Star Gazing

The 5 best places in Dallas to spot a celebrity

Here in Dallas, our brand of celebrity generally involves sports figures and chefs, and we spot them around town as they go about their business. We know that Troy Aikman frequents Mi Cocina in Highland Park Village and Dirk Nowitzki dines at Suze. Oh, and Tony Romo got engaged at Five Sixty by Wolfgang Puck.

But where in Dallas might you run into a bonafide celebrity as they cruise through the city? Well, we took out the guesswork.

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
No surprise that the finest hotel in Dallas, winner of so many national accolades, attracts an A-list clientele. It doesn’t hurt that this actual mansion also sits a bit off the beaten bath, yet it’s close to everything that matters. Among the rich and famous who have slept in these sheets: George Clooney, Hugh Jackman, Hilary Swank, Rod Stewart, Jay-Z, Cindy Crawford, Robert Duvall, Ryan Seacrest, Usher and Billy Joel. We bet they also partook in Bruno Davaillon’s heralded French-meets-Texas haute cuisine.

Al Biernat’s
Al Biernat is the consummate host. And not just for the local heavies who wheel and deal over red wine and steaks at the longtime Oak Lawn favorite that bears his name. Biernat takes pride in luring in boldface names like Charles Barkley, Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis and Danny Glover. If you need more proof, just look at all the signed celebrity photographs plastered on the walls.

Rosewood Crescent Hotel
The Mansion’s sexy sister property also receives regular national attention for its luxurious rooms, stellar service and first-class spa. So, if you’re hoping to spot Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Aniston, Julianne Hough, Adam Sandler, Sophia Vegara, Jennifer Lopez or Kobe Bryant, perhaps you should start staking out this swank Uptown hotel. With Nobu and Palomino — a favorite of short-lived Dallas couple Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom — in the same complex, the Crescent is a no-brainer for a celeb sighting.

Forty Five Ten
Brian Bolke’s temple of style attracts the most well-heeled fashionistas in Dallas. Celebrities also love to browse the racks filled with designer names such as Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Lanvin and Jean Paul Gaultier. Among the stars spotted here: Martha Stewart, Steven Tyler, Janet Jackson, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Erykah Badu, Linda Gray, Jordana Brewster, Jessica Simpson and Angie Harmon. Plus we have spied former First Lady Laura Bush and her fellow lunching ladies at the T Room.

Village Marquee Texas Grill & Bar
This restaurant adjoining the Highland Park Village Theatre may have lost Top Chef Tre Wilcox, but it gained another in Andre Natera. Besides, the address alone is enough to lure in the likes of local celebrities like Laura and George W. Bush, Mike Modano and Ross Perot. But we’d take a seat at the bar in the hopes of laying eyes on Giada de Laurentiis, Hannah Storm, Adam Richman, Jon Bon Jovi, Owen Wilson or Dallas star Linda Gray.

Celebrities hit Al Biernat's for steak dinners and face time with owner Al Biernat.

Steak at Al Biernat's restaurant in Dallas

Al Biernat's Facebook

Celebrities hit Al Biernat's for steak dinners and face time with owner Al Biernat.

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income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

The cost of raising a child has ballooned in major metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, forcing many families to weight the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas, that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support their stay-at-home partner and their child, the report found. If both parents worked in the household, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in North Texas, however, is slightly more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $22,337 to raise a child in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report's author says families will look for ways to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family