Written by: Stacy Anderson, @TheHurriedHostess. Originally posted on HurriedHostess.com.
This past weekend my husband and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary. When I say the last 12 years have been crazy, wonderful, chaotic, hurtful, and full of love, I mean it. Marriages aren’t perfect. After all, people aren’t perfect. But what matters is that two people who love each other can get through anything if they both work at it hard enough.
In order to celebrate our anniversary, we thought what better way to do it than to go on a little weekend getaway without the kids. We didn’t want to go to far, and we wanted to eat well and enjoy ourselves. So we opted for Plano, Texas. Neither of us had been to Plano before (we usually drive through the area on the way to somewhere else on a road trip), but we thought we would check out what there is to do.
We ended up having such a great time! We slept in. We ate what we wanted to. And we saw the sights. Plano has a great assortment of things to and I’m going to outline them below for you.
Where To Stay In Plano, Texas
We stayed at the oh so fabulous Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West. It was fantastic! From the moment we checked in, the staff was so friendly and helpful and everywhere you looked there were delicious little touches. The lobby had fruit infused water, fresh lemonade, and other goodies like peanut brittle and house made lollipops. It was fun to leave and come back and see what treasures awaited us there! There’s also a gorgeous roof top pool with ample amounts of seating and a swanky upscale bar near the lobby with some really neat decor. The beds were also really comfy and the rooms were spacious.
This hotel has Happy Hour every Monday through Thursday from 5pm to 7pm to enjoy special drink prices and featured monthly specials. You can enjoy your cocktail at the bar, or step outside onto the terrace and gather around the fire pit. They also have a “Punch Ritual” held every weekday starting at 6pm. The Punch Ritual offers the opportunity for you to learn about their cocktail-making process and the seasonal ingredients they use to create them. It’s delicious and educational!
One really great part of the hotel is that when you walk out the door, you walk straight onto Legacy West. This road is full of fine dining, upscale shopping, and Legacy Food Hall. Any time of day we went, there were people buzzing around and enjoying themselves. Nighttime was definitely the busiest, as the fountains were on full display with lights and movements set to music. It was a great spot to sit, people watch, and enjoy the music.
Where To Eat
We ate a lot, but I’m going to narrow it down for you top places we’d like to go back to:
XO Coffee Company. From the moment we walked in, I loved this place. It’s a good size cafe with fresh made coffees and delicious brunch items. We ordered the mocha, caramel latte, Nutella stuffed french toast with sugared bacon and cheesesteak. That French toast and bacon was simply amazing. I would go back over and over again for that. The staff was all really helpful and friendly as well. Go early in order to get a good table! *XO Coffee has since closed their doors.
The Biscuit Bar. Go early or expect a wait. And there’s a reason for that. The locals and visitors alike know that this place is pumping out delicious food! We opted for the Buffalo chicken and blue cheese biscuit, sausage and gravy biscuit, cold brew, and a fruity pebble cereal drink (alcoholic). Everything was SO good! The buffalo chicken biscuit had hardly any spice to it, so if you’re afraid of setting your mouth on fire, this won’t do it. Next time, I will definitely be trying the hot chocolate biscuit. That thing looked amazing!
Mexican Sugar. We started off with the queso blanco and it was tasty. It was nice and creamy and the salsa that came with it was really flavorful. I always like it when my salsa comes warm, because you know it’s fresh. We then ordered the steak enchiladas and the carne asada tacos. For the tacos, I opted for lettuce cups instead of the traditional flour tortillas and it was a really great option for people who are trying to cut carbs. The only regret I have is not trying their chocolate avocado cake. That looked really great, we were just too full to get one by the end of the meal!
