Updated: 09/03/2020
Written by: Samantha Ruble, @GoFrenchYourself. Originally published on GoFrenchYourself.com.
I’ll begin by saying, Plano is such a glorious easy escape from Oklahoma. It’s a thriving city with a great selection of restaurants, shops, and things to do! It’s truly such a destination. Had the best Labor Day weekend in Plano Texas. The weekend involved delicious food, coffee, margaritas, shopping, nature , and a handsome horse named RED.
Where I Stayed
Full disclosure first, I was invited by Visit Plano to stay at the Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center in order to discover Plano Texas and create my own weekend guide to the city with an itinerary of places we worked on together!
Surrounded by celebrated attractions, Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center is a contemporary haven in a prime location. I mean, this location cannot be any better my dears! The convenience and ease of having a hotel like the Marriott Legacy Town Center in Plano being within minutes to the best food, shopping and entertainment at Legacy West is just the bees knees. Embrace Texas-sized comfort in newly transformed guest rooms, appointed with rainfall showers, premium bedding, high-speed Wi-Fi and 55-inch HD televisions. Punctuate a memorable day of business, shopping or sightseeing with a swim in their sparkling outdoor swimming pool. With a modern fitness center, versatile event space and attentive staff, Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center is a great place to center your Texas getaway. We were completely spoiled by The Marriott Legacy! This was such a sweet surprise to come back to after dinner! Just look at this!!
Traveling is part of my job and I’m very grateful for it. I’ve stayed at some pretty fantastic hotels, great hotels and well not so great hotels. When I think about what makes a fabulous hotel, it goes beyond a great design or highly Instagrammable room- of course, I love gorgeous tiles and clawfoot tubs but it’s the deeper things that really pull at my heart strings!
Thank you @marriottlegacy for going above + beyond with our stay! From the valet staff , to the front desk to the house keeping .. this team is killing it in hospitality !!! And thank you for caring about your carbon footprint!
I see YOU and the positive impact you are making for momma earth!
What To Do in Plano
Ride horses at Southfork Ranch – Come on out and experience some real Texas-sized fun while riding the trails at Southfork Ranch. You’ll hop on one of their horses and ride through the trails around the ranch. Their wranglers will guide you and help beginner riders if needed. I went a little crazy with photos of the horse I rode named RED but he is so very easy on the eyes! History at Southfork began in 1978 when Lorimar Productions chose the North Texas showplace as the site for the CBS TV series Dallas. The hit series, which counted millions of viewers across the United States and in 95 countries as fans, was originally broadcast in the United States from 1978 to 1991. The series continues to be broadcast in syndication and still is in first-run status in many countries around the world. Because of the ranch’s high profile on television, the beautiful white mansion, the pool, the barns and surroundings quickly became a tourist mecca.
Enjoy a hike and or a kayak at Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve – Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve, Plano’s largest park, is 800 acres and extends from Parker Road on the south to Chaparral Road on the north and from Spring Creek Parkway on the west to Los Rios Boulevard on the east. The park boasts nearly 8 miles of concrete trails and 5 miles of soft surface trails located along Rowlett Creek. Nature trails are open from sunrise to sunset daily. 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). It is so peaceful here and so so gorgeous. I am always so inspired by nature. And I could spend hours here especially in the fall.
Take a stroll at The Boardwalk at Granite Park – At Granite Park, it all comes together at the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk connects the office buildings at Granite Park with retail, hotel and dining options—all conveniently located with an unmatched waterfront view. (The ducks and turtles are sooo cute) Developed with community and sustainability at the core, the Boardwalk and outdoor gathering places support healthy choices and active, social living year-round. Explore the Boardwalk and discover the value of an office park centered on inspiring the community to connect.
Where To Eat in Plano
The Biscuit Bar – The Biscuit Bar is an approachable, fast casual restaurant serving up Southern goodness on a biscuit! They are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late nights offering biscuits, tots and taps. The menu features an assortment of savory and sweet biscuit sandwiches made from scratch, in house, daily. Guests can also accompany their biscuit sandwich with tots styled to personal taste and tipple on a craft cocktail, locally sourced brew, cold brew coffee or Kombucha, all offered on tap! And don’t forget the hot chocolate biscuit for desert- it’s a fresh and flakey biscuit smothered in a Deep South tradition favorite: Chocolate Gravy! It is then topped with toasted marshmallow fluff! Yep, wipe the drool from your chin!
