Author Topic: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?  (Read 5501 times)

Bbqmustache

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Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« on: January 22, 2014, 06:02:15 AM »
My wife and I are heading to Dallas in late March for a conference.  We are looking for enjoyable things to do/eat with our spending at a Mustachian level.  When I posted a What could we do in Dallas? post in Facebook, all I got was sukky consumer stuff.  Can I get some suggestions here, please?

Thanks!

Weedy Acres

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2014, 06:23:07 AM »
I used to live there, though it's been a while.  But here are a few things that come to mind:

McKinney Ave. Contemporary (local arts scene, I think there's a free night in there too)

If you're into clubbing and will be there on a weekend, wander around Deep Ellum and get into clubs free before 10 pm.

Downtown Dallas is linked by underground tunnels such that you can walk from one end to the other without going outside (a great boon in the horrid summers).  The Dallas Morning News published a map once and I spent a couple hours with a friend wandering through them all.  Along the way you encounter little outdoor oases and cool buildings.  Google and you should be able to find this map.

Fort Worth Water Gardens

There are also tons of great restaurants.  Non-mustachian to be sure, but lots of good stuff.  Perhaps current residents can help more than I on that front.

TickInTime

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2014, 06:29:30 AM »
If you are in the area then I would suggest going to the JFK museum. I scoffed at the price as unmustachian but after going through the 2/3 hour your I would pay 2x as much to learn all that it presented. It was amazing.

Else there are many parks in Dallas and Fort Worth that are free/inexpensive.  I would head over to Fort Worth just to visit as it is truly rodeo town.

We also visited Fair Park which had no activities at the time but is a throwback to 100 years ago.

Blindterry

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2014, 07:26:21 AM »
I set up an account after lurking here for months just to weigh in on this question Bbqmustache, so thanks! It depends on where you are staying because public transit isn't great here and it's so spread out, but if you're downtown, I would also recommend the Dallas Museum of Art, which has free admission (you have to pay for special exhibitions, but the majority of the museum is free.) There's also a great new park in front of the DMA called Klyde Warren Park where food trucks will park around lunch time, so you could get something there for lunch or pick up a sandwich somewhere and have a picnic. Also, there's a free trolley that runs from Downtown to Uptown, and there are some quick,  "cheaper" places to eat around there as well.

RumbleKittie

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2014, 08:19:51 AM »
Ditto Blindterry.

In addition to the Dallas Museum of Art, the whole arts district is worth a visit. Across the street from the DMA is the Trammell-Crow Museum of Asian Art that also has free admission. The Perot Museum of Natural Science opened a year ago and is fantastic! I think admission price is $15, though.

I'm not sure when in March you'll be there, but the Dallas Museum of Art holds a "Late Night" event every third Friday of the month. In addition to free general admission, there are music performances and activities relating to a central theme.

To expand on Blindterry's suggestion on Klyde Warren park, you could also play chess & croquet amongst other activities.

Psychstache

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2014, 08:54:02 AM »
After living here for 4 years, I too would like to know some mustachian things to do in Dallas. :(

I will 2nd the 6th floor museum (disclaimer: big history nerd). I think it is pretty interesting and it has a lot of information and the events leadig up to and following the assassination.

mollyjade

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2014, 09:39:00 AM »
I grew up in the area. We always took visitors to Pioneer Plaza downtown where there's a sculpture of a longhorn cattle drive. A fun place to take your photo, if a bit cheesy and touristy. We also would visit the JFK grassy knoll, though we usually skipped the museum (for no good reason really).

If you like to look at architecture/old homes, there's a pretty area called Highland Park that was a planned garden suburb where most of the houses were built in the early 1900s. It's a very ritzy area.

Katy Trail is nice for walking/biking.

Klyde Warner Park, which others have mentioned, also has free classes and events most days. Yoga and concerts and so on.

There's a really nice grocery store called Central Market with great produce and bread and things. Fun to look around if you're a food person. You could pick up a loaf of bread and a few other things and have a picnic at one of the parks/trails.

There's a nice chain of used bookstores in Texas called Half-Price books.

Psychstache

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2014, 09:48:43 AM »
There's a nice chain of used bookstores in Texas called Half-Price books.

OMG this!

If you guys are readers, def try and make it out to the HPB on 75 and Northwest Hwy. It is quite a sight to see, and books are super cheap. they have a 10% discount for teachers if you bring your badge with you.

Bbqmustache

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2014, 05:22:53 AM »
As we are flying in, and only there for the weekend, eating out (carefully) is what we have to do.  Grocery stores that have ready made food and small hole in the wall restaurants or stands are what we want to find.  Any suggestions of this type?

The conference is Dave Ramsey's Smart Conference in Grand Prarie.  TX, north of Dallas.   The stockyards of Fort Worth are on our list, thanks for the other areas, besides the museum and bookstore (and the grassy knoll of course) the suggestions were all new.

We head over to Houston Saturday night to stay with friends.  Anything worth looking at besides desert and oilfields on that 3-4 hour drive? (we have to come back that way to fly back).

I downloaded the tunnel map, thanks, we may check them out.  And the Highland Park neighborhood sounds like a nice walking tour.

SewingmyStache

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #9 on: January 26, 2014, 10:17:26 AM »
The oddest stop you can make between Dallas and Houston is the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville.  There's a $4 admission, but you get to sit in an electric chair.  There's also a giant WHITE statue of Sam Houston by the side of the highway that you will see, ie can't miss it.

I would allow at least 4 hours to drive from Dallas to Houston, possibly more depend on where you starting and ending.  If you see any desert, you need to do a course correction.

In Houston, I would recommend the Beer Can House as the most mustachian sight.

Tyler

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #10 on: January 26, 2014, 11:18:28 AM »
For food in Dallas, you really have to try the BBQ and/or TexMex.  There are plenty of inexpensive places around. Ask around when you get there - people are generally very friendly.

Once you get near Houston and need to stop for gas/restroom/snack, make it a point to stop at a Buckee's. The experience is hard to describe - picture the largest, nicest, cleanest truck stop you've ever seen and then triple it in size. They have pretty good food, too.

Sohcrates

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #11 on: January 26, 2014, 03:30:05 PM »
I thought the jfk museum was fascinating!

mollyjade

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #12 on: January 27, 2014, 09:20:58 AM »
As we are flying in, and only there for the weekend, eating out (carefully) is what we have to do.  Grocery stores that have ready made food and small hole in the wall restaurants or stands are what we want to find.  Any suggestions of this type?

The conference is Dave Ramsey's Smart Conference in Grand Prarie.  TX, north of Dallas.   The stockyards of Fort Worth are on our list, thanks for the other areas, besides the museum and bookstore (and the grassy knoll of course) the suggestions were all new.

So Grand Prairie is west of Dallas, not north. Which is good, because you're closer to Fort Worth. Give yourself 40 mins to drive to Fort Worth and 20 mins to Drive to Dallas. Expect everything to be far away(ish).

For food in Fort Worth, try Ol' South Pancake House. Breakfast is served 24 hours and worth eating at any time. In any part of DFW, look for breakfast tacos (usually served until noon, but sometimes all day), which are usually $1.50 to $2 each. It's hard to recommend a specific place since everyone eats these close to home.

Bbqmustache

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Re: Mustachian things to do in Dallas?
« Reply #13 on: March 26, 2014, 05:20:11 AM »
Thanks to all, we arrive in Dallas late tomorrow morning!  I downloaded a library book called Road Food, and also looked up the best BBQ places in the area.  Our budget is set, and we've allowed ourselves two decent dinners out.  Thinking Angelo's BBQ in Fort Worth for one, don't know where else we are going.