Fork & Fire. They weren’t busy at 7pm on a Saturday evening and I’m still not really sure why. We walked up and were seated right away. The server recommended the famous Fork & Knife wings and we were really happy he did. They were amazing! The flavor was so great and because they sous vide them for 3 hours before serving them, they’re just fall off the bone tender! The Fiery Pineapple Margarita was great too. It didn’t set my mouth on fire – it was just a slow, gentle heat mixed with delicious pineapple – perfection! The white truffle and parmesan fries were really good. I could have had a side of that white truffle aoili with it and would have been perfectly content with that as my dinner. The Harvest Greek salad and the street tacos were okay, but they weren’t wow-worthy like those wings were. Their Old fashioned cocktail is another one to get. Lastly, the fried smores…heaven on a plate. I mean they deep fry smores, people. How can you really go wring with that? You can’t. Oh, and they serve it with chocolate sauce that you pour over the whole thing. So good! The staff was super attentive and were a fun group! We’ll definitely be back!
Sixty Vines. First of all, you should really have a reservation when you come here – especially if you have a large group. We went in on a Friday night and with our reservation, we were seated right away. We opted for the Frose and red wine flight to start. The price point was pretty good for what you got with the drinks. As a starter, we got the Wagu Carpaccio. The flavor was tangy and delicious! For dinner, we shared the filet, fregola, spicy sausage pizza, and broccoli-avocado slaw. Out of everything, the filet and the fregola were awesome! The filet was tender and melt in your mouth delicious. The fregola was creamy and a perfect combination with the filet. The rest of what we got was okay, but it just wasn’t something we would order again. We had the Deviled Affogado and as much as I really wanted to like it, I just didn’t. The flavors felt like they were competing with one another and not melding together like I had hoped they would. All that being said, the restaurant itself is gorgeous. There’s high ceilings, tons of light, great decor, and tons of attention to detail (like leather menus and luxurious terry cloth napkins). If you’re looking for trendy, this is the place.
Things To Do For Adults
Legacy Food Hall. This three-story food court is so much more than fast food restaurants! In fact, it has 22 chef-driven food stalls, a brewery, and live music and entertainment in the Box Garden. It’s a great way to spend a few hours eating, drinking, and enjoying time together with friends.
Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve. Hike, canoe and zip line your way through the wilderness!
Go Ape. This canopy tour has you harnessed in, going up rope ladders, 30 crossings, and several zip lines. See the beauty of Plano from the sky!
Pinstack. With bowling lanes, an LED rock climbing wall, and indoor games for the whole family, this place is a great way to spend an afternoon. They also have an in-house restaurant and full bar for some late night fun.
Legacy West. This collection of outdoor shopping, fine dining, and entertainment is great fun! Be sure to go by in the evenings and watch the fountain show!
Escape Expert. Think you’re smart enough to solve all the puzzles and make it out of the room? Try it and find out!
End Zone Plano. Like to play pool? This is the spot for you! They also offer poker, karaoke, and bingo on select nights of the week.
Granite Park Boardwalk. This boardwalk is another great place to relax and unwind. There’s tons of quality restaurants, corn hole, patio dining, connect four, and a hill for the kids to play on.
Texas Wine & Wood. Come design and create your own piece of home decor! Sand, stain, and paint your way to a masterpiece!
Bullet Trap. This indoor gun range is a great place to work on your marksmanship and also obtain your handgun license.
Things To Do For Kids
Crayola Experience. Create your own crayola box of markers in the Crayola store and then head on over to the Colorful World of Crayola where kids can get hands on with their color! Teachers also get free annual passes! Purchase discounted tickets here.
Heritage Farmstead Museum. Experience what life was like on the farm with calf roping, cooking over an open fire, and making crafts.
Kid Mania. Let the kids loose with slides, bungee walls, climbing nets and more! There’s also a parent area where kids aren’t allowed (but you can see the whole kids area from it). Winning!
Whirlyball Laser Wirld. This super competitive game is a cross between lacrosse, basketball and bumper cars. You really have to see it to get it.
Plano Super Bowl. Bowling. Need I say more?
Texas Archery Academy. Learn how to shoot a bow and arrow.
Thunderbird Roller Rink. Skate in circles at the roller skating rink!
The Children’s Health Star Center. Beat the heat or boredom and go ice skating year round at this ice skating rink!
Carpenter Skate Park. If ramps, rails, stair sets, ledges, and a “large bowl” mean anything to you, then this place will be your jam! The skate park is also in the shape of the official Plano logo “P”.
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Photo credit: Stacy Anderson, @TheHurriedHostess.
