We found out how much there really is to do in Dallas (Things to do in Dallas), but we also found out how much there is to drink.  You know day drinking is our jam but looking back, I feel like we really should have buckled down and hit so many more spots. In our defense, there really is only so much alcohol you can consume in the heat.  However, I assure you, we gave it a good go, and found you some amazing spots to try!

Sister Side Note (ssn) – and also we had a family commitment that evening that we wanted to be coherent for.

Honorable Mentions

Before we start with a rundown of our full day of bar hopping, I need to throw out an honorable mention to the night before when my son, his girlfriend, and I found The Ill (that’s ill, not 3) Minster Pub in the Art district.

The Ill Minster Pub

This bar is known for doing pop-up themes, and we were lucky enough that they were doing “Gotham” as their current theme, and my son is a huge Batman dork.  They crushed this theme, with a Riddler room covered in neon green question marks, the hallway done as a Joker tribute, plenty of posters, movie memorabilia, an Arkham Asylum mugshot wall

But my favorite part was the shot wheel. $5 a shot, 12 different shots, all Batman themed drinks.  I landed on the Ba-na-na-na-na-na-na shot, while Emmy sadly spun to Penguin Piss.  Additionally, they had eight different themed cocktails to choose from, including a Mr. Freeze.  It was a cool experience.  If you are in Dallas, check out this bar and see what pop up they are currently doing.  The staff were super cool, and it had a great vibe to hang out in.

The Nodding Donkey

We needed bar food after this and chose The Nodding Donkey based solely on the name.  It was loud, it was open air, it was packed, and it was fantastic!  Patio seating, great food, and tons of TVs, pizzas, burgers, deep fried bar foody goodness!

The 3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails

Not from the night before but worth a mention, The 3Eleven Kitchen & Cocktails. We hit this lovely place while we were waiting for our JFK tour. Such a great interior and classic cocktail menu – we had a drink and some calamari to sustain us through our tour. Looking at their menu now, I don’t know why we didn’t have the carpaccio bites (doesn’t sound like something we’d skip). Anyway…definitely worthy of a stop.

side ssn – The carpaccio bites were our first choice since we wanted something quick, but they were out of them, so calamari was had because Emmy had never tried calamari.

Day Drinking Official

And now, back to our regularly scheduled Day Drinking post.

We arranged to meet Emmy (my oldest son’s girlfriend) in Deep Ellum so she could tag along. She will be making guest appearances in this story for her ability to rally for the cause. 

In Dallas, the best drinking area, with the most bars and fun to be had is Deep Ellum.  We decided that it was definitely a walkable distance from our hotel.

Elm Street Cask & Kitchen

Peggy and I grabbed a quick mimosa at Elm Street Cask & Kitchen. They had a fantastic menu, but we hit it on a day where it was breakfast buffet only.  It’s southern inspired food as well, and they had a great feel to the place, was bummed we couldn’t just get a little breakfast snack.  But loved our mimosas in the cut glass goblets!

ssn – One of my favorite interiors. Would love to have spent a little more time.

Renaissance Saint Elm

On the next block is the Renaissance St. Elm hotel, and naturally, hotels have bars! And this one has the Brasserie Toussaint and get this, it’s French, New Orleans, Vietnamese fusion!  Holy cow, Marriott crushed this place.  Only we were too early for that kind of food, so drinks were had instead.

Opting for my wheelhouse I went with the Lapse in Judgement (seemed on theme) which was Aperol, peach, rosemary, lemon, and wheat beer, while Peggy had the RHOD, vodka, peach, lemon, and vanilla, YUMMERS, she won this round!

ssn – another great interior. Plus the bartender was fantastic (he spent summers in Pueblo, my current town, growing up and we talked all things Southern Colorado). AND…they had the beautiful knobby blue highball glasses from Pottery Barn/Crate and Barrel/Williams Sonoma that I’ve been obsessed with forever. They are pretty spendy in the stores but the manager agreed to let me buy a set if I came back at the end of the day. Sadly, I didn’t make it back but next time!! Some people make back alley drug deals, I go for back alley glassware.

