Dallas, home to the nation's sixth-largest LGBT population, is bursting with bars, restaurants and neighborhoods that celebrate diversity. The Oak Lawn area, at the center of the LGBT 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 gayborhood where funky and chic dominate. Pick up a hand-printed map of Dallas, or a set of stamped leather coasters with a Texas motif, then find irresistible tchotchkes like a solar-powered Queen Elizabeth doing her trademark wave at Fete-ish.
Stop for lunch at Bolsa, whose sophisticated All-American menu features farm-to-table Texas ingredients and a sexy craft cocktail menu. Sip an Oak Cliff Creeper, a boozy frozen elixir featuring Cruzan rum, green cartreuse, nopales, basil and citrus.
Head to the Dallas Design District to browse through chic art galleries, trendy restaurants and antique stores along Dragon Street. Don't miss Edo Popken of Switzerland, featuring colorful, high-end menswear and accessories, including limited edition dress shirts in this only U.S. outpost.
Have a meal at Cedar Grove, a nature-inspired restaurant that offers a farm-to-table menu with tasty dishes like the pan-roasted salmon and the hot chicken sandwich. The dining room is perfect for sharing a photo on Instagram -- the room is styled with twelve-feet trees placed on each dining table.
Make it a night to remember in Oak Lawn, the heart of the Dallas LBGT community and nightlife for more than three decades. Get your boots scooting with dance lessons at the Round-Up Saloon, boasting the best-looking cowboys for 34 years. Ready for round two? Join the rollicking dance party and drag shows at Dallas Woody's or enjoy live music at Sue Ellen's.
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Burn some calories from last night's revelry on the Katy Trail, a 3.5-mile multi-use trail linking the Uptown and Downtown areas and fabulous bars and restaurants along the way. Stop at the Katy Trail Ice House for a quick break before brunch.
Grab a cozy patio table at Toulouse and indulge in French-influenced brunch, with strong coffee and an elegant list of morning libations. Share New Orleans-style beignets with the table before digging into the orange French toast, a sweet blend of mascarpone cheese and berries on top of melt-in-your-mouth French toast.
Check the schedule for Dallas’ light rail system DART, D-Link (DART’s free bus service) 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, where you can step into five rooms recreated with furnishings and art from Coco Chanel's 1927 Mediterranean Villa La Pausa. Walk to the Nasher Sculpture Center, where the quiet ambiance of their outdoor sculpture garden will provide a moment of escape and relaxation.
Go for a low-key lunch at the laidback burger joint in Trinity Groves. Grab a table on the patio and challenge your friends to a quick game of hoops. Loser buys the next round!
Treat yourself at The Spa at the Joule, indulging in a Fire & Ice stone massage incorporating cool jade crystals and warm volcanic stones to rejuvenate the body.
Score tickets to the Turtle Creek Chorale at Dallas City Performance Hall. The 35-year-old group is the world's most recorded men's chorus with 38 albums.
Dine at Stampede 66, James Beard Award-winning chef Stephan Pyle's "love letter to Texas." Pyles, who helped found the Southwestern cuisine movement in the 1980s, interprets his favorite Texas foods in a setting that puts contemporary updates on traditional ranch motifs. Frozen margarita machines were invented in Dallas, but don't miss Pyles' version-- the Modern Star Canyon -- which relies on liquid nitrogen instead.
Finish the night at the bar with Gatsby-inspired drinks at Quill in the Design District. The drinks are almost too pretty to drink, but an Old Fashioned from the expert bartenders will quickly change your mind on that.
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