Dallas, home to the nation's sixth-largest LGBTQ population, is bursting with bars, restaurants and neighborhoods that celebrate diversity. The Oak Lawn area, at the center of the LGBTQ community, is worth a trip all on its own.
This Oak Lawn neighborhood hotspot serves comfort food in a retro-themed space where everyone feels like a regular. Pour yourself some coffee at the bar (or request something more potent) alongside an order of banana pancakes, and flip through the Dallas Voice, the premier source for gay and lesbian news and entertainment.
Head to the Bishop Arts District, another popular Dallas neighborhood for LGBTQ+ folk where funky and chic go hand-in-hand. Pick up some unique gifts to take home at All Good Things, Bishop Street Market, and Zsa Zsa's. Try on awesome apparel at Indigo 1745 or grab a great read (and a cocktail) at The Wild Detectives. And tap into your inner nerd/pop-culture fanatic at Red Pegasus Comics. The fun local shops are so abundant you're gonna need extra arms for all the shopping bags!
The Bishop Arts District has as many restaurants and bars as it does cute boutique shops, so make sure to plan extra time to truly explore. Settle into a table at one of the neighborhood restaurants, or create your own progressive lunch by having appetizers at one spot and the main course somewhere else, then dessert at another. Among the can't miss options: Lockhart Smoke House for Texas BBQ; Eno's Pizza Tavern for creative Italian; Ten Bells Tavern for beer and pub fare; Hunky's Old Fashioned Hamburgers for big sandwiches; and Tejas for "sexy Tex-Mex." Make sure to save room for Emporium Pies for sweet treats by the slice and Melt Ice Creams for giant cones of pure joy.
Head to the Dallas Design District to browse through chic art galleries, interior design showrooms, trendy restaurants, and antique stores. Don't miss the , Samuell Lynne Galleries, Conduit Gallery, and Galleri Urbane.
The Oak Lawn/Cedar Springs neighborhood has a variety of excellent eateries and they're all casual enough that you don't have to dress up - unless you want to. (Dallas is a fashionable town, after all.) Grab burgers at Hunky's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, LGBTQ+ themed Roy G's, or Cedar Springs Tap House; Japanese favorites at AI Sushi Sake Grill; pizza by the slice or whole pie at Italia Express; Asian classics at Thai Lotus Kitchen; and Tex-Mex treasures at Taqueria La Ventana.
Make it a night to remember on The Strip, the heart of the Dallas LGBTQ+ community and nightlife for more than four decades. Get your boots scooting with dance lessons at the Round-Up Saloon, boasting the best-looking cowboys and cowgirls for more than 40 years. Ready for round two? Join the rollicking dance party at Station 4 (S4) and world-class drag shows upstairs at The Rose Room, watch sports with fellow fans at Dallas Woody's, or enjoy live music at Sue Ellen's or Alexandre's.
Burn some calories from last night's revelry on the Katy Trail, a 3.5-mile multi-use trail linking Uptown and Downtown with fabulous bars and restaurants along the way. Stop at the Katy Trail Ice House for a quick break before brunch (or stick around and have brunch while you're already there).
Accessible from the Katy Trail are several other patio brunch spots, including the French-influenced Toulouse, the super-chic Knox Bistro, NYC import Le Bilbouquet, celebrity chef hotspot Georgie by Curtis Stone, or La Duni Latin Cafe.
Check the schedule for Dallas’ light rail system DART and the free M-Line Trolley for convenient rides through the Downtown Dallas and surrounding areas. After 6 pm, call or text Efrogs, a free golf-cart rideshare program that gets you going without the hassle of a car.
Head to the Dallas Arts District, the nation's largest urban arts district, spanning 19 contiguous blocks and home to eye-popping architecture and incredible museums. Wander through the Dallas Museum of Art and get some fresh air with your art appreciation at the Nasher Sculpture Center, where the quiet ambiance of their outdoor sculpture garden will provide a moment of escape and relaxation. And depending on when you visit, you might be able to get tickets to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerson Symphony Center or a Broadway show at one of the AT&T Performing Arts Center venues, including the Winspear Opera House.
Go for a low-key lunch at the laidback Trinity Groves with nearly a dozen different restaurant concepts (including Chinese, pizza, Tex-Mex, Italian, artisan chocolates, and cake by the slice) under one roof - many sharing one giant covered patio. The recently added ArtPark features its own eats and drinks, as well as plenty of tables where you can catch some warm Texas rays and a little Vitamin D.
Most of Dallas' luxury hotels have fantastic spas where you can relax away a few hours, but one that's really worth a special visit is The Spa at the Joule. If you don't know what service you'd like, you can instead book a two- or three-hour session and let your spa journey be customized on the spot from a selection of massages, reflexology, facials, body exfoliation, and many more indulgent experiences.
Score tickets to the Turtle Creek Chorale, the world's most recorded men's chorus, or a show produced by Uptown Players, a theater troupe that presents musicals and plays of particular relevance to the LGBTQ+ community.
Make a reservation at Salum, a charming and intimate restaurant helmed by gay chef Abraham Salum. Local celebrity chef Dean Fearing has captured the essence of Texas cuisine in his highly refined namesake restaurant, Fearing's, inside The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas.
After dinner, walk off your meal and head to the Harwood District a few blocks away. Grab a seat on the massive outdoor patio at Happiest Hour, a cold beer at Harwood Arms, or a beautiful cocktail indoors or out at the nearly 100-year-old parochial-school-turned-restaurant, Saint Ann.
Check out our top picks of the best things to
do in Dallas this weekend.