The next block up took us right by Kitchen+Kocktails, which had made Peggy’s short list of planning.  We popped in quicky, because Cotton Candy cocktails must happen, even for breakfast.

We are still super sad we didn’t eat here. The next table had the chicken and waffles, and some seriously amazing looking southern comfort food.  But Peggy’s cocktail bubbled, and we will be considering this our second home next trip. 

Deep Ellum

The Biscuit Bar

We had planned this route intentionally to take us by The Biscuit Bar. They had cocktails and great reviews. Bright and sunny atmosphere, order at the counter for some fantastic sounding food, or go right to the bar and have a mimosa.

We bought a bachelorette a signature cocktail but had to jet after just one drink (servers were slam packed busy), to make our reservations at one of our new favorite spots on the planet The Neon Kitten.

ssn – that poor bachelorette was not having a good time – literally every one of her friends were scrolling on their phones. So we had to step in…we felt like it was our obligation as Cocktail Godmothers to bring free drinks and smiles to her. Also, I had some sort of Cinnamon Toast Crunch breakfast drink and it was awesome!!

The Neon Kitten

We walked by The Neon Kitten twice trying to find the place, we even stopped and took a picture of this adorable sign on a patio, which later turned out to be their patio. But dang, for some reason we had a hard time finding this place.  Here’s a hint: look for a neon kitten out front.

We walked in, first ones there for the day. The entire staffed stopped what they were doing and cheered! It was the welcome home we had been looking for.

Neon Kitten is an Izakaya and Dim sum, so plan to stay a while and have many plates of food.  But their cocktail menu!  Oh my goodness, so well thought out, and such amazing presentations.  We ate so much, we drank plenty, I didn’t want to leave.

Highlights included Pichifizu (peach and vodka again!), Kiraimupai Mimosa (Key lime pie flavored bubbly), and the signature Osaka, which was a sake, cherry blossom and gin creation that was served in a hello kitty looking glass!

Food, omg, we could have cleared the entire menu:  Pork Belly Benedict, Pork Belly Bao Buns, and Dim Sum including morel shrimp dumplings, prawn and pork sui mai, these crazy bright green mushroom dumplings, and the chili and peanut wontons.  I’m dying just now reliving the experience in my head!

ssn – this was seriously incredible. Each item was perfection and we could have stayed all day. Patti didn’t mention the matcha french toast – it was special that day, off-menu, and insanely delish. We never get sweet breakfast food but so glad we didn’t pass on this one.

The Blackbird Society

THEN, omg, THEN, as I was exiting the bathroom, I noticed the bookcase to the back of the room was propped open at a weird angle, so had to check it out. I peaked behind it, and there was an entire room, the manager was back behind the bar and invited me in: it was The Blackbird Society!  A speakeasy that was on our list for later in the evening that we were super excited to check out.  It was a gorgeous room with the great blue velvet feel to it.

Hawkers

Sadly, it was time to move on, but bars line the street, so we had tons of options.  We settled on across the street, Hawkers Asian Street Food.  Unfortunately, we were too full for more food.  But Emmy decided it was time for Sake Bombs, and I can’t say that she was wrong!  The staff at Hawkers were amazing!  Loved them, felt like we had new family in our bartender.  The atmosphere was fun, the drinks were great, and next time we will try some food!

ssn – Hawkers website gets it right when they claim it is a Total Vibe. This place was fantastic.

Double Wide

Needing to walk it off we headed for Double Wide bar.  This place was on our list, I was excited and ready for it.  But it was also hot out, Dallas level hot.  And we were slightly dying by the time we got there, only to find out they were closed for an event that night.  Super sad because it looked so cute.

Thunderbird Station

But we managed to duck into the Thunderbird Station on the next block to cool down. Built out of an old gas station, with a huge outdoor patio area, it was a fun little place!  Vintage feel with craft cocktails, and frozen drinks to rectify the sweaty betty swampy feeling!

Las Almas Rotas

We were starting to wind down from the heat, so we hopped an Uber to our final stop of the day. The Mezcaleria, Las Almas Rotas.  I mean, Mezcal, it’s a great way to finish strong.  And you know they had tacos, and esquites (corn, lime, cotija, cream, yes, yes, and yes!).  While it was too late in the day for me to convince anyone to do tequila shots with me, I had a Pajaro Loco. That’s super fun to say, and it had banana and pineapple!  The back of the restaurant had a speakeasy-esque Spirits Room, which would have been a good time if we could have come back.

