Travel Tuesday: Dallas TX

I played tourist in Dallas last weekend and man, did I ever have a great time! I had some friends from Michigan come for a visit and on their list was Deep Ellum so guess where we spent the day? Deep Ellum! If you’re familiar with the area you know that it’s a great place to hang out and eat and drink and not tons of stuff to do - or is there?! 

First things first, let’s talk about where I stayed for the weekend! I was fortunate enough to do a media stay at the Renaissance Saint Elm which is only about half a mile from Deep Ellum. It’s also close to so many other things downtown! It just opened on February 25th this year so it feels brand spanking new! This hotel is in the Tower Petroleum Building which originally opened in 1932. 

I had the perfect King room with a beautiful tiled bathroom with a shower and the room even had a record player and a couple of records in it! Talk about ambiance! The hotel gives a nod to music with these details as well as even more in the lobby. Did you know that the former drummer for the band Deep Blue Something, John Kirtland, is the owner? They had the hit song “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” for all you young kids out there. 

I did valet my car because it was much easier than finding parking in the garage down the street. They were ready to assist when I got to the hotel and I love the text ahead feature so your car is ready when you are. 

There is a restaurant and a cafe that is in the lobby. I didn’t get a chance to eat at either one since I was so busy. Brasserie Toussaint is open for lunch and dinner and serves up French and Asian cuisine and cocktails while Cafe Toussaint is open for breakfast and coffee throughout the day. If you decide to dine at the restaurant, you can also use the valet parking for this option so keep that in mind! 

Let’s check out some pics of this gorgeous property! 

Now that you’ve found a cool place to stay, let’s get into Deep Ellum and see what all there is to do! NOTE: Make sure to check where you park for times that you have to pay. Some meters don’t accept money during the day and the parking lots with the pay machines have a time limit where you’ll have to go back and pay. I ended up with a boot on my car and this isn’t my first time here! Thankfully the parking lot attendant was there and helped me out! That could have been an expensive outing! 

We started out the afternoon with lunch at Pecan Lodge. Now I love Texas barbecue and if you do too, you’ll definitely want to visit here! The brisket is fantastic and they have the best smoked turkey I’ve ever had! It’s such a cool spot and there’s a patio where you can eat as well. I always recommend getting there early so you don’t end up waiting in a long line outside! 

Next we moved on over to Emporium Pies which is a must if you’re in the area! They have such delicious pies so we tried three different ones and they were all so good! 

Now on to something a little more fun than eating! How about checking the newest entertainment addition to Deep Ellum in the form of Electric Shuffle! I visited here for their preview VIP party the night before they opened and had so much fun! I knew my friends would love the vibe here as much as I did! 

Electric Shuffle is an entertainment venue where you can okay electric shuffleboard! Everything is electronically calculated so you don’t have to worry about keeping score. They have different games that you can play too so you don’t get tired of the same one! 

The drinks here are really good! I personally love the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini- I had it last time I was there and so far it’s the best espresso martini that I’ve had! I also tried the Watermelon Sugar Mojito which was also delicious! We skipped the food since we just had barbecue and pie but I had it the last time that I was there and it was good! 

There are televisions all around that you can watch as well as super fun photo opps. If you go during the weekday you probably won’t need a reservation but I would encourage it if you go on nights and weekends. They also have a cool brunch that I need to check out next! 

Next stop was Flea Style where my friend and I wanted to make our own customized hats at the Hat Bar! This has been on my to-do list for a while so I was happy that she wanted to do it too! 

Flea Style is a boutique with a few locations now around DFW but this is the original one and it’s quite lovely. The owner will repurpose vintage items that she finds as items to add to your hat! You end up with some truly unique items that are available to customize your hat in the best way. They also sell clothing and accessories so you’re sure to find something that you like! 

After making the hat, we decided to wander back to Main St and we ended up getting more food and drinks. It’s been a long day after all! 

We stopped at Le Bon Temps for a minute and picked up some beignets. I will say that they only had red velvet ones which I didn’t particularly care for. I wish they would have had the original ones because those are really good! 

Next up was Hawkers for some dinner. Keep in mind when you’re in Deep Ellum, it’s mostly bars and food. Not a ton of other things but I will say my favorite jewelry store, Uncommon James, is there as well as some other cute little shops. Overall though, it’s a great place for nightlife if you’re into that! 

Hawkers is an Asian restaurant with flair! Homemade noodles there are a must have! I will say I was disappointed that they were out of a lot of their drinks which are really really good there! Strong but delicious! 

After a long day, the only other thing we really wanted to do was Louie Louie’s which is a dueling piano bar but they opted to head out instead. We’ll get to it next time! 

Now that friends are gone, it’s time to do a little sightseeing around Dallas! I visited a place that I have been wanting to go to for quite some time and that is the Sixth Floor Museum. If you’re not familiar with what this museum is, it’s in the old Book Depository building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. Dallas is rich in history and this was one of the most fascinating stories in history! 

The museum has a lot to offer if you’re not familiar with the story. There are a lot of photos and explanations all over the museum. Lots to read! In the corner where they found Oswald’s belongings is a reenactment of what the setup looked like that day. Very cool! There’s also monitors where you can view the parade route and look out the window to see where the car was headed when shots rang out. 

If you’re a history buff, I would recommend visiting! They also have a special exhibit on the top floor right now that has some old fragments of signs and doors and things like that which was interesting to see. You can purchase tickets online and it is a timed ticket entrance. 

After the museum visit, I walked around downtown a little. I thought you all would love to see a little more of the sights! 

Dallas really is a beautiful city! It’s so fun to play tourist in your own city- or in my case, the city close by! 

Thanks for reading and following along with me! 

Sandae