We're planning a girls' weekend trip to Dallas mid March. We're mid 40s (OK late 40s), what should we do? We like great food, including continental, ladies lunch type places, and even Mexican. We like great shopping, so let us know where we should go there as well. A distant 3rd is galleries and museums, any must see's? We won't have but a few days, so let us know your favorites. Thanks!

They are having a Fodorites GTG in Dallas on 3/19. If you're going to be in town on that Saturday, it should be fun.

For an upscale Dallas experience, I suggest dining at The Mansion on Turtle Creek and shopping at the Crescent Court shops and the Neiman Marcus flagship store in Dallas.

Hi annieladd! Each year, I make the drive from Austin to Dallas with a group of girls to go to the Dallas Arboretum flower gardens. Soooo beautiful! This year it's from March 5 until mid April sometime. If you're a flower lover like me, this is the place for you! There is a website: dallasarboretum.org. Tells you all the specifics. It's been written up in all the magazines, Southern Living, etc. Thousands and thousands of tulips, roses, azaleas, etc. Make sure to bring your cameras. You might even catch a wedding or two!!

Also, Highland Park is a beautiful town to drive through, see the lovely HUGE homes.

Have fun....Happy travels!!

There are so many places to shop that it really depends on what you like. Traditionalists will probably say no Dallas shopping trip is complete without a visit to Northpark Mall. There's also the Galleria in North Dallas. Stonebriar Mall in Frisco is also a good one, and Willow Bend is also nice, and pretty upscale. For a mega outlet mall experience, there's Grapevine Mills. For non-mall shopping, there's the West Village area, which is pretty trendy. What kind of shopping do you like?

Check out the Women's Museum in Dallas
and the Cowgirl's Museum in Fort Worth.
Also, for a lot of fun, check out Billy Bob's Honky Tonk in Ft. Worth

You must take a drive through Turtle Creek and see the azaleas in bloom. In the spring on a sunny day, they are breathtaking. I think you get a big eye full on Beverly?

Neiman Marcus Mermaid Bar is a must, if it is still there...brings back memories. Northpark used to be the place, maybe still is?

Don't forget to try some "real" TX BBQ. Sonny Bryans is one of my favorites...

Ya'll have fun, ya hea!

Have you done this before? It's a good idea to have some evening things to do even if it's just the chick flick your husbands refuse to see.

Check the DMN's www.guidelive.com updated each Thurs PM and published each Friday for "reliable" info on the local happenings and restaurants.
M

Shoot -I will miss the Dallas GTG by a week. I am flying down the week before to visit my daughter at College.
Some of these ideas sound great, but I am sure my daughter has the whole weekend planned out, shoppping I am sure!!ugh.

annieladd or anyone else who's interested, here's the link to the Dallas GTG thread:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34563151

One excellent exhibition that is ongoing is at the Dallas Museum of Art:
Splendors of China's Forbidden City. We went last month and really enjoyed it (and we have all been to the Forbidding City before in Beijing). Some of the artifacts on exhibit have never been shown in public before.

http://dmaws.dallasmuseumofart.org/

Another excellent musuem (and excellent food) in Dallas is the Nasher Sculpture Center (food serviced by Mansion on Turtle Creek).

http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/

Also agree with the suggestion of Dallas Arboretum. I have every intention of going this year for their Dallas Bloom (Mar 5 - April)
http://www.dallasarboretum.org/

If you haven't been to The Sixth Floor Musuem, you should definitely go. It would take an hour or two at the most. I think the museum does an excellent job of going through what happened when JFK was shot.
I second the arboretum as well. It's beautiful there. But you could also just drive down Beverly and Armstrong and along Turtle Creek Drive in Highland Park. Then go shopping and have lunch in Highland Park Village either at the Mexican Restaurant Mi Cocina or Italian at Patrizio's. Make sure you have a bellini at Patrizio's. mmmm excellent. Highland Park Village was the first shopping mall of its type in the US.

There's no need to go all the way up to Frisco or Stonebriar if you don't want to. They are nice malls, but they are at least 45 minutes to an hour up the tollway.

I would also suggest going to lunch or dinner at City Cafe on Lovers Lane. It is a quiet restaurant with excellent food. There are great shops along Lovers including Rutherfords which has fabrics and every kind of trimmings, Dr. Delphiniums for flowers. Go in just to look even if you aren't buying flowers. There's also a Breadwinners in the back part of the shopping center across the street. Inwood Village I think it is called.

A visit to Neiman's is a must whether you go to the flagship store downtown or the one at North Park. North Park of course has other shops.

Have a great time in Dallas. I have lots of great memories of shopping trips in Dallas with my mom and sister.

The Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus is the ultimate ladies lunch spot - absolute classic - plus some store browsing - be sure to use the escalators, not the elevators so you'll see everything. Downstairs is a coffee bar with the best choc chip and peanutbutter cookies.

Nasher Sculpture Center is a must do - and another great lunch spot located inside - run by the Mansion on Turtle Creek.

NorthPark is the best mall in the area with more boutique-style shops: Kate Spade, BCBG, Oililly, etc. Another Neiman Marcus - larger than downtown. Good food at PF Changs or Neiman's.

The West Village has a nice movie theater - Magnolia with a good bar. Mexican food at Taco Diner across the street. Boutique shops plus Gap and Banana.

yes -try the Taco Diner. We love it! It is not a diner per se but a great restaurant, and fun!

Personally I prefer the Neiman's at Northpark over the downtown location. First of all, never was into downtown. I know they have upgraded a lot since I moved away, but it is not my favorite area and the Neimans there always seemed a little snobbish and "older". The Northpark store seemed friendlier and not quite so upscale. I can always find some treasure to buy there, pins, jewelry, shoes, coats. And I love their gourmet shop downstairs. Their toy dept was always the best, not sure if that is still the case. And we always at lunch at the Mermaid Bar.

Also second the Sixth Floor Museum. May be the BEST museum of its kind. You really "feel" the loss to the country and the world at that time and what it must have been like. I was in third grade, living in Dallas, so it was very much a part of my childhood, but of course at the time, I didn't realize the world wide impact of the event. The museum really needs to be experienced, so take your time. It is very powerful, IMO.

Have fun. Dallas is such a great city. Maybe not a New York, or Chicago, but wonderful people, very friendly and helpful. Please post a report when you get back.