Day Drinking Conclusion

There were so many places we wanted to stop and didn’t.  We definitely could have done two or three days of day drinking just sticking to Deep Ellum alone.

A little side bar to close out this story, the night of the Nodding Donkey, we managed a quick stop into Truth & Alibi.  It’s considered the go-to speakeasy in all the research we did for this trip.  It’s cute in that you enter through a fake candy store, but inside I was shocked at how loud and night-clubby it was.  Speakeasies tend to be more quiet, hidden gems. This was full in your face smoke and lights, but it did lend an opportunity for me to be present for my son’s very first burlesque show, and that made this momma happy!  Happy Birthday, Tanner!!!

More in the Day Drinking series:

• Seattle – part 1
• Seattle – part 2
• Savannah
• Boise
• Kansas City

The arrogance of the state alone is enough, but then throw in their atrocious women’s rights stance, and machismo attitude of JR Ewing.  Dallas was supposed to be dirty, humid, and bug ridden.  I prepared for this horrible city that I was made to suffer through for the sake of my eldest son’s birthday.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – and while we are hating on Texas, DFW is one of my top 3 least favorite airports in the USA. But here we are and man, did we have a good time!

But now I’m just pissed at how much I really loved it.  And how I can’t wait to go back and do and see and eat more!!!

So, let’s just talk about what we did, and what you can’t miss out on when you are forced to suffer through this city.  Which we will assume you are only doing as a business trip or a family torture trip. So following our amazing experience at the Virgin Hotels Dallas, we headed downtown for the rest of the weekend.

The Assassination of JFK

We, naturally, have to start with the big one.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated here. And they aren’t about to let you forget it.  A pox, a shame, an embarrassment to this city, but also a much-profited angle of their tourism.

You have to find a JFK tour.  And there are hundreds of them, so choose wisely.  How much time do you want to spend?  How interested are you?  Full day, half day, an hour?  Do you want to walk the area or take a full bus/trolley/limo tour to all the important spots? 

We desperately wanted to do the replica limo tour of the route, but they were closed for the one weekend we were there – family holiday or something like that, whatever. But here is their link, in case you are lucky enough to book it!

Our Tour

We opted for a 2-hour walking tour. So as not to fill too much of our day on one subject, but to be sure we got all the information we needed going forward.

So, we chose an Airbnb Experience with Sam called “The Assassination of JFK”. 

Sam was fantastic. He clearly has done all the research, and is not shy about sharing his opinions about who was really behind the murder.  He goes in to full time line details of the entire event, from Oswald’s employment at the Book Depository, to JFK’s love of attention and media.  We learned a lot and had a fantastic time and ended up going over our 2-hour time because there was so much information to share. 

ssn – it really is not a “walking” tour, more of a “standing” tour. The entire tour was focused on sights in and around Dealey Plaza.

There are other tours available if you are interested in the full gotta-see-it-all experience, including visits to Oswald’s boarding house, the theater he was arrested in, and the route from the airport to the assassination site. 

Do it all, do a little, or just visit Dealey Plaza, there are plaques and landmarks, and men selling little newspapers that tell you all about what you are looking at. 

ssn – and probably not a surprise, but when we got back to the hotel that night, we spent a couple of hours watching old footage of the assassination day’s events on YouTube. It’s safe to say we have some theories!

But it’s a must-do in Dallas.

Art Museums

Immersive Frida Kahlo

The Lighthouse Artspace is permanently closed but hopefully another museum will occupy the space soon!

Lighthouse Artspace is the home of the Immersive Van Gogh and Immersive Frida Kahlo exhibits. This is a fairly new trend in the art world. It involves moving displays of famous artists work in floor to ceiling rooms. 

We chose the Frida Kahlo because Peggy had already seen the Van Gogh exhibit.

