About a three hour drive south of Norman, Dallas offers a variety of things to do over spring break.
Restaurants
The Meteor
The Meteor offers a cafe experience with an expansive menu. The Meteor is more than just a restaurant, it has on-site bike and wine shops available for guests, as well. The menu offers breakfast foods all the way to burgers and tacos. The Meteor also serves specialty coffee drinks such as the “Maple Tahini” and “Brain Lube” lattes. The Meteor cafe is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Meteor is at 1950 Hi Line Drive.
The Henry
The Henry is a restaurant, rooftop bar and coffee shop. Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant features items like the “Flower Child Scramble” and Scottish salmon. A wide selection of wine and champagne is also available. The restaurant is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. The coffee shop opens daily at 8 a.m. Additional information on specialty hours and mealtimes can be found online. The Henry can be found at 2301 N. Akard St.
Le Bon Temps Beignets and Coffee
A French-inspired cafe, Le Bon Temps offers fried beignets that they claim rival Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. For those with a sweet tooth, the beignet ice cream sandwiches are a highlight and go great with a cup of coffee. Le Bon Temps is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The cafe is at 2932 Main St.
Miya Chinese
Miya Chinese combines traditional food with a modern dining experience. The menu offers traditional Chinese entrees, dim sum and more. Limited-time specials include the jade fortune shrimp dumplings and duck fat fried rice. Miya Chinese is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is at 9540 Garland Road.
Culinary Dropout
Culinary Dropout offers a gastropub dining experience in the Design District, which has galleries, restaurants and luxury living. The restaurant serves a menu found only at the Dallas location and features items ranging from soft pretzels with provolone fondue to sushi. Culinary Dropout is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday. The restaurant is at 150 Turtle Creek Blvd.
Garden Cafe
Grab a bite at Garden Cafe, where the ingredients on your plate are grown just a few steps away at the restaurant’s on-site garden. The restaurant offers unique dishes like a coffee-rubbed, 36-hour sous vide beef cheek. The restaurant also serves vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals. The cafe is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The kitchen closes at 3 p.m. and reopens at 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Garden Cafe can be found at 5310 Junius Ave.
Wabi House
Found in Lower Greenville, Wabi House offers traditional Japanese ramen in a modern setting. The restaurant serves bowls of ramen that range from $13 to $14. Ramen options include spicy miso, dry garlic and more, and alcohol offerings range from wine to sake. Wabi House is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday. For dinner, the restaurant is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. The restaurant is at 1802 Greenville Ave.
Beverley’s Bistro & Bar
Beverley's Bistro & Bar draws inspiration from the owner’s experiences in Cape Town, Tel Aviv and New York City. The Dallas Morning News called the restaurant a “Jewish-Texan-French bistro.” The menu offers a variety of dishes from brunch to dinner, including matzo ball soup and crab cakes. The bistro is open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Beverley’s Bistro and Bar is at 3215 N. Fitzhugh Ave.
Maskaras Mexican Grill
Maskaras Mexican Grill is a wrestling-themed Mexican restaurant owned by Rodolfo Jiménez, former actor and television host, and his wife Zulma Hernández. The couple wanted to create a place that offered a new perspective on Mexican food and restaurants. The restaurant walls display shelves of various wrestling icon figurines and wrestling wall art. The menu offers “tacos ahogados” or “drowned tacos,” which are deep fried carnitas tacos, and birria lovers will want to try the three different birria options. Maskaras is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and is at 2423 W. Kiest Blvd.
Things to do
Dallas Arboretum
The Southwest’s largest floral festival falls during spring break at the Dallas Arboretum. This year, “Dallas Blooms: Outside the Ordinary” displays a colorful array of flowers and foliage with sculptures by Seward Johnson, who is known for his life-like bronze sculptures. The arboretum offers a nice break from the business of city life for a more relaxed spring break. The Dallas Arboretum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tickets to the festival can be purchased online.
Dallas Museum of Art
Found in the nation’s largest arts district, the Dallas Museum of Art showcases many exhibitions. The “When You See Me: Visibility in Contemporary Art/History” exhibition features artwork by a diverse group of over 50 artists who aim to offer perspective and representation of people traditionally excluded or erased. “Marisol: A Retrospective” displays a comprehensive survey of Marisol Escobar’s pop art. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. General admission to the museum is free, but tickets are required for entry. Tickets to view special exhibitions can be purchased online for $10 to $20.
Six Flags Over Texas
Arlington’s Six Flags will be open during spring break and is about 20 minutes from downtown Dallas. The amusement park has over 40 rides including THE RIDDLER Revenge; the Mini Mine Train; and AQUAMAN: Power Wave, the newest ride. The park is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday until March 22 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 23. Tickets are available online or at the gate.
Katy Trail
For those who want to stay active over spring break, Katy Trail offers a three-and-a-half mile walking trail through Dallas. Built in 2000, the trail runs on the discontinued route of a railroad. Katy Trail is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. A map of the trail is available online.
Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival
One of the largest in the South, the St. Patrick’s Day Festival is Saturday. Starting in 1979, the parade survived being briefly canceled but was revived and transformed into the current festival and celebration. The festival will include activities, food trucks, a 5k race and more. The festival will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The parade route can be found online.
Latin American Film Festival
The Latin American Film Festival celebrates Latin American cinema by showcasing and expanding the reach of films. The Latin American Film Festival will take place March 21-23 at Spacy movie theater. Visitors will view 11 films with mixers and Q&A sessions throughout the weekend. Weekend passes are available for $50 online. The full schedule is also available on the festival’s website.
Shopping
NorthPark Center
NorthPark Center stretches across 2.4 million square feet and contains over 200 stores and restaurants. Visitors can catch a movie at the AMC, shop in stores from Givenchy to Lego or eat dinner at Kona Grill. The shopping center is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Out of the Closet
Out of the Closet is a thrift store founded to help raise funds and awareness for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. In addition to affordable clothing, the store offers free HIV testing and AIDS Healthcare Foundation pharmacy services. The thrift store is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The store is at 3920 Cedar Springs Road.
Read Shop
Grab a coffee and a book at Read Shop, where two stories offer shelves of books to visitors. Anyone wanting a cozy read while sipping their favorite coffee will want to stop by. Read Shop is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The store is at 2730 N. Henderson Ave.
This story was edited by Madisson Cameron. Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
