Things to do for a fun Girls Weekend in Dallas, TX.

First off, I wish I could explain to you how much having an amazing girl gang who always supports me through the highs, lows, and unknowns of my life means to me. Having strong women ready to circle their wagons around me and help me get back on my feet as well as celebrate my victories with me is one of many blessings in my life. Going to Dallas, Texas to blow off some steam and celebrate together was exactly what I needed and we all agreed that if we could "Copy & Paste" this exact weekend onto every girls' getaway we would be totally okay with that. I think researching and planning out exactly where I wanted to go each day in preparation for the vacay made the whole weekend run more smoothly and helped us maximize our time exploring and doing fun things. Is it very Type A? Yes. However, I think even a rough idea of which places you'd like to go helps eliminate the usual "I don't care what we do right now, literally whatever you want to do right now is fine" conversation followed by time wasted trying to figure out what is around.

Chances are if you found and are reading this blog, you are also trying to plan and figure out which places to go explore for a fun, flirty, girls' getaway. If that is the case, the following restaurants, activities, and nightlife were definite crowd-pleasers and I highly recommend them all!

[A note before you begin browsing my post, lots of these photos are taken by me but a few of them are professional photos from the websites so I could really display the quality of the hotels and restaurants! So thanks to those hotels and restaurants for posting images on their sites for me to show off!]

Creating an Itinerary

When I was creating an itinerary, I first needed to know the dates and times everyone would be available to be in Dallas. My girlfriends work and were flying in on Friday evening around dinner time. I arrived on Thursday to check-in at the hotel, visit family, and enjoy some downtime in Dallas. On Sunday, one of my girlfriends needed to get to the airport and another had to get back home to pick her dog up from the kennel. I used these deadlines to

help decide which days I needed to have things planned for us to do.

Here is a copy of the itinerary I was able to throw together with the help of Yelp, Canva, and Opentable.com.

Things to know about making an itinerary:

1. I didn't want to plan things like primping and downtime, but I definitely considered them in my timing. I felt that if I tried too hard to plan everything, the weekend would feel too forced and not laid back enough. After all, this was supposed to be a getaway from our crazy everyday schedules. There's no need to add any unnecessary stress

2. Do your research! I browsed Yelp and used my map for what felt like 24 hours straight to make sure the places I chose were my favorite and to help manage our commutes. This simple step helped maximize primping and downtime and eliminated the possibility of having to employ the rabbit hole question "what do you guys want to do now?"

3. Don't be afraid to stray from a planned activity. I ended up adjusting a reservation last minute and we ended up trying a different hotel for happy hour on Saturday. It was still a blast and we loved it!

4. Don't forget to include important details like reservation times and numbers, locations, and flight times.

4. Don't forget to include important details like reservation times and parties, locations, and flight. This will just help keep all the most important information together.

Hotel

The Adolphus

My girlfriends and I stayed at The Adolphus and all around the reviews were glowing! We met the friendliest people around the hotel in elevators, the concierge lounge, and in the lobby. There were a couple of weddings happening during the weekend, so the lobby was usually pretty packed with happy and sociable people. The employees were very courteous and helpful, we especially loved the poolside bartenders and the servers in the City Hall Bistro. They went above and beyond for us.

The Joule

While we did not stay as guests overnight at The Joule, we all decided that next time we end up in Dallas, this was the place for us. On Saturday evening, we walked from the Adolphus to the Joule for our cocktail hour (straying from the itinerary... this is where I prove not sticking to the plan can pay off sometimes). We sat at a High Top at CBD Provisions in the lobby and had the most delightful waiter. The hotel lobby was decorated in a slight steampunk style featuring a giant turning gear as the main decorative attraction.

