New to Dallas - 20 somethings (Fort Worth, Plano: theater, school, live)

[pinetreelover]

Any recommendations for two 20 somethings who are new to Dallas? They are starting at UT Dallas this Fall for Graduate School and have moved to the city near the campus to get settled. They are interested in out doorsy things like hiking, kayaking, rock-climbing... but also are looking for a young-people church, places to hear good indie-band music and "cool" shopping.

Thanks for any suggestions!

[TrueDat]

UT Dallas is in Richardson which isn't cool central but is getting more semi-cool things like the Alamo Drafthouse. https://drafthouse.com/dfw

The areas they might be more interested in are farther south in Dallas -- Lower Greenville Avenue, Henderson Avenue, Deep Ellum, and Oak Cliff. For indie music, Lower Greenville has the Granada Theater and Deep Ellum has several venues like Trees, Allgood Cafe, Sons of Hermann Hall, The Double Wide, and more.

Lots of twentysomethings live/play in Uptown too but, from your brief description, it sounds like Uptown might not be their scene. There's no live music there -- it's more see-and-be-seen bars/clubs, dress codes, and Sunday Funday carousing.

North Texas can be tough for those who like outdoorsy activities and are used to the likes of Colorado or California. There are options but they may be disappointing for those coming from other states. Having said that, you can still do many activities. For example, if they don't mind a drive, Mineral Wells (west of Fort Worth) has rock climbing.

A Rock Climber’s Guide To DFW « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Rock Climbing Mineral Wells State Park

Rock Climbing Routes in Lake Mineral Wells State Park, North Central Texas | Rockclimbing.com

If they're into mountain biking, check out the Dallas Off-Road Bicycling Assn. for local trails and the state of the trails.

Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association

[CMC_TX]

Originally Posted by pinetreelover

Any recommendations for two 20 somethings who are new to Dallas? They are starting at UT Dallas this Fall for Graduate School and have moved to the city near the campus to get settled. They are interested in out doorsy things like hiking, kayaking, rock-climbing... but also are looking for a young-people church, places to hear good indie-band music and "cool" shopping.

Thanks for any suggestions!

A lot of folks in this area like White Rock lake for outdoor activities. If they are into biking, I know the Richardson Bike Mart at Coit & Campbell near UTD has groups cycling,

Denton has a burgeoning music and arts scene, but it's NE of where they will be, so that'd be more like a weekend night trip type situation.

Not sure how they define cool shopping, but shopping is one thing Dallas has no shortage of.

Similar to shopping, Dallas also has no shortage of churches, so that would really just depend on theology and type of church they're looking for. The most popular for young people are: Watermark, which has a campus north of Richardson in Plano, as well as their main campus in Dallas, Northwest Bible, Fellowship in Dallas, Prestonwood in Plano & the Village Church, which has campuses in Plano, Dallas and other locations.

You also have Chase Oaks in Plano, which is another non-denomination option, then some smaller options like a satellite plant of Antioch Waco, which is in NE Dallas.

Mainstream churches that are trying to grow the young adults contingent are: St Andrew Plano, Christ UMC Plano, Park Cities Baptist, Highland Park UMC, and others. There are so many churches to try that hopefully they will find one that suits their needs and beliefs.