Adults Only

What to do, eat, and see during your kid-free summer weekend getaway in Plano

The kids had their time in March with Spring Break, but now it's your turn to let loose and have some fun. Even if you only have a weekend to spare, spend it enjoying all that Plano has to offer — sans kids.

From mouthwatering food to live music, adventurous activities, and unique shopping, here's an idea of what you can expect to explore:

Taste of Plano Foodie Pass
First thing's first: Sign up for this free, mobile-friendly "passport" program that showcases more than 80 Plano eateries offering special discounts and other perks.

Simply filter by cuisine type or browse the entire list of participating restaurants for a tempting variety of food and special offers that can be redeemed when ordering. Once you arrive at your chosen eatery, check in on your mobile phone using the saved passport link.

Accumulate points for checking in at participating restaurants and redeeming coupons, then cash in your points for awesome prizes provided by Visit Plano, such as tote bags, coolers bags, drink tumblers, T-shirts, and stickers.

After checking in to 20 restaurants, you'll be automatically entered into the Fit for a Foodie sweepstakes:

The first place winner will receive a certificate for a charcuterie board-making class for six led by the executive chef at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West and $500 in restaurant gift cards.
The second place winner will receive a one-night weekend stay at the Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park and $250 in restaurant gift cards.
The third place winner will receive a one-night weekend stay at the Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center and $100 in restaurant gift cards.

Fowling Warehouse
It started as a one-lane mashup of football and bowling while tailgating at the 2001 Indy 500. Today, fowling is quickly turning into a national sensation.

Here, you can reserve a lane, join unlimited open play, or book the entire VIP lounge if you're feeling fancy. On Friday and Saturday nights, the warehouse is reserved exclusively for those 16-and-up.

Go Ape Treetop Adventure Course
Go Ape in Oak Point Park takes scenic to new levels — literally. Navigate 40 crossings more than 27 feet up and fly from treetop to ground on one of the four ziplines, one of which crosses over Rowlett Creek.

The high-ropes adventure course takes 2-3 hours to complete and is located in Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve, Plano’s largest park. It's all within easy driving distance from anywhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Legacy Hall + Lexus Box Garden
Legacy Hall is a large food hall that offers 20 artisanal food vendors to satisfy your appetite. These restaurants range from old-fashioned Texas barbecue to vegan eateries.

While the food at Legacy Hall is the obvious draw, the Lexus Box Garden is an outdoor venue that will elevate your experience to the next level. This al fresco concert hub is a focal point for various events, including live music performances, movie screenings, and community gatherings. You can find everything from big game-watch parties to local and national artists to special “mix tape” nights featuring talented DJs.

Legacy West
Located in the heart of Plano, Legacy West lets you shop all your favorite brands and dine at more than 20 delicious restaurants.

Besides labels like Coach, Fabletics, Golden Goose, Tumi, Vuori, Johnny Was, and West Elm, and eateries than range from Shake Shack to Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, you'll often get to enjoy live music, pop-up shops, and more.

Legacy North + Plano House of Comedy
Still hungry? Cross the Tollway to Legacy North, where Mexican Sugar, Seasons 52, RA Sushi, Ebb & Flow, and more await.

Stop in at the Plano House of Comedy for the best in stand-up comedy from performers who have appeared on Netflix, Comedy Central, HBO, and more.

Spa Habitat
Three locations — Legacy North, Downtown Plano, and West Plano — give you triple the opportunity to grab some R&R at this truly organic spa.

Take your pick from relaxing massages, beneficial facials, luxurious body wraps and scrubs, and safe and efficient hair removal, all in a relaxed and down-to-earth setting.

Downtown Plano Arts District + McCall Plaza
Once a traditional business area, this dynamic destination offers an array of art galleries, event venues, unique shops, and specialty service providers such as dance studios, tattoo parlors, salons, and spas. There are also plenty of restaurants, which include seafood, barbecue joints, pizzerias, and other exciting flavors.

McCall Plaza is an outdoor performance space located in the heart of the Downtown Plano Arts District. This venue is conveniently located among the various bars and shops in the area, as well as immediate walking distance from the downtown DART station.

Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel
Make it a true weekend away by booking a room at this design-forward hotel, which is within walking distance of top dining and shopping options and is just minutes away from the best of North Dallas and West Plano.

Photo by @TravelingNewlyweds

You don't need to share your food on this getaway.

Rent a cabana at the rooftop pool or gather with friends for light bites and libations at Whiskey Moon bar. Then sink into your pillowtop bed, look out the floor-to-ceiling windows, and enjoy a great night's sleep.

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See all that Plano has to offer and start planning your next visit here.

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Movie Review

The life of an actor is far from rosy in dramedy Misty Green

Photo courtesy of A24

Rosalind Eleazar in Misty Green.

For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.

Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) won an Emmy for a 2000s-era TV show that still gets her recognition, but not much work. Still living in the apartment of a recently-deceased man with whom she was having an affair, Misty spends her days sleeping in and her nights getting blitzed on alcohol and drugs. She seems to be heading nowhere fast until a few things coincide to break up her routine.

The man’s wife (Amy Landecker) shows up and tells her she has seven days to vacate the apartment; Misty’s brother, Jay (Daniel Kaluuya) — who is bipolar — arrives after being kicked out of his facility for non-payment; and Jordan (Chris Rock), a former colleague with whom she had a falling-out, reappears in her life, offering a possible chance to rehabilitate her image.

Written and directed by Rock (his first feature since 2014’s Top Five), the film is a funny and excruciating look at how the entertainment industry might actually work. Misty is her own worst enemy thanks to late nights fraternizing with unsavory characters like Zach (Adam Driver), who deals in drugs and women in equal measure, but her frustration proves warranted when her agent, Randy (Topher Grace), and casting directors like Rhonda (Tracie Thoms) hardly give her the time of day.

Misty tries her best to stay positive, but when jobs like singing in a bar are the best she can do, the mountain seems insurmountable. Rock does an effective job of demonstrating the elements that are within and without Misty’s control that affect her ability to regain her position in the industry. The chip on her shoulder is almost as big as the bias some have against her, and other negative circumstances don’t help matters much.

There are many small touches that Rock and his crew put in the film to give it an air of authenticity. Filming in Los Angeles (a rarity these days), Rock uses both subtle and overt shots of homeless people in the city, suggesting that the line between the haves and have-nots is a fine one, especially with Misty on the verge of not having a place to live. He also has cameos from a few of his funny friends, including a bit of meta-casting of Anthony Anderson (who has faded a bit after starring in Black-ish) in a bit part as a cop.

Eleazar, a British actor best known for appearing on the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is a magnetic presence as Misty. The character herself is somewhat cringey in her decision-making, and Eleazar sells every bit of her righteous indignation and self-defeating actions. The supporting cast is great across the board, including Rock, Driver, Kaluuya, Thoms, Grace, Anna Kendrick, and Rich Sommer.

Misty Green makes you rage against the Hollywood machine, laugh at the various ways different people deal with its maddening quirks, and hide behind your fingers as Misty chooses options that don’t help, either voluntarily or because her back is against the wall. It’s a powerhouse of acting that gives a unique angle on the inner workings of Hollywood, one that ironically might be competing for awards at year’s end.

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Misty Green is now playing in theaters.

movies film

Adults Only

What to do, eat, and see during your kid-free summer weekend getaway in Plano

Movie Review

The life of an actor is far from rosy in dramedy Misty Green

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