On the Road

From concerts to canals, Irving offers one-of-a-kind ways to relax

The Well & Being Spa at the Four Seasons Resort and Club at Las Colinas is calling your name.

Photo courtesy of Visit Irving

Pining for a relaxing stay-cay with a unique, entertainment-fueled vibe — and a solid pool scene, stat?

Irving may be right in North Texas' backyard, but you’ll feel worlds away when you make a weekend of it in this city, which is nestled between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Here are just a few ways Irving makes a splash:

Escape to Venice — sort of
Inspired by Venice, the Mandalay Canals are an alluring part of Irving’s Las Colinas Urban Center. Connecting with Lake Carolyn, the canals wind through restaurants, shops, hotels, and residences, offering scenic views of waterfalls, vine-covered bridges, and more.

You can take in all the Old World charm on a European-style gondola with Gondola Adventures of Las Colinas, which offers a variety of lunch, dinner, and entertainment cruises that can accommodate a romantic twosome — or groups as big as 12.

Go paddle boarding
More water fun on Lake Carolyn can be had via paddle boarding and kayaking, and even on water trikes and swan pedalboats. You can rent them all (and get a lesson or two, too) at SUP North Texas.

See the Mustangs of Las Colinas
The largest equestrian sculpture in the world, Mustangs of Las Colinas features nine bronze mustangs that recently underwent a $7.8 million upgrade.

Turn it up loud
Toyota Music Factory is one of the most expansive and comprehensive entertainment venues in the country, with an indoor-outdoor amphitheater, event plaza, and two indoor theaters.

You can expect to see the best national and international touring music acts, from indie and classic rock to blues, jazz, and soul. And of course there’s an incredible array of bars and restaurants, too, for prime fueling before and after the show.

Cabana and chill
Without a doubt, Omni Las Colinas is the epitome of an immersive urban retreat, sitting along the shores of Lake Carolyn and the Mandalay Canals with tree-lined, cobblestone walkways and lush greenery.

It’s also the ultimate day-cay destination because you can get in on the cool poolscape without booking a room. A day pass is your ticket straight into the chic, resort-style setting.

Get your glamp on
The Americana spirit comes alive at the retro-mod Texican Court, which is nestled into acres of courtyards with twinkle lights, fire pits, lawn games, and a small but sexy pool that’s perfect for hip swimsters — and hotel guests only.

You can make a whole weekend of it with their “glamping package” that includes a s’mores kit, Two Mules Cantina drinks and apps, and a hot flapjack breakfast. Live music comes with the territory, too.

Have a spa day
The Four Seasons Spa and Salon is definitely calling your name. And whether you pop in for some post-sun pampering or general R&R, you’ll be surrounded by a beautifully landscaped, oasis-style resort that you may never want to leave.

For more inspiration for your next day-cay or stay-cay in Irving — and all the latest deals — visit IrvingTexas.com/deals.

The Mandalay Canals are inspired by Venice.

Photo courtesy of Visit Irving

The Mandalay Canals are inspired by Venice.

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WILDFLOWER WATCH

Why the hunt for Texas bluebonnets could be trickier this spring

Marble Falls bluebonnet field, bluebonnets

Photo courtesy of Visit Marble Falls

Drought may actually be helping this year's crop of wild bluebonnets.

Bluebonnet bounty across Texas may be a little harder to spot this spring after a dry fall and mild winter, particularly across the Hill Country.

The 2026 wildflower bloom season is expected to vary widely across Texas, shaped by uneven rainfall, continuing drought conditions, and local microclimates that influence where seeds germinate and how wildflowers thrive, according to the experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. This forecast is similar to the 2025 season projection.

Across the Hill Country, from Austin to San Antonio - considered bluebonnet mecca each spring - the recent fall and winter weather helps explain why bluebonnets, in particular, may be sparse. Much of Central Texas saw a notably dry fall, followed by a mild winter with limited rainfall. The fall is the time when many wildflower seeds, and especially bluebonnets, germinate.

Bluebonnets rely heavily on fall moisture to sprout and winter rain to grow before blooming in spring, according to the Wildflower Center. When conditions are dry, fewer seedlings emerge, and roadside displays can appear patchier than usual.

“We may just have to look a little harder for bluebonnets on the side of the road this year in many locales,” said Andrea DeLong-Amaya, horticulture educator at the Wildflower Center, in a press release.

Caltrops in Big Bend National Park Caltrops on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park.Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service

Central Texas, in particular, has the native prairie ecosystem where hardy native flower species can thrive. Add to that thin, rocky limestone soil and the state's long-established roadside management practices, and it's no surprise that drivers see an abundance of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and pink evening primrose emerge and thrive during the spring.

The lack of rain in early spring does not mean a paltry wildflower season. Bluebonnets dominate early spring in areas around the state, then retreat. With subsequent solid rainfall, later wildflowers such as firewheel, purple horsemint, and black-eyed Susans will take over as the wildflower season progresses into the summer, according to the Wildflower Center.

“If early spring bloomers are a little more sparse, later spring and summer flowers have more room to flourish,” DeLong-Amaya said.

Around the state
Wildflower displays can vary dramatically even within short distances. Small environmental differences, including soil moisture, shade cover, and pavement heat, influence which seeds will germinate and how flowers thrive. The Texas Department of Transportation, which has sown wildflower in highway medians since the 1930s, provides a map for the best wildflower weeks across the various regions in the state.

Across North Texas prairies, fields of Drummond phlox and prairie verbena often appear alongside bluebonnets, particularly around the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails south of Dallas.

ennis bluebonnets Ennis Bluebonnet Trails will be open April 1-30, 2026. Photo courtesy of Visit Ennis

The organizers of the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival posted on Facebook on February 27, "Ennis Bluebonnet season is officially on the way! We are already monitoring the trails, and these sweet little baby bluebonnet plants are starting to pop up right on schedule. Bluebonnets plants start emerging as these green rosettes in late winter and typically bloom throughout the month of April here in Ennis."

Ennis bluebonnets typically peak around the second to third week in April. This year's Ennis Bluebonnet Trails will be open April 1-30, and the Festival will take place April 17-19.

In West Texas and the Big Bend region, desert wildflowers such as Mexican gold poppies and desert marigolds can produce dramatic blooms after winter rains.

Coastal prairies along the Gulf Coast can produce sweeping displays of yellow coreopsis and red Indian blanket wildflowers in spring.

Even in dry years, experts say Texans can still expect to find wildflowers somewhere across the state.

“I’ve never seen a year where nothing is blooming,” DeLong-Amaya said. “That just doesn’t happen.”

The Carolina jessamine is the Wildflower Center's 2026 Wildflower of the year.Photo by Stephanie Brundage via the Native Plant Information Network

The Wildflower Center also named Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) as its 2026 Wildflower of the Year. The evergreen vine produces fragrant yellow trumpet-shaped flowers and can climb along fences or trees.

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