At the end of January, my son’s team played in a soccer tournament in Frisco, TX. We drove and decided to head there Thursday afternoon so that we’d have all day to explore Dallas on Friday before his games kicked off Saturday morning. We were even able to get the blocked room ratethat night that our team was using using for the rest of the weekend! Our first stop was In-N-Out for dinner. It’d been almost 15 years since I last had it, but it was better than I remembered. Animal spread for the win!
On Friday we got up and drove 30 minutes south to Dallas. We parked at The Joule, a downtown hotel. Our breakfast spot was inside the hotel at CBD Provisions. I had the pecan pie French toast. Everyone loved their food and our server was fantastic. It was exactly the fuel we needed to explore downtown by foot!
First, we walked directly across the street to see The Eye. The Eye is by Chicago-based artist Tony Tasset. He created the 30-foot sculpture of fiberglass 15 years ago.
We then stopped further down on Main to see the historical marker placed last year that acknowledges where Allen Brooks was lynched in 1910. Our waitress told us we needed to see this spot. Mr. Brooks was a black handyman who was accused of the attempted sexual assault of a white child in a home where he was working. While he waited for his hearing, he was thrown from a second story window of the courthouse down the street, beaten and dragged to his lynching by an angry mob of about 5,000.
As we walked toward the Sixth Floor Museum to learn about JFK’s assassination, we stopped to see his memorial and the Dallas County Courthouse (known as Old Red) from which Allen Brooks was thrown. The Museum was the main attraction for us, but being able to see and learn from all of the historical sites along the short walk was a pleasant surprise.
As we approached The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, a man on the street held a newspaper with an article about JFK and pointed to show us the window in the building from which he was shot. In the photo below, it’s the window on the sixth floor with the white box.
The museum exceeded my expectations. I LOVE learning when we travel and we learned so much being there. At times, it was almost eerie reading and watching videos about the life, assassination, and legacy of JFK. For example, Lee Harvey Oswald knew the parade route of the president’s motorcade before he applied for the job at the Textbook Depository. He accepted the job and started working there a few short weeks before he assassinated the president from this window (shown from the inside below). If you’re ever in Dallas, GO. It took us about 90 minutes and you won’t regret it!
One other place our waitress thought the kids might enjoy was the AT&T Discovery District. We passed it as we walked back to the hotel to get our car. There were several several outdoor sculptures and interactive installations within the park. The kids thought the AT&T Experience Store was cool. There were some immersive experiences and gaming setups where they played briefly.
After getting our car, we had lunch at The Rustic. It was just under a 10 minute drive. They use farm fresh local ingredients and have a great craft beer and cocktail menu. I had the a delicious pineapple smoke marg and my husband had a beer that he described as “almost as good as the one in France.” (For the record, he thinks his all-time favorite was La Mouss’ Terrienne in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. It was an all natural Blonde locally made with honey and sage). Check The Rustic’s website if you decide to go because they often have live music!
Then we drove 15 minutes to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It was much pricier than our local KC arboretum that’s pretty well done, so I had high expectations. It was very nice but maybe more worth the money when everything is in bloom in the spring and summer?
Our last stop of the day was our nicest meal of the weekend. We drove 15 minutes to the RH Rooftop Restaurant. I was so glad we had reservations because it was packed! Some people enjoyed drinks outside on the roof but it was too chilly for me. The restaurant was beautiful and our meals didn’t disappoint! I’m still thinking about my lobster roll.
Saturday and Sunday were filled with games and team bonding, but we did manage to grab a couple more yummy meals!
Saturday we went to Eataly in Dallas. There are a lot of locations worldwide, but only a half dozen in the US. I love Italian and was excited to check it out. It is a large marketplace with multiple restaurants, food and beverage counters, and a bakery. They sell high quality Italian food and wine and even have a cooking school! We chose to eat at Il Pastaio di Eataly, a pasta bar. The pastai (pasta makers) have been specially trained using artisanal pasta-making traditions. They roll, cut, and form each noodle shape from scratch. Then they sell it by the bowlful. It was so delicious!
Sunday we went to Union Bear Brewing Co. for lunch in between games on our last day. They had the best atmosphere and a huge patio. We really enjoyed the craft beer AND the food!
Honestly, every meal was delicious on this trip so narrowing down for the Hit List was hard! A long weekend was perfect for exploring this history-filled city!
HIT LIST
- Sixth Floor Museum
- RH Rooftop Restaurant
- Main Street Stroll
- Union Bear Brewing
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