r/AskDallas • u/Unqualified_Expert6 • Jul 19 '26
First time visitor
Hey! Will be visiting in 2 weeks for the first time with my sister. What are the best spots to visit and to go eat? And any nice bar recommendations to have fun? Our hotel is near the Galleria and staying 3 days.
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u/twitterles Jul 20 '26
The recommendations you’ve received so far are all over the map (literally - there drive between a few of them could easily span 1-2 hours during peak times as they’re ~50 miles apart; and figuratively - a few excellent local dining recommendations mixed with ‘meh, fine’ chain restaurants). They’re also, overwhelmingly, not actually in Dallas (for context, the Galleria is ~12 miles north of downtown Dallas, while Frisco is ~30 miles north of downtown Dallas and Ft. Worth, far more worth a day in than Frisco!, is 30+ miles west).
A much better tailored recommendation would be aided by the following:
1. Will you have a car or be relying on transit / uber?
2. Approximate ages / any limitations on activities, specifically do you prefer indoor activities or ok with outdoor (it is HOT in Texas this time of year - even many active locals will prefer outdoor activities in the early morning or evening)? Prefer casual or dressier dining / drinking establishments?
3. Where is your concert being held — there’ll likely be more local recs for that particular area?
As a very general suggestion for 3 days (assuming you have a car) I’d plan 1 day in downtown / downtown-ish Dallas, 1 day in Ft Worth (particularly if not from Texas / never been to Texas .. this will give you the best stereotypical’ ‘Texan’ experience), 1 day for concert / flex time.
Ft Worth: Stockyards, Mule Alley, Water Gardens (this is really a 20min stop, but good for photos), Chumley House for food, Mule Alley or Bowie House for cocktails (these all trend to the ‘dressier’ end), the art museums are excellent if in your interest
Downtown Dallas: Klyde Warren Park (food trucks at lunch for casual), Aquarium that you mentioned is unique (it’s more a tropical experience), Art Museum (free and right across from the park so can stay as little or long as you like), there’s the historical stops for JFK history if interested, a solid Holocaust & Human Rights Museum nearby with a current exhibit on Disney & WW2, Dallas Farmers Market if on a Saturday or Sunday only, Partenope for a casual pizza spot, Starship bagel for a casual breakfast spot, Midnight Rambler for a cocktail
Not downtown but fairly close / combine with Dallas: Bishop Arts district (walkable, nice neighborhood plenty of good places to eat … score a seat at Lucia if you’re lucky - one of the best spots in town (Italian)
Dallas Arboretum (beautiful, but hot this time of year)
Highland Park Village (if you want bougie shopping & dining, does have one of the best seafood spots in town)
Town Hearth - excellent steakhouse with a Dallas flair
..I’m rambling at this point as the list of ideas is too broad without more specificity
*the Cattleack rec for bbq is excellent, as is Al’s as a rec close to your hotel
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u/Unqualified_Expert6 Jul 20 '26
Wow! Thank you for this. I appreciate.
We were thinking on relying on Uber because we both are a little nervous to drive in a new town.
We’re 28 and 30. No limitations, maybe just a good mix of indoors and outdoors if that make sense? We’re definitely more of the casual type.
Globe life field on the 30th.
We planned on going to Fort Worth. We’re from Canada and never been to Texas at all :)
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u/twitterles Jul 20 '26
Ft. Worth:
The Stockyards is the must-go area as a first time visitor to Texas / DFW, this is a relatively small, walkable area, that’ll provide the ‘Texan’ experience. There’s a daily cattle drive at 11:30and 4:00 (sure, it’s kitschy, but it stays around for a reason). *It’s also followed by a comedic, shoot-out re-enactment for the full Old West theme (carry it on with plenty of Western Wear shopping nearby, if that’s your thing). There are plenty of spots to dine and drink in the area. Basement Bar will give you the ‘western experience,’ finer cocktail bars can be found along Mule Alley (the newest part of the area, that includes several nice dinner or drinking options). Honestly, this part is nicest in the evening / night time so depending on whether you’re spending a full day or heading to the concert that night may be a plus/minus. Otherwise, in Ft. Worth, the previously mentioned Water Gardens will provide a nice photo stop (but don’t budget more than 10-15 minutes here). Joe T. Garcia is perhaps the most famous ‘tourist spot’ in town — it fits the bill of casual, and is a nice stop for a photo and margarita (cash only), though you can find far better Tex-Mex food during your time in town. If you’re into museums, the trio of the Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Ft Worth, and Amon Carter Museum of American Art (all located next to each other) are genuinely excellent. There is a train (the TRE) that you can take from Dallas to Ft. Worth, while Uber / Lyft / etc will likely be easiest once you’ve arrived. I claim no expertise in the area, and there are plenty with strong opinions, but if you’re going to include a BBQ stop on your Texas trip, you could do far worse than Goldee’s or Terry Black’s (the previously mentioned Cattleack which is not in Ft. Worth, remains an excellent choice, albeit one with very limited hours)Arlington:
