Hit the Road

Look into Lubbock for your next one-of-a-kind Texas weekend escape

It's the birthplace of rock 'n' roll legend Buddy Holly and home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but there's so much more to love about Lubbock.

Located in northwest Texas, it's a place where rich Western history meets eclectic food, craft beer, and cool cultural events.

Here's your short list of Hub City musts:

To savor
Named after the first hotel to grace the area, The Nicolett pays homage to West Texas culture with a menu that's big on flavor and features local ingredients in decadent house-made pastas and specialties like beef cheek "brisket" and elk tartare. It's no wonder chef Finn Walter — who has previously flexed his culinary muscle in Paris, Austin, Napa Valley, and Santa Fe — was named a 2022 James Beard Award Semifinalist for best chef in Texas.

Pull up a seat at both of Lubbock native and chef Cameron West's tables: The West Table and Dirk's. The former is in the historic Pioneer Building and is known for its seasonal, upscale menu of eclectic, New American cuisine. But if you're craving the best crispy fried chicken and fresh oysters around, all in a modern West Texas diner atmosphere, Dirk's is your place.

Transport yourself to Spain at La Diosa Cellars, a bistro that exudes warmth and flavor in every square inch of its quirky, plush space. The wine's incredible and the menu is a sensuous romp through both traditional tapas and unexpected twists on classics.

For that all-important caffeine fix, swing by Nashwell for authentic Australian coffee culture and Aussie-inspired bakery treats like lamingtons and friands.

To sip
Not only does Auld Brewing Company have an incredible list of craft beers‚ including a coffee stout that will satisfy dual bevvy cravings, it's also known for its weekly community-building events, including hump days that honor first responders, live music every weekend, Saturday bingo, and Scandalous Sundays, where you solve murder mysteries —Auld's owner also happens to be a crime fiction author!

Named one of the best brewpubs in the nation by USA Today, The Brewery LBK in the Pioneer Building lives up to its reputation. Its craft beers are brewed with a chef-driven mentality for meticulous quality, creativity, and seasonal affinity. Share a pint in this modern-industrial spot that comes complete with a dog-friendly wraparound patio.

Passionate beer lovers founded Two Docs Brewing Co., and their ales speak for themselves. Not only is the team focused on brewing the good stuff, they also are doing good for the environment: Their awning is made from a 90-panel solar array that powers more than a third of their biz.

To see
Hamilton. Need we say more? The Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences has a packed calendar of shows nearly every night, from musicals to ballet, comedy, country, and more. But we're already planning our visit next summer to see Hamilton in July 2023. The 2022-23 American Theatre Guild season also includes Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Dear Evan Hansen, and Tootsie.

Flip through all the pages at Wild Lark Books, an indie bookstore that shelves new hardcovers and paperbacks of all genres, for all ages. If you're lucky, you might even stumble upon a meet-the-author event. Wild Lark is also a publisher, valuing authors as artists, and has a books fund to lift the voices of historically underserved communities.

To stay
An urban cool-kid, the Cotton Court Hotel is a new boutique hotel that pays homage to the city's cotton warehouses, cotton gins, and agricultural heritage. Situated in the heart of downtown, it's just minutes from the Depot District's shops, restaurants, bars, and nightlife. It may be hard to leave your room, though — all rooms and suites have a retro-mod vibe with shiplap walls, quirky living areas, a Smeg mini-bar fridge, oversized bathrooms with sliding barn doors, and walk-in rainfall showers.

The Pioneer Pocket Hotel is a contactless hotel that's located on the third floor of the Pioneer Building, where The West Table and The Brewery LBK also call home. With only 10 sleek, luxe rooms, it's one of the area's most memorable and unique lodging experiences. Don't sleep on the Millsap Suites either, which are directly across the street.

Just one mile from Texas Tech and within walking distance to the Buddy Holly Performing Arts Center, the DoubleTree by Hilton brings all the amenities you'd expect — and want — from the hotel brand.

To find more information on all of Lubbock's restaurants, breweries, shops, and attractions, head over to VisitLubbock.org.

