"Nothing to do in W. Plano/N. Dallas" Reeeally? (Austin: houses, theater)

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Becki in Tx.

Unless you are into shopping, museums and the night life/clubbing there is little to do in Plano/ Dallas. We lament this all the time.... and would like to move from Dallas for that reason. The DFW area is all city and relatively flat. So if you are big outdoors people this isn't the place for you. Don't get me wrong there are some nice local parks, and plenty of kid activities that are great when the kids are little. Once they reach the teen years not so much.

Dont forget food. The food scene here is top notch.

But I do agree the outdoor activities are limited.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by justme02

Dont forget food. The food scene here is top notch.

But I do agree the outdoor activities are limited.

Good food is nearby and night life is far enough away that for those of us who arent into that we prefer W. Plano to Uptown etc. Plenty of good golf nearby, neighborhood is very walkable and Arbor Hills is not far. I prefer W. Plano over Uptown for my life style by miles!

Ideal size yard for our style too, privacy with great pool and landscaping with nice outdoor cooking living area to enjoy spring and fall weather outdoors. Dogs have plenty or room to roam without having more yard than I need or want. Been there, done that back east when in NYC suburbs....too much yard and leaves to get raked up and drive to shovel.

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by Becki in Tx.

Unless you are into shopping, museums and the night life/clubbing there is little to do in Plano/ Dallas. We lament this all the time.... and would like to move from Dallas for that reason. The DFW area is all city and relatively flat. So if you are big outdoors people this isn't the place for you. Don't get me wrong there are some nice local parks, and plenty of kid activities that are great when the kids are little. Once they reach the teen years not so much.

What else do you do? What else would you do when you move from Dallas? I'm curious how much outdoor types do what they do. Daily mountain climbing? River rafting? Mountain biking?

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

Originally Posted by Johnhw2

Good food is nearby and night life is far enough away that for those of us who arent into that we prefer W. Plano to Uptown etc. Plenty of good golf nearby, neighborhood is very walkable and Arbor Hills is not far. I prefer W. Plano over Uptown for my life style by miles!

Ideal size yard for our style too, privacy with great pool and landscaping with nice outdoor cooking living area to enjoy spring and fall weather outdoors. Dogs have plenty or room to roam without having more yard than I need or want. Been there, done that back east when in NYC suburbs....too much yard and leaves to get raked up and drive to shovel.

Im with you John. I prefer the lifestyle of places like Plano, Sugar Land, or Torrance to Dallas, Houston, or Los Angeles. Ive lived in two of the three and love them both.

[carroll4628]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

What else do you do? What else would you do when you move from Dallas? I'm curious how much outdoor types do what they do. Daily mountain climbing? River rafting? Mountain biking?

It really depends if you have kids (and their ages). I know several folks (and myself 20 yrs ago) who think nothing of going out moutain biking for an hour before or after work (instead of going to the gym). I know a bunch of women that go out on their SUP at 4:30pm for an hour (instead of the gym) - some even bring their kids (elementary age and above) and the kids sit on the boards. Those folks making Sessions beer (Full Sail) are in the water from noon until 1:30p if the wind is blowing good. In Seattle, we'd often head up to the mtns. for night skiing on Tues/Thursday at 6pm, and yes, some woud bring their 5 yo + kids. Bouldering (mtn climbing light) is an easy thing to do for 45-90 minutes if you're not to far from a good spot on your way home from work. When you have more time on the weekends, then you can really have some fun. NO - you don't need a mountain or river to be active outdoors, you don't even need trees, although shade is sometimes helpful. There's plenty to do in Dallas, and those accustomed to the weather don't offer up excuses - it's just 'somewhat' miserable for us 'softees' when it's 90+ degrees outside (from late May-Sep) and when the kids are FINALLY out of school and you can have some fun. (Yes, my kids are home by 4pm, but those damn swimming lessons, baseball, soccer, you name it, get in the way during the school year.) It's also a bummer when you are use to mountain vistas, or green trees (even the 495 beltway in DC is lush) and the best view you get here is from the 6th level overpass.

[DaveG99]

Plenty of out door activities to do with in a short drive.

Im an avid kayaker and fisherman and love to kayak the local lakes. And when I feel like running a river I make the 2 hour drive to the Brazos below Possum Kingdom Lake or the 3 hour drive to the Lower Mountain Fork in Oklahoma. The lower mountain Fork is one of the most beautiful rivers anywhere.

There are plenty of mountain biking trails around. One is off Parker in west plano at arbor hills reserve.

If you like to hunt there are plenty of places to do that within an hour or two of DFW.

If you like rock climbing there are indoor rock climbing places as well as places outdoors like Mineral wells state park.

There is plenty to do in the outdoors around here. And if you think Dallas is flat then you havent been to Florida.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

There is honestly not a lot "to do" in W Plano/ N Dallas besides eat, shop, go to church/synagogue/mosque, and go to the gym/rec center. Plus, all the usual kid-centered activities.

