Breweries, adventure, great food. It’s All Here. If you’re planning a day with dad, we’ve outlined fun and adventurous options showcasing all there is to see and do in Plano with pop.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions & re-openings, please check the business’s open status, restrictions, and hours before going.
Dining
Stacked Burgers, mouthwatering BBQ, tender steaks, famous Tex-Mex and more – there are over 1,000 restaurants in Plano of all cuisine types reflecting our diverse culture. With so much to choose from, you better do some research beforehand. You can also take advise from our video series called That’s Tempting and see for yourself some mouthwatering options.
Across from the Hilton Granite Park sits a restaurant park called The Boardwalk. Dallas Burger Joint Hall of Famer, Chips Old Fashioned Hamburgers is not only famous for their burger selection, but also salads, fresh fish, spuds, Tex-Mex, and milkshakes. Union Bear is a new locally owned and operated brewery and restaurant with a West Coast feel, fused with deep Texas roots, serving American classics and staff-curated spirits and cocktails.
Also at The Boardwalk, The Biscuit Bar, a new fast-casual, Southern home-style concept, offers scratch biscuits with a wide range of toppings, salads with biscuit croutons, biscuit desserts, and a bar menu. Fork & Fire features a wide selection of classic American fare, including its famous “fancy fries”. Each restaurant has a patio, and there are beachy deck chairs to enjoy the view of the water feature and live music stage.
Take dad to the Downtown Plano Arts District where you will find a little bit of everything from Austrian and Mexican to pizza and BBQ.
Or dine at the area’s newest and hottest restaurants at Legacy West like Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Tommy Bahama, True Food Kitchen, Mesero, North Italia, Taverna, Haywire, KAI, Toulouse, and Fogo de Chão.
The Shops at Legacy is also a culinary landmark for some of DFW’s finest chefs and restaurants. Enjoy meals and drinks all day at the many popular restaurants like Fearing’s, Seasons 52, Mexican Sugar, Kenny’s Smokehouse, RA Sushi, Olivella’s, Henry’s Tavern, Main Street Bistro & Bakery, Del Frisco’s Grille and Bob’s Steak & Chop House.
The District at Willow Bend has several awesome brunch, lunch, or dinner options with fried chicken and homemade biscuits at Whistle Britches to a Mexican fiesta at Mexican Bar Co.
Legacy Hall, one of the nation’s largest and most unique food halls, is dedicated to serving the best-of food trends prepared by premier chefs and local artisans featuring everything from elevated Neapolitan pizzas, duck fried chicken and Baja-style tacos, to worldly selections like shawarma, yakitori and bao steam buns.
The three-story, 55,000-square-foot European-style food hall, brewery and live music and entertainment venue was named USA Today’s 2019 2nd Best Food Hall in the U.S.
Fun & Adventure
Start the day off with a workout and tons of fun and laughs at Go Ape at Oak Point Park. More than just a canopy tour, the course is made up of numerous rope ladders and 39 exciting crossings including two Tarzan swings and five zip lines.
If being on the water is more your style, starting later this spring you can rent a canoe (or bring your own canoe, paddle board, or kayak) and set out on the lake for an adventure.
Does dad prefer to keep his feet planted on the ground? Take a swing at one of Plano’s three public golf courses: The Courses at Watters Creek, Pecan Hollow, and Ridgeview Ranch.
Set out and explore at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, a 200-acre park with hike and bike trails, a 2-mile walking trail and amazing views of the prairie and forest.
Need indoor fun? Make dad feel like a kid again and bowl a strike at PINSTACK, North Texas’ first state-of-the-art bowling and active entertainment destination while enjoying great food and adult beverages. This 50,000 square foot fun zone features a 28-lane bowling alley, a ropes course suspended 20 feet above the gaming center, two-story laser tag, bumper cars, six lanes of LED-lit rock climbing walls, and hundreds of interactive games.
More indoor fun includes the only in-theater hyper-reality experience in Texas. Cinemark has partnered with The VOID to allow visitors to virtually step into their favorite movie and play an active role in the plot. By strapping on a vest, helmet and virtual reality goggles, be transported to a new world where you can hear, feel, smell and see what it would be like to actually be in the movie.
More fun places to take dad include:
Breakout Games
Plano Super Bowl
The Texas Pool
Whirlyball Laser Whirld
Live Music
Typically, live music is always on the calendar all across the city. Over at Legacy Hall, grab your food and stake out a table in the outdoor Box Garden. There’s usually always something going on over the weekend from unique interactive events to free live music.
Also, stay tuned to Plano Arts & Events for more information on upcoming live music at McCall Plaza in the Downtown Plano Arts District.
Breweries
Take dad on a Plano brew tour!
Unlawful Assembly on the third floor at Legacy Hall features classic pub fare and 21 operating tanks used to crank out its portfolio of premium year-round beers, along with a rotating tap selection of highly creative, collaborative and seasonal beers. Comedic brewery tours are available every Saturday from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Each tour costs $15 per participant and includes a limited release Unlawful Assembly beer glass, and two complimentary beers. No RSVP or pre-registration necessary.
Union Bear at The Boardwalk is a brewery and restaurant concept inspired by a West Coast casual beer approach fused with local roots in North TX. The space is driven by a signature line of craft beers and complemented by an extensive bar offering and menu of approachable, chef-driven plates. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating and access to the Boardwalk with great views of the water from the back patio.
Daddy & Me
Do daddy and the kids need a day of fun?
Explore the colorful world of Crayola! Everyone can bond over this childhood favorite activity. The Crayola Experience is Texas’ most colorful family destination for interactive, creative play. Spend 3-4 hours exploring the 22 hands-on attractions.
Kids of all ages can embark on a wonderful, whimsical adventure with such unique experiences as starring in their very own coloring pages, naming and wrapping their very own Crayola crayon, learning how crayons are made in a live manufacturing show and so much more.
For the older kiddos, kayak or canoe at Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve. The pond at Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve is open for kayaking, canoeing and stand up paddle boarding from dawn to dusk. The general public is welcome to use their own watercraft (canoe, kayak, stand up paddle board). Or fishing at the pond would be a fun activity too!
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is another amazing park for a family hike.
Find 20 Things to Do in Plano, events, and more incredible dining on our site.
Go Ape photo credit: Go Ape
Live music photo credit: Legacy Hall
