I'm not attending the SMU game but wanted to pass along some of my thoughts on hangouts and activities for tonight and Saturday.
The stadium is on campus (South end) and the SMU campus is beautiful with great architecture, walkways, lots of trees and some cool fountains and statues including a vintage Doak Walker statue near the stadium. Definitely worth a stroll pre or post game. Also, there is a George W. Bush library/museum. Other than some parking garages I'm not sure where to park (I have not attended a game there).
There is not much around campus, it is in a residential area with lots of high end homes and the restaurant/bar scene is relatively boring. There are some suburban/strip center restaurants and bars to the east across the street (Mockingbird Station) or along hillcrest to the west but mostly meh. That said, the two areas that are not too far away which I highly recommend are "Lower Greenville" and "Deep Ellum".
Lower Greenville is a very short Uber ride from the stadium and has numerous very cool bars and restaurants all centered around Greenville Ave. (Think Union Street & Filmore/Greenwich in San Francisco type of vibe). I particularly enjoyed "Swizzle's" which is a fun tiki bar with creative cocktails (try the spam can cocktail). You can just walk down the street and check out the various bars or restaurants.
Deep Ellum is a bit edgier and further away (near downtown) however some very cool bars and restaurants including the Pecan Lodge BBQ (more on that later).
For restaurants, I was underwhelmed by the seafood, Mexican and Asian foods (at least by California standards)….however the steaks and bbq are Legit!!! The BBQ is incredible and I would absolutely recommend the Pecan Lodge which is comparable to Flints (the old version) but with friendly customer service and a comfortable setting. Nick and Sam's is a very pricey steakhouse however the steaks are incredible (I'm told Dirk Nowitski is a regular there If I recall, didn't he verbally commit to Cal before getting drafted straight to the NBA?). And while the seafood was nowhere near Bay Area Standards, the Louisiana type restaurants provided a unique experience (lots of crawdads).
If you have time, the walk from downtown to SMU campus on the 3.5 mile Katy Trail is scenic, fun and a good workout with lots of bars along the way most notably the Katy Trail Icehouse which is midway. Overall the Katy Trail Icehouse was my favorite bar/restaurant with excellent bbq and good beer however I must note that I was there in summer when it was hot and comfortable to sit outdoors. I'm not sure how comfy it is in the late fall.
Finally, the JFK museum & Daley Plaza was fascinating. I spent at least 3 hours there walking around and visiting. Overall downtown was a bit boring however I'm told that the Dallas Science Museum is very cool.
Go Bears!
The stadium is on campus (South end) and the SMU campus is beautiful with great architecture, walkways, lots of trees and some cool fountains and statues including a vintage Doak Walker statue near the stadium. Definitely worth a stroll pre or post game. Also, there is a George W. Bush library/museum. Other than some parking garages I'm not sure where to park (I have not attended a game there).
There is not much around campus, it is in a residential area with lots of high end homes and the restaurant/bar scene is relatively boring. There are some suburban/strip center restaurants and bars to the east across the street (Mockingbird Station) or along hillcrest to the west but mostly meh. That said, the two areas that are not too far away which I highly recommend are "Lower Greenville" and "Deep Ellum".
Lower Greenville is a very short Uber ride from the stadium and has numerous very cool bars and restaurants all centered around Greenville Ave. (Think Union Street & Filmore/Greenwich in San Francisco type of vibe). I particularly enjoyed "Swizzle's" which is a fun tiki bar with creative cocktails (try the spam can cocktail). You can just walk down the street and check out the various bars or restaurants.
Deep Ellum is a bit edgier and further away (near downtown) however some very cool bars and restaurants including the Pecan Lodge BBQ (more on that later).
For restaurants, I was underwhelmed by the seafood, Mexican and Asian foods (at least by California standards)….however the steaks and bbq are Legit!!! The BBQ is incredible and I would absolutely recommend the Pecan Lodge which is comparable to Flints (the old version) but with friendly customer service and a comfortable setting. Nick and Sam's is a very pricey steakhouse however the steaks are incredible (I'm told Dirk Nowitski is a regular there If I recall, didn't he verbally commit to Cal before getting drafted straight to the NBA?). And while the seafood was nowhere near Bay Area Standards, the Louisiana type restaurants provided a unique experience (lots of crawdads).
If you have time, the walk from downtown to SMU campus on the 3.5 mile Katy Trail is scenic, fun and a good workout with lots of bars along the way most notably the Katy Trail Icehouse which is midway. Overall the Katy Trail Icehouse was my favorite bar/restaurant with excellent bbq and good beer however I must note that I was there in summer when it was hot and comfortable to sit outdoors. I'm not sure how comfy it is in the late fall.
Finally, the JFK museum & Daley Plaza was fascinating. I spent at least 3 hours there walking around and visiting. Overall downtown was a bit boring however I'm told that the Dallas Science Museum is very cool.
Go Bears!