However, within a 20-30 minute drive, there is a lot to do!
*Dallas Arts District - the largest contiguous arts district in the US is downtown. It is the home of the opera, theatre, symphony, performing arts high school, Crow Asian Art museum, Dallas Museum of Arts, Nasher Sculpture Garden & Museum, etc.
*Dallas Arboretum - a few miles NE of downtown, currently home to the Dale Chihuly exhibit of glass scuptures, but also host of a spring/summer concert series, a huge pumpkin patch in the fall, Dallas Blooms in the spring, and many horticulture events & lectures. It will also be home to a magnificent new children's area that opens in about a year or two.
*Also downtown, the Dallas World Aquarium and Perot Museum for Nature & Science.
*The Dallas Zoo (a few miles south of downtown) which has had major money dumped into it over the past few years as new exhibits have opened. No need to drive to Fort Worth anymore to see an amazing zoo.
*Pro sports of all kinds- football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and soccer. Plus, nearby tracks for both horce racing (Grand Prairie) and NASCAR (near Fort Worth). Plus, we've hosted the NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl, and some NCAA tournaments over the past few years.
*Every major concert, indie concert, indie movies, traveling Broadway shows, etc all come through Dallas. Venues mostly located in & around downtown.
*The Fairgrounds host many events throughout the year from the State Fair of Texas in the Fall to a big Irish festival in the spring.

Fort Worth also has a lot to offer for a quick day trip - the world-class Kimbell Museum, the Amon Carter Museum, Billy Bob's and the Stockyards, the Fort Worth Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Japanese Tea Gardens, etc.

Additionally, while we don't have the beach/coastline or mountains, there are dozens of lakes in the area for fishing, boating, water sports, etc - and we're just a quick 2 hour flight to Colorado for skiing or to Mexico to hit the beach

Whether you think there's nothing to do depends on what you like to do. Personally, I get bored with going out to eat, shopping, working out in a hot stinky gym, etc. I've been to the museums and pro sporting events are so expensive that I'd rather watch them at home on my TV. I spend most of my weekends doing projects around the house or running errands just to fill the time.

What I'd LOVE to be able to do is get out and hike along bodies of water, go boogie-boarding or parasailing, climb hills, go ziplining, rock climbing, etc. It's either too hot here or the geography isn't right for those activities.

I can definitely see how people would think there's nothing to do here.

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Whether you think there's nothing to do depends on what you like to do.

Very true, and we often find ourselves talking at cross purposes here. If someone is looking to go mountain climbing, skiing, mountain biking etc then, for them ,there is nothing to do in Dallas.
If someone wants to go to museums, see traveling exhibits, go to the Theatre (both mainstream and avant-garde), listen to Orchestral music, etc, then they have everything they need. Trying to convince someone who isn't interested in B: that you don't need A: or vice versa is futile.

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

What I'd LOVE to be able to do is get out and hike along bodies of water, go boogie-boarding or parasailing, climb hills, go ziplining, rock climbing, etc. It's either too hot here or the geography isn't right for those activities.

Especially now. I love to walk through Downtown and people watch, maybe do street photography.... but not in 106 degree weather. I love to hang out at White Rock, but not when your car is capable of roasting a turkey in it after you park there a couple hours. Dallas is pretty much indoor activities only from 8-8 during the summer, and people should be aware of that before moving here, but often aren't.

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Whether you think there's nothing to do depends on what you like to do. Personally, I get bored with going out to eat, shopping, working out in a hot stinky gym, etc. I've been to the museums and pro sporting events are so expensive that I'd rather watch them at home on my TV. I spend most of my weekends doing projects around the house or running errands just to fill the time.

What I'd LOVE to be able to do is get out and hike along bodies of water, go boogie-boarding or parasailing, climb hills, go ziplining, rock climbing, etc. It's either too hot here or the geography isn't right for those activities.

I can definitely see how people would think there's nothing to do here.

You can do most of these things, but people choose to live in Plano instead of places like Cedar Hill that are hilly and have water next to them.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Macbeth2003

Dallas is pretty much indoor activities only from 8-8 during the summer, and people should be aware of that before moving here, but often aren't.

You are right about that. I returned to the area a few years ago after many years away because it was easier to come back to an area where I had family, and family is what keeps me here. If I didn't have family here I wouldn't be here, and once my parents are no longer here, I'm gone. I may leave before that. But I don't complain about that because I knew what the place was like before returning here, and I chose the easy option. Shame on me.

Originally Posted by rantanamo

You can do most of these things, but people choose to live in Plano instead of places like Cedar Hill that are hilly and have water next to them.

You can't really do those things in Cedar Hill though. Saying Cedar Hill is hilly compared to Plano is like saying a B cup is busty compared to an A cup.

I'm still trying to decide what my next move will be. I don't think I'll last another 3-5 years here. If you like shopping and eating out and don't mind hot weather, and like the occasional dose of culture...DFW is perfect for you. But that's not me.