This Week's Hot Headlines

Delicious developments in Dallas dining drive this week’s most popular stories

Editor’s note: Another week has come and gone, and there’s a lot we all probably missed. But we’re looking out for you, kid. Here are the most popular stories from this past week:

1. Why Dallas-Fort Worth’s real estate market may start to simmer. At the MetroTex Association of Realtor’s annual “state of the DFW Real Estate union,” Dr. James Gaines, chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, told 300-plus Dallas-Fort Worth real estate agents that they might expect a slowdown in the frenetic market we are experiencing, to what he called a “new norm”: 2.3 percent growth instead of the 3, 4, or 5 percent we have been seeing.

2. Stoner pizza chain seizes desirable spot on Dallas’ Henderson Avenue. A pizza chain new to Dallas has seized a prominent spot on hot-hot Henderson Avenue: Mellow Mushroom, the Atlanta-based restaurant noted for pizzas with trippy names and a stoner vibe. This branch, at 2326 Henderson Ave. (formerly Hacienda on Henderson), represents the first branch in central Dallas.

3. Downtown Dallas hotel restores New Orleans restaurant tradition. The Westin Dallas Downtown, a new hotel that’s repurposing an iconic downtown skyscraper, will open with a trio of restaurants, including one with a New Orleans theme: NOLA Brasserie. Having a New Orleans restaurant in that spot will be a magical thing in that it will evoke a historical connection with the site: In the ’60s, it was home to the only Dallas branch of Brennan’s, the famed Creole restaurant in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

4. Dallas barbecue joints get tasty nod from magazine authority. Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn included two local barbecue restaurants in his roundup of the top 25 new and improved BBQ joints in Texas: Slow Bone and Cattleack BBQ. Vaughn, a Dallas native, admits his love for his home city’s barbecue, saying it has "grown by leaps and bounds."

5. Dude, Plano is next to receive Dallas’ favored funky chocolate shop. Charming old downtown Plano is about to get sweeter with the addition of a chocolate shop: Dallas’ Dude, Sweet Chocolate. It goes into a prime spot on the brick-street-lined main strip, at 1016 E. 15th St., in what was previously a women’s clothing store called La Belle Boutique.

Mellow Mushroom is moving into Henderson Avenue.

Photo courtesy of Mellow Mushroom

Mellow Mushroom is moving into Henderson Avenue.

Adventure Park News

One-of-a-kind adventure park with secret tunnels dives into The Colony

Fritz's

Fritz's Adventure, coming to Texas.

A one-of-a-kind adventure park founded in Branson, Missouri is making its Texas debut: Called Fritz’s Adventure, it'll open in The Colony, at 5651 Nebraska Furniture Mart Dr. inside Grandscape. According to a spokesperson, it’ll open in late 2024.

Fritz’s Adventure is an entertainment venue for kids and adults who love climbing on all kinds of things. It was founded by owner-CEO Matt Engram, who previously worked in the construction trade and used his know-how to build a facility that would be durable, safe, and creative. Grandscape will be only its second location.

He opened the first location in Branson in 2016, debuting over-the-top features like water tower climbing, mazes, underground tunnels, and hidden passageways. There are 19 high-stakes activities, including a ropes course, 48-foot brick climbing wall, zipline, scavenger hunt, and extreme slides.

Their approach is highly imaginative. One activity is called Cement Mixer — a partially buried concrete mixer drum you can crawl down into, and "find the small emergency access to gain entry to Fritz’s underground." Who does not love a hidden chamber.

There’s nothing else like it, says Fritz’s Adventure Director of Marketing Grace Frankowski.

“The intricacies of our attractions – from underground tunnels and aerial cages to scaling a real city building and ziplining inside to outside – Fritz’s Adventure is where you can do things you never have before,” Frankowski says.

The Colony was selected as the second location for the brand due to its growth and proximity to other family attractions, according to Frankowski. It's an area brimming with entertainment concepts, like Andretti’s and Cosm.

“We saw a fantastic opportunity to join a community that appreciates innovation and memorable experiences,” Frankowski says.

The Branson location is 80,000 square feet, while the Grandscape space is projected to be even bigger at 100,000 square feet. It's currently under construction, with tunnels, an airplane, and warped walls already taking shape. There will also be a cafe on site serving sandwiches, pizzas, snacks, and kids meals, plus alcoholic beverages, such as beer and wine.

There’s a waitlist available for when tickets go live on the site.

The company name comes from The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss, a story about Fritz, the oldest child in the story and a "natural-born explorer.”

“At Fritz's Adventure, we believe everyone is either in search of their next adventure or they need to find their inner Fritz to face fears and conquer challenge,” Frankowski says.

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