On the Road

Bite into Pearland's juicy history and current barbecue best-of status

Situated just south of Houston, Pearland is both a destination all its own and the ultimate starting point for exploring the Texas Gulf Coast.

To kickstart your list of things to do while in town, here are seven ways you can see — and taste — the best of what the city has to offer.

Visit a temple
With its towers covered in carved statues, the Sri Meenakshi Hindu Temple is not only an architectural and cultural wonder, it’s a local icon.

The temple is the only one outside of India dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, the wife of Shiva. With shrines and figures of animals, deities, and gods, it's an immersive experience where you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to the other side of the world.

Go birding
Located in the heart of a major migratory path, Pearland is for the birds — literally! Its variety of habitats, from wetlands to riparian forests, provide a safe haven for a rare mix of avians, including roseate spoonbills, great blue herons, colorful songbirds, and more.

Head to the John Hargrove Environmental Complex or the Shadow Creek Ranch Nature Trail for the best birding scenes, each of which has their own trails to explore.

Taste true Texas craft beer
Take your pick from the selection of seasonal and flagship brews like the fruity All Y’all Texas golden ale, the bold Defying Gravity double IPA, or the Swim Shady hard seltzer at Bakfish Brewing Company, Pearland’s first craft brewery.

There are even more brews to enjoy at Vallensons’ Brewing Company, purveyors of such inventive beers as a tea beer with lemongrass and hibiscus, a pink cherry Berliner, and a peanut butter blonde ale.

Enjoy some of the best barbecue in Texas
Sink your teeth into some slow-cooked brisket and ribs at Killen’s Barbecue, which has been heralded as one of the top barbecue joints in Texas. The line regularly extends out the door, but the smoked goodness is worth the wait.

Follow the Pear-Scape Trail
Pearland was named for its abundance of pear trees during the community’s earliest days. Now, you'll likely see some four-foot-tall pear sculptures spread across town, each painted by a local artist.

Go on a scavenger hunt for all 20, which will also take you to places you want to go anyway, like Pearland Golf Club, Pearland Town Center, and Independence Park.

Do it for the ’gram on a mural tour
Murals are popping up all over Pearland, and they’re located at hot spots so you’ll want to not only snap a photo, but also stay for a while.

For example: Good Vibes Coastal Kitchen has tiki bar-style tropical cocktails, the best burgers around, fresh oysters, and more, and outside there’s a colorful shaka hand-sign mural.

One of the most recognized outdoor murals in Pearland spans a full exterior wall in Old Townsite, Pearland’s historic district, on a building facing Killen’s Barbecue. The colorful mural is a collage of iconic images painted within each letter of the city’s name.

The amphitheater tunnel in Pearland’s Independence Park features a large, colorful graphic that celebrates the performing and visuals arts.

Green, leggy frogs jump off the walls of the Delores Fenwick Nature Center, where you can also walk nearly two miles of nature trails and wetlands behind the building.

Get in a good dose of geocaching
Hunt for geocaches amidst beautiful scenery, hiking trails, and lush parks along with historical haunts and cultural gems. There are more than 30 geocaches on Pearland’s GeoTour, and it’s a great way to experience everything the city has to offer, too.

To learn more about Pearland’s attractions along with their vibrant culinary, shopping, and events scene, head over to Visit Pearland.

Don't miss the smoked goodness at Killen's Barbecue.

Photo courtesy of Visit Pearland

Don't miss the smoked goodness at Killen's Barbecue.

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Your Expert Guide

Oak Cliff: The underestimated historic and culturally rich 'hood

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.