City Spotlight: Plano
From a lot of outsiders’ perspectives, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex can seem like a big ol’ mess of cities lumped together. But all of these cities are rich with history, food, and miniature cultures in their own right. Plano, a suburb directly north of Dallas, is definitely one town that North Texas day trippers shouldn’t overlook.
Downtown Plano
My top tip for anyone exploring Plano for the first time is to start in the historic downtown area, which many people may not even know exists. It’s not huge and hasn’t been a bustling hub since the 1970s, but the historic buildings have all been renovated since then and are now home to incredible restaurants and boutique stores.
First thing’s first: Grab a cup of coffee from Lemma Coffee Co and start wandering. There are some nifty boutique stores and farmers markets around, as well as some cool museums featuring everything from trains to contemporary art. You’ll be surprised what you’ll stumble on.
When it’s lunchtime, you’ve got a few options. I can’t recommend anything higher than Urban Crust, a three-story pizza joint that makes wood-fired pies that are off-the-chart good. I got the Black & Bleu pizza, which comes loaded with sirloin, blue cheese, basil pesto, and caramelized onions. No joke, it was the best pizza I had in all of 2024.
But another incredible spot downtown is Lockhart Smokehouse. It’s, of course, named after the Barbecue Capital of Texas, which is where the joint’s founder is from. (In fact, she’s the granddaughter of the guy who ran the legendary Kreuz Market in Lockhart from 1948 till the 1980s.) Sure enough, this Plano barbecue ain’t plain ol’ barbecue — it’s as good as anything in Lockhart. They’ve been doing all the classic Texas meats here in Plano since 2014. If you had pizza for lunch, you’ve gotta come here for dinner.
If your day trip group can’t agree on a restaurant, there’s always another option called Legacy Hall, which offers over 20 dining options. This place is the ultimate food court, offering three full stories of independent eateries that are basically operating like food trucks. You’ll find barbecue, pizza, street tacos, lobster rolls, fried chicken, ramen, ice cream, everything. There’s also a music venue there, so depending on when you go, you might get dinner with a show, too.
Iconic Sites in Plano
Plano is home to two of what I consider to be the most Texan things ever. The first is a famous public swimming pool, called the Texas Pool. It’s been around since 1961 and is on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas. The gimmick is that it’s the shape of the Lone Star State. Check it out so you can brag to your friends that you swam all the way from Corpus Christi to Amarillo.
The other iconic spot to check out in neighboring Parker is Southfork Ranch, which might be the world’s most famous cattle ranch. Back in 1980, three out of every four televisions in the whole United States (about 350 million people) were simultaneously tuned in for the episode of the primetime drama “Dallas” that revealed “who shot J.R.” after one of TV history’s biggest cliff-hangers. It was seriously “a moment,” and the episode was all set right here on Southfork Ranch. Today, you can tour the ranch, ride their horses, and retrace the steps from the “Dallas” episode. It’s a sweet blend of Texan culture and American history, and it’s right here outside of Plano.
Despite being located in the heart of one of the largest metroplexes in the country, Plano is actually home to one of the best parks in Texas, the Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve. It’s 800 acres of live oak forest full of hiking trails. (Just watch out for copperheads.) There’s also a lake inside the preserve, which is great for paddling when the weather is nice.
Don’t miss out on this adventure. Hundreds of feet up amid the oak trees, there’s an incredible ropes course called Go Ape. You can climb and zipline your way through a full-on “Swiss Family Robinson” experience. It’s an awesome way to work up an appetite before dinner back in town.
Explore more of Texas’ small towns with “The Daytripper” here.
