Once, cowboys rode, shot and corralled their way across North Texas, with legends like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid famously holing up in Fort Worth. These days, the high-caliber draws are of the cultural kind. Following are six top group choices drawn from the Metroplex’s smaller cities, complementing the world-class cultural complexes in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Now in its 52nd year, the famed Mesquite Championship Rodeo has a new website (www.morethanjustarodeo.com), new ownership and with arena upgrades ongoing, a bold new look, including state-of-the-art video boards, a complete renovation of all suites and the new private 8-Second Club. All this hard work has not gone unnoticed: The Mesquite Championship Rodeo is one of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s 2009 nominees for Rodeo of the Year.
A member of three winning Super Bowl teams, hard-hitting Dallas Cowboys defensive back Bill Bates remains a local favorite. Located just north of Plano in Celina, his eponymous Cowboy Ranch (www.billbatescowboyranch.com), set on 386 acres of beautiful rolling hills, is itself a local event favorite. Available year-round for everything from corporate parties to concerts, the ranch can host groups up to 10,000. Upon request, Bates also considers personal appearances.
In Texas, the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the U.S., Grapevine has served as a trendsetter and leader with award-winning wineries and winemakers on the Grapevine Wine Trail (www.grapevinewinetrail.com). Home to the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, Grapevine’s wineries and tasting rooms offer the perfect setting for small weddings and private functions. Unique among the choices is La Bodega Winery, the first tasting room to operate in a major U.S. airport, with two of its three locations inside DFW International Airport’s Terminals A and D.
Irving may have said farewell to Texas Stadium, but for planners scouting out football-field-size fun, the massive state-of-the-art National Scouting Museum (www.bsamuseum.org) is just the ticket. This event- and group-friendly facility features the world’s largest collection of original Norman Rockwell Scouting artwork, high adventure rescues, hands-on learning experiences and a historical collection tracing the scouting movement from its origins.
The Planetarium at UT Arlington (www.uta.edu/planetarium) is a unique teaching, learning and special event space, boasting a 60-foot diameter dome and state-of-the-art projection system. With event space available in the Planetarium Dome Theater, the atrium area and the executive conference room, planners have a stellar choice for presentations, ceremonies and other gatherings. Enlivening any event is a comprehensive show catalog, ranging from cosmic scenes to visual spectacles set to classic rock music.
Dallas, a shopper’s dream, has Neiman Marcus and other retail temples, but it’s not the sole mercantile action in the Metroplex. Northerly neighbor Frisco boasts 8 million square feet of retail space, and its IKEA, one of only three in Texas, is the city’s top leisure traveler draw. Fittingly, with leading logistics hub DFW International Airport nearby, shipping purchases home is no sweat. Another popular draw is the Stonebriar Center (www.shopstonebriar.com), NHL-size ice arena included.