The Lighthouse Artspace is a beautiful building (an old Masonic building, noted by the Freemason’s mark on by the entrance, please google your own Freemason’s conspiracy theories at a later time).  The Frida Kahlo wing spanned 4 different rooms, as well as a fantastic balcony in room 2 where you would experience the display from a high viewpoint where you can see the floor display as well.

Museum of Biblical Art

Dallas also has the Museum of Biblical Art.  Such an interesting concept for an art museum, and so fascinating. It is in a beautiful building, with a surrounding sculpture garden. 

During our visit it housed an exhibit on the works of Michelangelo, including full-size replicas of the Pieta, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, and Moses (ok, in fairness, he looked exactly like Zeus). 

In a separate wing, there is a full display of Jewish art, including a special section for Andy Warhol.  And I do love Andy Warhol.

One of the most moving exhibits I have ever seen was in this museum in the Barbara Hines “Celebration of Survival”.  The entrance of the wing is floor to ceiling tapestries of the holocaust, with fantastically angled mirrors between the tapestries for a full immersive experience.  Then the following room opens up to a hallway lined with Ms. Hines artwork and the stories of people who put their lives on the line to step in and assist Jews in the escape from the Nazis (for example, one of the most known ones would be Oskar Schindler). 

It was moving, informative, and so important to share these stories. 

Other Art Options in Dallas

Dallas also has a full Art Museum, The Dallas Museum of Art, and a Contemporary Art Museum, creating an Arts District in Downtown Dallas. Dallas is also home to the George W. Bush Presidential Library, checkout their wing on Presidential humor, no matter your political affiliation it will help you really appreciate the man that George W is on a personal level.  The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a hands-on approach to dinosaurs, DNA, and all things science-y and fun, they pack 5 levels with new things to learn and discover, this is a great option if traveling to Dallas with children.

There is an African American Art center and an Asian American museum. And back to our JFK topic, the 6^th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza gives you a look at the inside story of Lee Harvey Oswald’s perch about the plaza.

In short, if you are an art lover, there are many fabulous exhibits for you to check out.

A couple of worthy stops in downtown Dallas

We stayed downtown at the Hotel Indigo (a IHG property), so in the morning we did our usual wandering and stopped in for a coffee at The Flying Horse Coffee Shop. They have house-made flavors for your latte and alternative milk selections.  A couple of lattes and we headed out for a walk of the downtown area.

ssn – we loved our Hotel Indigo. Just because we were enamored with the Virgin Property doesn’t mean we didn’t make an excellent choice with Indigo. We do love IHG as well. The location could not be beat, the staff was incredibly friendly and the vibe was beautiful. And the double queen bed setup was the best!

Downtown Dallas Historic District

This is in the Downtown Historic District, fantastic older buildings with the Magnolia Hotel, The Adolphus Tower (and hotel), Pegasus Plaza, and some really interesting architectural features.  Reunion Tower is a little bit east, and it isn’t the prettiest by daylight, but the panoramic views of the city are fantastic, and it’s cool lit up at night

Our first stop was the AT&T discovery district.  It was a lot like the Amazon district in Seattle, full of AT&T products and shops but also a little greenery, sculptures, a performance area and a Starbucks. They have live music and dining in this area on weekends

Our second stop, the eyeball. 

Like why?  I don’t know, but there’s an eye ball.  An eerily accurate-looking, giant fiberglass eyeball, right in the middle of downtown.

But really, we were just killing time until Thanks-giving Square opened.  A peaceful park in the middle of the city, it’s an all-faiths gathering spot that includes art work, fountains, and a peaceful atmosphere.  It also houses the amazing stained glass spire.  It’s a beautiful, calming contemplation area, and includes a board where you can post your own gratitude, with a hope of passing on inspiration, hope, and feeling of harmony.

As it turns out, Downtown Dallas is very walkable, clean, and has a limited homeless population for a very safe feeling.

Yeah, I know, shocking, Dallas was nice. . . UGH

Dallas Street Art and Points of Interest

Yes, I already mentioned the Eyeball as a street art option.  I still don’t get it, but it’s a thing.

