Some of my girlfriends from college and I are trying to keep a tradition alive and take a girls trip once a year – this year being Dallas!
Kind of haha. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to come and it was more so them coming to visit me than a trip for all of us.
But for now, it was perfect because we could all save some cash, experience new things together, and have a great time!
We were able to do SO many fun things during the few days they visited, I have to share.
For reference, my sister Kayla, Peanut, and Abby (Peanut’s boyfriend’s sister) are the beautiful ladies above who made the trip (:
I’ll walk you through some of our favorites day by day!
Thursday
Kayla and Peanut were both supposed to arrive during the day Thursday; however, Kayla’s flight was delayed so we were down to two for a while. (She finally got in at like midnight.)
After picking Peanut up from the airport, we went to First Watch Cafe for some coffee and brunch.
We stopped at TJMaxx on the way back and then spent the afternoon at the pool!
For dinner, we had appetizers and wine at IVY Kitchen because it was close to the house.
Kayla’s flight finally got in and we picked her up just before bed!
Friday
We wanted to do some touristy stuff and spend the day downtown, so we tried to plan things out based on location and temperature lol. (It’s still baking in Dallas)
Our first stop was the Dallas World Aquarium, which was absolutely incredible!
They have everything organized by floor based on where the animals live in the wild. (Underwater, bottom of the rainforest, up in the trees, etc.)
We started at the top where we saw all kinds of birds, monkeys, sloths, and creatures I never knew existed!
The middle displayed crocodiles, seals, penguins, stingrays, etc.
Downstairs we got to see TONS of different types of fish, seahorses, jelly fish, sharks, manatee, starfish, and so much more!
I can’t even begin to list the number of interesting creatures we got to see! I really Loved how close we got to be to all of the animals and some without barriers! (We literally stood directly below one of the sloths.)
Another thing we Loved was that all of the exhibits were so close together. We didn’t feel like we had to walk 20 miles to see everything like you do when you go to a typical zoo.
Afterward, we ate lunch at Ellen’s on our way to Dealey Plaza.
We didn’t have time to go to The Sixth Floor Museum, but that’s something I think would be really interesting to check out. I’m not much of a history buff AT ALL, but the museum is in the room where the sniper was when he assassinated JFK. (There is a Holocaust Museum right across the street that seems to be a major attraction as well.)
We walked through the plaza and someone pointed out to us which window the sniper was in during the assassination, and we were able to see some people standing up there in the museum.
Onward we went to the Reunion Tower, where we went up to the top and saw the Dallas skyline.
For those of you who thought I sounded ridiculous for talking about how nice it felt to drive in Iowa – here’s an overhead view of some of the roads in Dallas.
Self explanatory lol.
Anyways, the tower has a cafe (Cloud Nine Cafe) at the top where you can order coffee, adult beverages (woo!), snacks, etc. The seating areas rotate around (slowly – we’re not talkin like a rollercoaster here) so you get to see all of Dallas, while enjoying your goodies!
On our walk back to the car from there, we stumbled upon the JFK memorial. I couldn’t believe how silent it was inside there.
We hurried home to let my sweet Calli girl out and finished off the night with some barbecue!!
If you follow me or Naz on Instagram, you’ve probably seen our go to spot already lol. We’re obsessed with Ten 50 BBQ. Everything we’ve tried there is to die for! (I’m obsessed with their pickles lol – and they’re free!!!! They’re meant to be like part of the condiments if you get a sandwich or something, but they’re homemade and spicy and oh so delicious! I always just pile them on my tray as another side haha.)
Saturday
We were a little worn out from the big day we had previously (just like I’m sure that was exhausting for you to read lol) so we picked Abby up from the airport and relaxed at the pool almost all day!
Some much needed rest and homemade guacamole haha.
Later in the afternoon, we headed inside for a little nap before getting ready for the night.
We went downtown to eat dinner at Angry Dog before our night out on the Dallas Party Bike.
On our previous girls trip to Nashville, we had done the Pedal Tavern and had so much fun we had to do it again!
It’s BYOB and you pedal yourselves around on a bicycle bar thingy for two hours – it’s such a blast! We were able to connect our phones to play our music the whole time – a nice way to kind of make it your own. There were two stops at bars that had special deals for us, which was a great way to check out some new places.
Sunday
After some brunch, showers, water, and recovery we went shopping at the Galleria. That’s one of my go to shopping spots in Dallas, because it’s so close to the house. (If you’re looking to shop in Dallas there is another mall called NorthPark Center that is one of the biggest malls in the country – SO many great stores there. Fun little fact: the mall is owned by an older couple that loves artwork, so they use the mall as a gallery for the artwork that they own as well!)
We were so exhausted after the mall that we went back to the house and ordered chinese takeout lol. We watched the movie Girls Trip (so good by the way!) and had a relaxing wine night in.
Monday
The Dallas Farmers Market was something we had all been really looking forward to, because it seems to be a huge ordeal since they’re open everyday.
Unfortunately, we didn’t realize that The Shed (where all the fresh produce and stuff is sold) is only open on weekends. I’ll be going back for that part sometime in the near future lol.
But we were able to see some really cute, unique stuff in the little shops that were open. We ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant (Taqueria La Ventana) and their food was SO delicious – I highly recommend trying the chips and salsa. It’s so yummy and has a very unique flavor!
(But don’t order the coffee lol.)
Afterward, we headed back to the house and wrapped up an awesome girls trip by the pool!
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Needless to say, we had such a great weekend and I Loved getting to explore Dallas with my girlfriends.
For anyone planning a trip of any kind to Dallas, here is a great resource for all things Dallas that you should definitely check out before booking!
Thank you ladies for making the trip down, I can’t wait for our next adventure!
Please comment any recommendations you’ve got for our next girls trip!
I’d Love to hear all about some of your experiences too!
-AP
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