Are you looking to escape to a southern city that has a mix of history, culture, sporting events, and shopping? Dallas, America’s 9th largest city, is one choice that won’t disappoint.
This year, the Michelin Green Guide awarded the city its highest possible rating of three stars. With its full-service hotels, plenty of indoor attractions, and abundance of shopping opportunities, this comes as no surprise.
If you’re looking for what’s new in Dallas, peruse this list and then don’t delay in booking your airline and hotel!
Places to Stay
Within the next 5 years, Dallas will be adding more than 2,500 new hotel rooms. Here are a few on the horizon that won’t be completed until after wintertime.
Image via Flickr CC – Ron Jones
Dallas’s landmark hotel, The Adolphus, is in its final phase of renovations. The 407 guest rooms and suites have already been updated and the rooftop pool was opened last spring. The finishing touches will reintroduce the lobby bar and tea, add a Mediterranean bistro, a 5,000 square foot spa and salon, a street-side cafe as well as a totally refurbished ballroom.
In the spring of 2017, the Statler Hotel & Residences in downtown Dallas will reopen after a $225 million dollar redevelopment. Great care is being taken to preserve its historic features while adding state-of-the-art improvements. Plans include a 24-hour diner, a high-end restaurant, rooftop pool, and upscale ballroom along with retail and office space.
At the end of May, the Hilton Anatole in Dallas’s Design District will have completed all phases of its new JadeWaters complex. This waterpark resort pool facility will include a leisure pool, a beach-entry family pool, a lazy river, luxury cabanas, a splash zone with two 180-foot slides, and a grill and swim-up bar.
Food
Foodies should wander around Trinity Groves at the base of Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in West Dallas. You’ll find an eclectic collection of eateries in a former warehouse setting. Several options are already open with more on the way.
One of the latest additions, V-Eats, specializes in plant-based “meat” dishes that mirror the textures and flavors of meat. Chef Troy Gardner’s vegan menu has a wide appeal. Vegans’ will be pleasantly surprised at some of the menu selections— chicken fried steak, brisket sandwich, southwest chili, chili cheese dog, and buffalo mac n’ cheese.
Another newly opened Trinity Grove restaurant is Beto & Son. This duo offers a chef-to-table Mexican experience. The ingredients are locally sourced and purchased daily.
Downtown Dallas’s Flora Street Café is the Arts District’s latest food gem. According to recent reviews, Stephan Pyles, a James Beard award-winning chef, makes Texas cooking shine with creative presentations. Higher prices appear to match the quality service and menu options.
Sprezza is located in an Oak Lawn house. The informal environment spills over into its casual Italian food entrées. Traditional old-world pastas and pizza are its main draw. Seasoned chef Julian Barsotti has made dining simpler by having all items in each category priced identically.
Carnivores will be in heaven at Gen Korean BBQ House and Heim Barbecue & Catering. At Gen Korean, the all-you-can-eat dinner selection is priced at $20.99 per person. The menu includes pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, and vegetarian selections. Heim’s menu has been well received by local reviewers. It is filled with a variety of smoked meats, bacon burnt ends, sandwiches, and side dishes.
While shopping at the Galleria, locals and visitors can take a sushi break at Kabuki Japanese Restaurant. In addition to a diverse sushi and sashimi menu, this popular multi-state chain offers small and large vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and classic dishes that are served with soup, salad, and rice
Hat’s Off … Michelin Attraction Rating
Image via Flickr CC – Stefan Ogrisek
Dallas has also received Michelin’s highest rating for five attractions — the Dallas Arts District, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science (pictured), and the Meadows Museum.
Entertainment
In the fall of 2017, visitors to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden can visit A Tasteful Place. This farm-to-table vegetable, herb, and fruit garden will include a 3,600-square foot Garden Pavilion. Local chefs will be preparing garden-to-table cuisine and offering instructions on how to pick, clean, and prepare edible ingredients from the garden.
Sports enthusiasts can head to The Star, the 91-acre Dallas Cowboys campus in nearby Frisco, Texas. This new facility allows Cowboys fans to take an inside look at the football team. Check the schedule for future events at the Ford Center, a 12,000-seat indoor football stadium. When completed, this mixed-use complex will have an Omni Hotel, a sports medicine center, and more than 200,00 square feet of retail stores and restaurants.
The National Soccer Hall of Fame Museum is scheduled to open in late 2017. Don’t miss the US soccer memorabilia and Olympic medals that will be on display.
In October 2017, a free art exhibit that offers a spectacle of light and sound will be returning. The Aurora exhibit will be located in the Dallas Arts District.
Looking for a way to save money? CityPASS entered the Dallas scene last year. These packages can save up to 41% off admission fees to some of Dallas’s best attractions.
Rodeo followers should mark their calendars for next November. The Elite Rodeo Athletes World Championship will return to the American Airlines Center for its second annual event. This contest awards a payout of more than $3 million each year.
Broadway comes to Dallas at the AT & T Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available for these upcoming performances: The Curious Incident of the Dog (January 11-22), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (February 7-12), and Into the Woods (May 16-28).
Additional performances are located at the Music Hall at Fair Park, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals. Here’s a small sampling of upcoming productions: An American in Paris (January 31-February 12), Stomp (February 14-19), Let It Be (March 7-19) and Kinky Boots (March 28-April 9).
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Do you agree with the Michelin rating? If you’ve been to Dallas lately, which attractions or restaurants would you give a 3-star rating? Let us know in the comments section.[/perfectpullquote]