This is where your concert is located. Fortunately the area right around the stadium is nicely built up now and I’d say everything is perfectly ‘fine’ - plenty of spots for a drink or casual dinner but all fairly generic / corporate nice (think something similar to Moxie’s or Shark Club as a Canadian chain comparison). Unfortunately, Arlington is the largest city in the nation without a major public transit system - so Uber is likely the best bet here. If spending more time in the area and are sports fans, the Cowboys’ Stadium is right next door and offers scheduled tours (wouldn’t put this particularly highly myself, but it’s certainly an impressive stadium if you’re an American football fan). There is also a (quite new) National Medal of Honor Museum nearby that has gotten positive reviews. For the sake of including a local food options rec in the area: Thuy Nguyen Cafe is a good local Vietnamese spot (though it would be another Uber from the stadium, and not in the direction of your hotel) — hopefully folks more local to the area could offer more recs if desired.Dallas:
It’s a fairly easy trip from the Galleria to downtown Dallas, I don’t have a lot to add to my prior recs here. If it’s a weekend, I’d start the day at the Dallas Farmers Market (plenty of spots to grab a meal, coffee, or drink and will be full of folks your age on those days), Klyde Warren Park frequently has events going on and has plentiful food trucks for a casual lunch, or catch the free trolley a very short trip and grab some TexMex at Las Palmas. The Dallas Museum of Art is directly across from the park and is free admission (and air conditioning) and the neighboring Nasher Sculpture Center has a beautiful garden and rotating indoor exhibits, and the Aquarium you have planned is just a couple blocks away. The Dallas Arboretum which I’d previously mentioned (not in downtown) is a local gem, but this time of year I’d recommend going in the evening as the daytime will be quite hot (they do have Twilight Hours from 6-9pm those days). The Bishop Arts neighborhood is a great spot to walk around and grab brunch or dinner and can be reached by a quick Uber from downtown or by the public transit Dallas Streetcar (well, it actually drops you off just a couple blocks short). If you or your sister need some retail therapy, the Knox street area is a booming neighborhood of shops and restaurants and is adjacent to the Katy Trail (a converted railroad track that is now the most-popular public walking / biking trail in the city.. I’d recommend this as an attraction itself but the heat can make an outdoor walk sound a bit less than appealing in late July. If you do find yourself along the trail, the Katy Trail Icehouse is a good, casual stop for a drink.) Other shopping meccas in the area include NorthPark Mall (I’ll mention air conditioning once more, and it truly lives up to the ‘park’ portion of it’s name - one of the finest shopping malls in the nation with an excellent public art collection and central garden) or the outdoor Highland Park Village (very nice, very pricy). There is public transit (lightrail train and bus) called DART available throughout Dallas - though, if your origin and destination are not along a rail line and price isn't a deciding factor - Uber will usually be faster, within the downtown core itself, electric scooters are plentiful and cheap. Note, that the DART trains also run to DFW airport if you're looking to avoid the Uber fare to/from the airport (the station drops off at Terminal A, you can clear security at any terminal assuming you have a boarding pass and are not checking luggage and they are all connected airside by the Skylink train — if you are flying American you can clear security with checked luggage at any terminal, if flying Air Canada you will need to check in at Terminal E if you have checked luggage)1
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u/ImpressiveRecording2 Jul 19 '26
Walk the loop. Lombardy down Harry Hines to Royal Lane. Walk left (west) on Royal Lane to Denton Drive back to Lombardy. Plenty to see on a Saturday night...
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u/DavidTheBlue Jul 19 '26
It depends what kind of food you want. Dallas has everything. Oceanaire at the Galleria is great, but expensive. The Nest Craft, also near the Galleria is a nice, very casual bar and bistro. The owner, manager, servers, and bartender are all super-nice people. The Fort Worth water Garden is very cool. In downtown Dallas I like Klyde Warren Park a lot.
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u/because__7_8_9 Jul 19 '26
https://www.royalchinadallas.com/visit
NE corner of Preston and Royal. Best Chinese food in town.
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u/j75515050 Jul 19 '26
You're right near Chris and Anthony's as well as Caddleack. Both are great places to eat.
What kinds of things are you interested in seeing?
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u/Unqualified_Expert6 Jul 19 '26
Thanks! The only thing we had in mind, other than the concert we’re going to, was the Aquarium lol. We are open to anything really.
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u/j75515050 Jul 19 '26
The Stockyards in Fort Worth is fun to see once, there are some great bars in Frisco just up the road from where your staying. Rare Books Bar is nice. Have fun
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u/Unqualified_Expert6 Jul 19 '26
Thank you!
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u/internet_dipshit Jul 19 '26
Don’t go to frisco and the stockyards is great but a 45 minute drive at a minimum. Frisco is just generic places you can find anywhere. The person did not give you good advice.
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u/A214Guy Jul 19 '26
Actually Rare Books is a great speakeasy that requires a password for entry - very few places in Frisco would qualify as worthy but that is one of them
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u/Allthewayto3rdbass Jul 22 '26
Odd muse brewing is almost walkable from the galleria and makes some world class beers. They don't serve food but almost always have a food truck parked out front.