenue - follow Swiss all the way back to Downtown.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by cmacemm

Is this off Cole and Knox?

Adelmo's Ristorante...Fresh Seafood, Pasta, Beef, Veal, Fine Wines

Yes it's on Cole between Armstrong and Knox.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

A good driving route is downtown up Cedar Springs to Turtle Creek Blvd (note Dallas Theater Center by Frank Lloyd Wright) jog over to Lakeside Dr - stop and feed the ducks - turn right on Beverly left on Abbott, circle through SMU, the go east on Mockingbird to White Rock Lake - right on W. Lawther Drive (follow the lake shore), then turn right on Lakewood Blvd (or make a stop at the Dallas Arboretum) to Abrams then go left on Abrams down to Gaston (right), right on LaVista, left on Swiss Avenue - follow Swiss all the way back to Downtown.

That's a good call right there. I may do that myself this weekend.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by EDS_

That's a good call right there. I may do that myself this weekend.

That's sort of the White Rock Marthon route..but we have been doing it since I was a kid (way before that started!).