By Alessandra
Y’all know I love Texas. So, when I saw roundtrip tickets for less that $150 to Dallas, a city I had yet to explore, I didn’t even think twice before buying them!
I quickly learned that Dallas is HUGE and there is so much to see, eat and drink. Thankfully, our friends at Visit Dallas, the ultimate Dallas resource, were kind enough to give me their recommendations and put together an itinerary that would maximize The Big D experience.
Where To Stay
I was #blessed enough to stay at the wonderful Omni Dallas Hotel with my boo. I knew our romantic Texas getaway was off to a good start from the moment we stepped into the hotel lobby.
The sophisticated 23-story downtown Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas will make it very hard for you to leave the room to explore; with floor to ceiling windows, spacious accommodations, and wonderful service you’ll secretly want to just stay in the room in your soft Omni robe.
Not only was the hotel itself simply perfect for our stay, it was also located in the right location and allowed us to check out everything we wanted without having to travel too far. Oh and did I mention it has a pool AND 7 restaurants?! More food talk coming soon…
Seriously y’all, when booking your Dallas vacation don’t forget to check out the Omni Dallas Hotel. You’ll be thanking us when you’re obsessing over the room views.
Getting Around
As a former Texas resident, I knew that it’s a State where you normally need a car. And that can be true about most of Dallas but we found that you have plenty of options when moving around this city.
Rent A Car – if you’re over 25, renting a car is not as expensive and you’ll probably get a better bang for your buck versus just Ubering everywhere. Just remember to not drink and drive!
Uber – Don’t feel like driving or being too adventurous? This one’s for you.
Take A Bird – To travel from attraction to attraction or restaurant to restaurant, these scooters are a super fun option!
The DART – Dallas has a light rail that connects you to major points across the city. It’s a cheap option to get around if you’re traveling longer distances and don’t want to break the bank.
What To See
This trip was a bit more about eating and drinking than sightseeing. Can you blame us? We can’t say no to tacos, queso, chips & salsa and margaritas! But we definitely snuck in a cultural element to our trip + more awesome views.
Reunion Tower
The GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower is one of the icons of the Dallas skyline. The tower is 470 feet high and offers visitors a 360 degree view of Dallas! The GeO-Deck features HD zoom cameras, interactive touch screens, telescopes, and awesome #Instagram opps. You can check out the views either during the day or at nighttime, or why not both?!
Deep Ellum
This trendy neighborhood in Dallas reminded us a bit of NOLA, although it’s much bigger than any neighborhood here! Deep Ellum is composed largely of arts and entertainment venues; here you’ll find live music, restaurants, bars and lots of fun!
We checked out Bottled Blonde in Deep Ellum for a quick snack and jalapeño margaritas. This hotspot is a huge sports bar that turns into a nightclub and has an outdoor bar area with fun games called Backyard.
What To Eat & Drink
Breakfast Tacos
I can’t think of waking up in Texas and not having breakfast tacos first thing in the morning.
I love me a good biscuit and grits, but Texas does breakfast best with tacos. You can get these just about anywhere you go in Dallas, but I wanted a little taste of college and drove to the nearest Taco Cabana for bean + cheese tacos and their salsa bar.
Frozen Margaritas
Did you know that Dallas is the birthplace of the Frozen Margarita?! We owe this city so much praise for this! Mariano Martinez who opened Mariano’s Hacienda restaurant in East Dallas in 1971 came up with the Frozen Margarita to ensure that all the margaritas being served as his restaurant were consistent.
Although I’m saving details about my Margarita Mile adventure for a second blog post + a fun giveaway, I will say this: you cannot go to Dallas and not drink a frozen margarita (or two) around the Margarita Mile. You can start with a classic and then check out so many fun flavors.
Brunch
I noticed on this trip that Dallas is a city that loves brunch. I mean, who doesn’t love brunch? But seriously, everyone I chatted with during my trip had tons of brunch suggestions and their Sundays always revolve around brunchin’ in the latest hotspot.
Remember how I mentioned that the Omni Dallas had 7 restaurants around the property? Well, I had to try at least one! We opted for Cafe Herrera for brunch. It was much needed after a night filled with frozen margaritas!
Not only did we have some of the best queso and micheladas ever, but the family behind the restaurant has an awesome story!
In 1971, Momma Herrera opened her first restaurant with the familiar recipes she grew up with in Mexico, she worked day and night at her first restaurant. The whole family worked at the restaurant at some point and it quickly became an institution for tex-mex food and opened multiple locations! Today, members of the founding family still work at the Omni Cafe Herrera.
Macaron Ice-cream Sandwiches
Leave room for dessert y’all! I stumbled upon Joy Macarons on Instagram and HAD to pay them a visit to eat their delicious and very #grammable macarons.
Burgers
Everything is bigger in Texas y’all, and not just my appetite. For my very last meal in Dallas on my way to the airport, I decided to check out Liberty Burger. Not only are they serving up great burgers, fries, boozy shakes and pies, but they also have an amazing story!
Liberty Burger was co-founded by badass native Texan babe, Mariel Street & her brother, Gene Street Jr. They’ve created a wonderful company, serving quality burgers with a side of social responsibility; Liberty Burger is known for consistently giving back to local schools and charities.
We love great food paired with inspiring stories.
Dallas, you were grand and we will be back very, very soon! Stay tuned for our Margarita Mile recap coming to you on National Taco Day.
We were hosted by Visit Dallas and the Omni Dallas Hotel during this trip. All opinions are our own.