Upon leaving the CBD Provisions bar, we went to wait for our Uber on the curb. We were addressed by a handsome young man in a suit and he asked us if we were waiting for an Uber. We admitted we were, assuming he was going to relocate us to another location away from the main entrance, to our surprise the questions continued. He asked if we were guests of the hotel and that's when I realized he was going to offer us a complimentary driving service for guests. We said no, and understood that the conversation would most likely end in us continuing to wait for our uber. However, to our surprise, the polite young gentleman said he would still be happy to offer us a ride in the hotel's vehicle. So we tipped him very nicely since he went out of his way to help and he drove us to our dinner location Vidorra. My point in telling this story is to emphasize how nice the hotel and its staff were and recommend visiting this location on your weekend getaway.

Cocktails

CBD (At the Joule)

CBD Provisions is the acclaimed modern Texas brasserie located within The Joule Hotel. Its Berkshire pig head carnitas is one of the restaurant's most recognized dishes. CBD Provisions celebrates Texas through a contemporary lens and commits itself to local and sustainable sourcing.

 The bold cocktail menu features classics with a twist and a regional spirit, while the wine list showcases outstanding small producers from Texas, California, and France. With a particular emphasis on the best brewers in Dallas-Fort Worth, the beer program at CBD Provisions is craft and draft focused. Though the menu changes seasonally, the website recommends the pimento cheese toast which has become a cult classic among locals. We sipped on mezcal cocktails and thoroughly enjoyed our short time at CBD Provisions.

French Room Bar (Adolphus)

The French Room is the high-end dining room in the Adolphus Hotel, The French Room Bar is located in the Lobby/Salon area. It has a loungy feel with beautiful furniture. The girls and I found ourselves back at this bar several times during our trip for glasses of wine and signature cocktails. It is easy in, easy out with a great place to sit and enjoy! You can't go wrong with this hotel bar.

Restaurants

Sixty Vines

Sixty Vines is a wine bar featuring 40 wines on tap that is inspired by California wine country. It is located in uptown next to the Crescent Hotel. Its layout is very open and communal, perfect for a small gathering. We ended up ordering a few pizza and pasta dishes for the table and had the best time! I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for an intimate date because of the seating arrangement, but the long communal tables are perfect for a group of 6 girls. Sixty Vines also features an exhibition-style kitchen, so you can watch the staff prepare the meals.

I have been to Sixty Vines for brunch as well and would also highly recommend it based on the mimosa bar alone, not to mention the delicious food! The website boasts a greenhouse inspired patio that is in the works so I am really excited to return and see how that comes together.

City Hall Bistro

Visited City Hall Bistro for a late lunch on Friday and brunch on Saturday. It was lovely. The Bistro features Cuisine inspired by Southern Europe and classic breakfast fare. Our omelets, quite literally, had no flaws! They were the prettiest omelets I have ever seen. Also, City Hall Bistro offers the best weekend happy hour deal! Every Friday they have 1/2 bottles of wine. Thank me later. ;)

Vidorra

Vidorra is a Mexican restaurant and they have such an instagrammable patio with giant margaritas for groups. We elected to go with the pitchers, but I still think a giant margarita would have been a blast and a funny picture! We went for a later dinner, but I would recommend a lunch so you can take advantage of the pretty patio for photo opportunities.

Paradiso

This restaurant is IT. Paradiso just opened a few weeks ago and already looks like it is taking off as one of the most popular restaurants in the Bishop Arts District. They had pretty loud but fun music when we visited, so although the food was (unbelievably) delicious, it isn't the best place for quiet conversation. It is absolutely the best place for beautiful girly photoshoots and delicious pasta dishes! We tasted the two cavatelli dishes and everyone was pleased with their meal. May I recommend the "basket of bread" as a starter. Yes, we ordered that. Not that we need an excuse, but this was my birthday meal and #GirlsWeekend.