The Nicolett was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award this year.

The Nicolett

Photo courtesy of Visit Lubbock

The Nicolett was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award this year.

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Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

Kay Wood

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman

Kay Wood

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Bishop Arts is a huge attraction, but Realtor Kay Wood wants people to know that Oak Cliff is a lot more than just Bishop Arts.

"Oak Cliff has a really rich and complex history," the Briggs Freeman agent says. "I think it's one of the most underestimated neighborhoods in Dallas."

Wood has lived in Oak Cliff with her high school sweetheart-husband since 2008, but she's been helping people buy and sell homes there for the past 15 years, currently with her business partner Brian Davis.

"The neighborhoods here are close to everything but still relatively affordable compared to other areas of DFW," she says. "I love all the historic homes with their architectural interest and variety, the strong sense of community engagement, and how there's so much to explore. Whether you're looking for the best new restaurant, the most authentic taco, film festivals, the zoo, the best public high school in Texas, parks, nature preserves — I could go on all day!"

Wood offered up a few of her personal favorites about life in "the Cliff." Here's her guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
The list is long: Nova ("you have to get the hummus," Wood says), Encina (pro tip: don't skip the blue cornbread), Cibo Divino for pizza and wine on the patio, coffee from Peaberry ("my husband swears their Vietnamese coffee is the best in town"), oysters at Boulevardier, the Perfect Picnic at Eno's Pizza Tavern, tio's elotes next to El Si Hay, the pistachio ice cream at Joy Macarons, and the spicy lobster ramen at Ten Ramen.

Wood advises picking up a great bottle of wine from Neighborhood Cellars and some steaks from Cooper's Meat Market. And, of course, there are tons of taco options in the neighborhood: "We can't get enough of Maskaras, Trompo, and Taco y Vino," she says.

Where to play
Marvel at the best skyline views in town while playing a round at Stevens Park Golf Course, take a walk through Twelve Hills Nature Preserve, bike along the Trinity River, or play disc golf at Founders Park.

The Kessler Theater is "such a great and intimate venue" for concerts, while the Texas Theater adds a touch of history to movie-watching. Escape to The Wild Detectives for books, music, and poetry, or head to the Dallas Zoo for a wild day out — "our whole family loves to feed the giraffes," Wood says.

What to see
Oak Cliff is home to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial at Kiest Park and the La Reunion Monument at Stevens Park Golf Course that honors some of Dallas' earliest settlers.

On Jefferson Boulevard, you can pop into the Oak Cliff Cultural Center for regular art shows, and "my daughters love to walk down the street and look at all the quinceañera dresses in the shop windows," she says.

Where to live
A few years ago, Wood helped her buyers purchase 626 Rainbow Dr., a rare, two-acre midcentury modern estate that's wrapped on three sides by a babbling creek.

"When you're there, it's really hard to believe you're less than four miles from downtown Dallas," she says. The buyers hired local architect Eddie Maestri to update some aspects of the house while carefully preserving its midcentury style. There was an original barn that had been previously converted to a studio, but the buyers reinvented it as a guest house and added a pool and outdoor kitchen.

"It's hard to say what a 'typical' Oak Cliff house would be, because we have some of the very best examples of almost every architectural style in town," Wood says.

"In Winnetka Heights, you'll find Craftsman architecture (four squares, bungalows, Sears catalog, etc). Kessler Park has Tudors and Colonials and Texas eclectics from notable local architects like Charles Dilbeck and David R Williams. Stevens Park has all of these, as well as Spanish Revival and Dutch colonials. Wynnewood, North Kiestwood, and Wynnewood Hills have some of the best midcentury moderns in Dallas, as well as wonderful ranches. East Kessler has cutting-edge contemporaries that take advantage of the rare-to-DFW hilly terrain. You could teach a pretty comprehensive architectural history of Dallas without ever leaving Oak Cliff."

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Kay Wood lives, works, and plays in Oak Cliff. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email kwood@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-908-5442.

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