Fork & Fire – A true gem of a restaurant, everything we had was absolutely delicious!!! Highly recommend the truffle mac and cheese, iron skillet Brussel sprouts, and the grilled peaches! The cheddar and bacon fries are divine too and well- definitely add a mezcal margarita to the mix!
Café Intermezzo* – Long before the modern “Coffee Houses” adorned corners all over America, Café Intermezzo embodied the essence of the 300-year-old European coffeehouse. Step into Café Intermezzo, and you are stepping into another time, another place. It’s a vacation, a holiday, an “intermezzo”(intermission) between the busy acts of your life: in musical terms, it’s your rest between allegro and adagio. A wonderful cappuccino, a beautiful pastry, and your getaway or rendezvous is complete. On another visit, you might enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner, or a late-night appetizer with a glass of wine or a cocktail. The Beverage Book offers hundreds of choices. “TourGuides” take you through descriptions of over seventy pastries. The choices are dramatic, and you can partake in choosing every day of the year. Café Intermezzo has been presenting the place, the time, the choices for nearly forty years. It is truly a tradition, complete only with the presence of you! The European coffeehouse represents the antithesis of food and drink in a hurry. Here the music, the aromas, the art, the sheer nature of the Café all represent the essence of the coffeehouse experience. Rush and chaos are left outside the door. Inside abounds the almost ethereal stuff of thought, of the body at-ease and the mind simply doing what its owner wants it to do. Rendezvous with a friend, hold a meeting, or simply ponder the moment, the day, or the lifetime in solitude. Each is, and all are, sufficient reasons for being there. *Cafe Intermezzo has since closed its doors.
Legacy Food Hall – Legacy Hall brings new meaning to the dining and drinking experience to Plano, Texas. Equal parts premium food hall, live entertainment destination, beer garden, and craft brewery. They’re a community committed to bringing the best that local chefs and entertainers have to offer in one unique space for an unforgettable experience. Their food hall has more than 24 artisanal food stalls run by local chefs and aspiring restaurateurs creating the next best food trends. They live and breathe food theater for brunch, lunch and dinner. Each time you visit you’ll experience an array of international sights, smells, sounds and tastes. In search of liquid libations? They’ve got exactly what you need for late night out. Enjoy happy hour at any of the bars here at Legacy Hall. They have two large craft cocktail bars, an intimate wine bar, and a full-fledged craft brewery, along with multiple pop up bars in the outdoor Box Garden to pair well with the schedule of live music and entertainment.
Mexican Bar Co. – Opened October 31 2018, Texas-born Mexican Bar Co. (MBC) Cocina offers the full scope of Mexican cuisine; handmade corn tortilla tacos, freshly prepared ceviches, guacamoles, salsas, and an exceptional selection of regional dishes. James Beard featured Chef Patricio Sandoval stays true to the classic delicacies of Mexico and its legendary food markets while adding his renowned layers of flavors. Additionally, MBC uses a rustic wood and coal burning grill to prepare meat, whole fish, poultry and vegetables – adding a key touch of authenticity and flavor to the expansive menu. To fully complement and reflect the Mexican menu, the cocktails incorporate a comprehensive beverage selection from all regions of Mexico, Texas, and beyond.
1418 Coffeehouse – Craft brings artistry to the table. For them, it’s about more than just handing you a drink. It’s about creating an experience…Every detail…Handmade…Hand crafted…Just for you…! Highly recommend an espresso and a bean and cheese brekkie burrito!
Where To Shop
Everything you could possibly need is at Legacy West shopping center!!! We stayed for hours and cannot wait to return closer to the holiday to get some serious Christmas shopping done!
Check out Read Between The Lines, Neighborhood Goods, and you have to op into the Tesla showroom. I didn’t even know I needed a Tesla until I sat in one and now it’s all i can think about!
For more Plano recommendations be sure to check out Visit Plano!
Photo credit: Samantha Ruble, @GoFrenchYourself.