Emporium Pies

Unfortunately, we were so full from Paradiso we couldn't even imagine a delicious piece of pie. But since we came to Texas for college in 2015 Emporium Pies in the Bishop Arts District has been our favorite gathering place for girly comfort desserts. I have so many memories from emporium pies. They serve pie by the slice or whole pies depending on what you're looking for. When I was a freshman, I brought my roommate home a whole apple pie because I felt like it would be weird to travel back to campus with a slice. That was a misguided decision because that pie lasted us two weeks and filled our entire mini-fridge. That pie was a cornerstone in all of our relationships because we spent several nights gathered together on the floor of our first dorm room eating dutch apple pie straight out of the box. Thank you emporium pies for the girl gang memories and character development. I found some old photos from college to include!

Activities

Myx Blend Bar

Something that was really important to me was making sure I found something fun and unique for us to do while we were visiting in Dallas. As much as I adore food, I wanted to make sure every memory we made wasn't dependant on eating and drinking. (Again, nothing wrong with eating or drinking, definitely my favorite way to spend my free time.)

Myx Blend Bar is a custom lip product creating studio. There are 8 styles of lip product to choose from ranging from matte liquid lipstick (think Kylie Jenner lip kits) to tinted balms and glosses. We made a reservation online and were able to (to the best of our ability) explain to the Myx color consultant what we were looking for in a perfect lip shade at the appointment. Our Myxologist was amazing about letting us try on several shades and tweaking them until they were exactly what we wanted and they matched our skin tone perfectly.

I am not going to lie and say it was the easiest thing for us to explain exactly what we wanted, because the truth is, we had no clue. If we were good at picking ideal lip shades, we wouldn't need a place like Myx. However, whether you're a makeup enthusiast or a tinted moisturizer and yesterday's mascara remnant kind of girl (hi.) Myx is a blast! We all had so much fun and definitely raved about it to all of our friends. I can't wait to hear what their experience is like as well!

Bishop Arts District

Bishop Arts District was our last stop and a unanimous request for the weekend! It is a long walkable street filled with boutiques, cafes, and studios. We frequent the candle galleries and antique stores and enjoy the everchanging boutiques in the area as well. On this particular trip, we found luck in a French Market called Marcel Market. I bought a beautiful navy blue hat and my friend Sarah bought a twisted headband and a piece of jewelry. I also got a kick out of the Jerimiah Jo Candle shop (I linked Society which is the mother store for Jerimiah Jo, also located in Bishop Arts District). I like the way my name looks on a storefront! Bishop is a great place to go before the airport after checking out of the hotel. There isn't much pressure to buy at the stores, and it is great for just wasting time and enjoying the lovely company.

Nightlife

The Statler

The Statler is one of my all-time favorite places to go out on the town in Dallas and their rooftop bar, Waterproof is really breathtaking! (Can you say "Pool" & "Giant Disco Llama?") A dear friend of mine was very generous and purchased bottle service for the night and encouraged my friends and me to come to join in on the fun. We had the best night dancing and talking to his friends (also irrelevant but sort of funny note, 50 cent was at the Statler that night, so we were feeling kinda famous which always makes girls outings even more interesting!) Even if you don't plan to get bottle service, the Statler is a great place to visit during the summer days or any evening. It is definitely a staple place to let loose.

The Tipsy Alchemist

We didn't end up visiting The Tipsy Alchemist on this girls' getaway, however, it will always be another one of my favorite places for a night out with friends in Dallas! It is the coolest Alchemy themed bar. It is so obvious that the bartenders have a true passion for creating drinks artistically. They use fire, dry ice, and even a one-of-a-kind drink shaker system that sucks up the shaker and sends your drink on a rollercoaster skyride from one side of the room to the other and back! The whole presentation and creation of your cocktail is a show and an experience. Overall its a really unique place to go especially with friends if you're looking for a place to get a table and hangout for the entire night.

Thank you so much for stopping by! This post took a long time for me to write because it was a labor of love. This Girls' Getaway Weekend was so needed and could not have been more perfect for all of us. I hope the next time you are in Dallas you can stop by and visit some of my and my friends' favorite places! I am already looking forward to planning the next weekend! Just a friendly reminder to text your girl gang to tell them how much their love and support matters to you!