But as we were headed on our walk down to Deep Ellum (lots of fun restaurants and bars that will be covered in our Day Drinking blog), we sought out The Traveling Man statues which were right by The Biscuit Bar.  The Traveling man is a three part statue of a funky little metal robot like creature with these super cute little chickadee friends.

ssn – we didn’t get a pic of the 1st in the Traveling Man series so here are the second and third.

At the east end of downtown, closer to Dealey Plaza is the Cattle Drive Sculpture.  No chance to mount these beauties, as they were a little too tall and a little too public for us.

And as long as you are down on that end, swing by Founders Plaza where you can see the John Neely Bryan Cabin for the log cabin and a little history of early Dallas from the 1800s early settlers.

Additionally, Dallas has done a great job incorporating murals and art work into their downtown area, creating an artsy feel and a welcoming atmosphere. It’s definitely more than just high rises and steel.  It made me miss Minneapolis, because I really loved their murals.

And Naturally, All the Sports

Yes, we hate the Cowboys.

Cowboys suck, so do their fans.

But we did catch our Mariners in town playing the Texas Rangers at the Globe Life Field.  It’s a new stadium, but they’ve built a great area outside with bars and restaurants and activities. 

But let’s not forget Dallas also has The Dallas Stars NHL hockey and The Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball.

So, catch a game, just not the Cowboys. (My son said the Cowboy stadium tour was cool though, if you are a football fan).

The Wrap-Up

So, all in all, we had a full two days. 

And we are slightly obsessed.

And we can’t wait to go back.

There’s still so much left for us to do.

And if you want to know who killed JFK, let us know!

Other Dallas Posts

The Virgin Hotel Dallas

Dallas Day Drinking

We have heard so many amazing things about the Virgin Hotels and Virgin product line.  But we have never flown Virgin Atlantic Airlines, or been on a Virgin Voyage (not yet, but we want to and plan to, so slip us a little discount there Virgin fam, we are dying to come check you out), we are new to the Virgin properties. And so far, Richard Branson has not invited us to stay on his private island.

Virgin Virgins you might say.

Sister Side Note (ssn) – Virgin properties have the reputation for being young and hip (while we are not quite young or as hip as we may have once been) but we love their branding of “luxury lifestyle hospitality” geared for the young at heart. Hey, that’s us!

I had a gap evening in Dallas between my arrival and Peggy’s late-night arrival, so I booked Virgin Hotels Dallas.

And I have nothing but regret that I didn’t book our entire stay there.

Virgin Hotels – Get In the Know

Prior to booking, We had joined “The Know” loyalty program.  And I am in love with their attention to detail already.  They get the basics about you, and then proceed with questions to help them get to know you and anticipate ways to make your stay more personalized.  Are you a sweets person or a salty snack person?  Do you like still water or fizzy water?  What kind of music do you like, who is your favorite artist? What do you preferred to be called (I am “My Beloved” for the Virgin Staff)?

ssn – I shall be known as Lady Anita Glasawine. Other questions include whether you have pet peeves, concerns about ghosts, and what activities you like to do.

AND, The Know members get automatically upgraded for rooms.  You don’t have to ask or beg, if they have a better room option, they will just give it to you.

Also, definitely worth noting, the Virgin hotel app allows in-app check-ins, but also features the ability to control lights and temps in your room direct from your phone.

Check-in

I checked in on Thursday night and I was greeted by an employee in a rainbow mask, hello Pride month! It was a flawless check-in, very friendly staff sharing all our “ya gottas” for Dallas.

I had booked a mid-level room, overlooking the pool.  We received an upgrade to a corner room on the 12^th floor, because I’m in “The Know”.

And it was gorgeous!

The Room

The dressing area and vanity, as well as the restroom facilities, were separated from the sleeping area.  Everything from the robes to the glassware selection were impeccably chosen.  A full bar and snack trays are in-room and available for purchase, including top shelf liquor and mixers of all kinds.

AND, there was a welcome basket, addressed to me, filled with little snack items and a welcome note.

Ok, and we have to talk about the beds!  Soft and squishy, and an overabundance of pillows. Like sleeping on air.  And who picked out these beds, they are amazing.  Super cool two queen beds, connected by a bench seat and a rotating table. 

Everything was cute, comfortable, functional, all around winning in the furniture selection.

And let me just tell you how happy the water pressure in the waterfall shower made me.  Not just a drizzle, a full downpour to cleanse your soul.

Happy Hour

The restaurant/bar in Virgin Hotels Dallas is The Commons Club. It hosts happy hour every night, with selected specials for the night.

ssn – The Common Club also hosts a Drag Brunch twice during the month as well as music and dining events during the week.

I started with my go-to drink, Vodka and seven.  However, I soon found the elevated level of expertise of the bartender. He offered to make me a drink, in my wheelhouse.  Nailed it on the first drink, it was an almost Key Lime pie-y goodness made with gin, little sweet, little creamy, a little tart (like my sister). My son’s girlfriend, Emmy, was made a strawberry jalapeño martini, which was simply amazing, and not too peppery, also perfectly in her wheelhouse.

We were going out to celebrate my son’s birthday that evening but couldn’t skip ordering the beef cheek bao buns.  They were perfection in pillowy steamed bao.

A little live acoustic music, a beautiful outdoor patio, and engaging staff.  Emmy commented at how after living in the Dallas area for most of her life, she had never met and talked to so many friendly people as there were working for Virgin Hotels Dallas.

And Finally Peggy Arrives

It was almost 1:00 am but I couldn’t help showing off the room features and we giggled with excitement for an hour about the fun weekend we were about to have!

Morning

In the morning, the Funny Library is the hotel’s coffee shop.  They start serving Irish coffees at 7 am, so why would you sleep in.

We took our coffees to go and wandered up to the rooftop pool on the fourth floor.

The Pool and Virgin Hotels Dallas Pool Club

From our room we could see the pool area and a little covered spot. That covered spot was discovered to be the hot tub area.  Enclosed in a trellis covered in fake Wisteria, it was beautiful, peaceful, and a calm little spot for morning coffee.

There is entire bar down by the pool, so poolside cocktails in the cabana are definitely on the agenda for our next visit. And there WILL be a next visit. One of the staff stopped to chat with us and let us know that the pool is THE place to be on the weekends.

We shared an elevator on our way back up to our room.  I commented at how much we loved this hotel to a man in the elevator.  He said “I am so glad you like it, I’ve only been here a year and love it here”, this seemed to be a common theme for the employees we met.  So, either their employer is doing a fantastic job, or they are all amazing fakers!

Breakfast at The Commons Club

We did make breakfast reservations for Commons Club.  Billed as “French meets Texan”.  I had the Potato Latkes Benedict, with smoked salmon and crème fraiche hollandaise.  I loved this combination of light and rich.  A little bummed I didn’t order second breakfast of The King’s Pancakes, because besides peanut butter and banana, it is served with a side of Maker’s Mark caramel – and I should have had some of that!

ssn – I had the Breakfast Sandy – I was torn between the Breakfast Tacos (my go-to) and the Sandy which had glazed pork belly, egg and dijonaise on a croissant. Breakfast cocktail was the Sparkling Greyhound (vodka, fresh grapefruit juice and prosecco).

Once again, our service was amazing, we absolutely loved David, our server.  He was funny and personable, and made great recommendations.  And shared with us his latest TikTok video, which solidified us as family in my book!

Planning our next visit

We immensely enjoyed our stay, enough to write a dedicated mini-blog just for this experience.

We are definitely going back to Dallas, and we are definitely staying in The Virgin Hotel Dallas, I still can’t believe I checked out and left. Since I’m self-appointed family now, they should probably start making accommodations for me to never leave – long term Virgin sisbehaving accommodations por favor!

However, and this is worth noting, the one thing y’all need to do at The Virgin company is get bigger robes.  This plus size momma wants her bits covered as she lounges around that room with her Aviation Gin and Tonic from the mini bar!

THANK YOU Virgin Hotels

Thank you so much to our new home away from home with The Virgin Hotel fam. 

And again, hook up ya sistahs with that Virgin Voyage comp!  We are ready to go!!

We are sold on the Virgin line and are going to start planning Vegas and Chicago just to stay at their other properties!

Continue reading about all the cool things to do in Dallas! Next post: Dallas, Texas. The City We Love to Hate.