Plano Itinerary for the Business Traveler

Business Trip_ Box Garden at Legacy Hall

Updated: 07/27/2020

If you’re in Plano for a business meeting or a convention, chances are your free time is extremely limited; there are people to meet and connections to be made! But with a little planning, you can use those spare hours to find out what all there is to see, do, discover, and eat in Plano. Here’s a quick three day itinerary to help you make the most of your stay in Plano while on a business trip.

Day 1

Enjoy the Great Outdoors
They say the early bird gets the worm, so start your day on the right foot and start getting those steps in before getting business done. Plano has more than 82 miles of recreational trails open to the public. Chances are there’s a trail near your hotel. Get trail information here including downloadable trail maps. Two of the largest parks in Plano offer great opportunities to connect with the outdoors. Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve is 800 acres and has 3.5 miles of concrete trails and 5 miles of soft trails along Rowlett Creek. Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is a 200-acre park with hike and bike trails, a 2-mile walking trail and stunning views of the prairie and forest.

Take a Stroll and Grab a Coffee
Stroll the Boardwalk! This restaurant park has many unique offerings, but for a quick nosh while on break, visitors recommend these three stops. The Biscuit Bar, a new fast-casual, Southern home-style concept, offering scratch biscuits with a wide range of toppings, salads with biscuit croutons, biscuit desserts, and a bar menu. Pearl Cup Coffee offers Texas-roasted espresso drinks, coffee, snacks, and pastries, as well as wine and light bites in the afternoons through the evening. Edith’s French Bistro’s menu includes French baked goods as well as a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. So, walk The Boardwalk and grab a bite and a coffee before heading back to your business meetings!

Indulge in Plano’s Dining Scene
Ready for a culinary adventure? From the Downtown Plano Arts District to Legacy West and The Shops at Legacy and everywhere in between, there are over 800 restaurants in Plano covering all your favorite culinary genres. At both Legacy West and The Shops at Legacy enjoy dinner and drinks at the many popular restaurants like: Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Fleming’s Steakhouse, Kenny’s Smokehouse, Mesero, Mexican Sugar, North Italia, RA Sushi, Tommy Bahama, True Food Kitchen, Haywire, Taverna, Toulouse, KĀI, and Fogo de Chao.

On top of all of that, Legacy Hall is a one-of-a-kind artisanal food hall experience with equal parts premium food hall, beer garden, craft brewery and live entertainment. With 22 chef-driven artisan food stalls and half a dozen bars, each presents its own unique personality. In downtown Plano, dine at one of the many restaurants ranging from wood-fired pizza and Mexican to sushi and barbecue. Here’s a complete list of restaurants to dine at in the Downtown Plano Arts District. See our complete list of Plano restaurants here.

Day 2

Take a Retail Therapy Break
One thing is for sure when it comes to Plano, there are endless shopping options to experience. Dallas may be known as one of the top shopping destinations in the U.S., but just 20 miles north, you can continue the one-of-a-kind shopping adventure in Plano with over 26 million square feet of retail space! The new $3.2 billion dollar, 255-acre Legacy West development boasts 415,000 dynamic square feet of open-air retail and restaurant space. Shop for stylish home décor items at West Elm and Frontgate; and women and men’s high-end apparel at Bonobos, Fabletics, J.Crew, Johnny Wass, Tommy Bahama, Peter Millar, Pockets, and Suitsupply.

The Shops at Legacy is a hopping urban development featuring unique boutiques, popular shops, sidewalk cafes, and is also a culinary landmark for some of Dallas/Fort Worth’s finest chefs and restaurants. A unique “Main Street-style” experience, The Shops at Legacy combines a “downtown” feel with the intimacy of a neighborhood and community, with today’s modern styles.

The Shops at Willow Bend offers visitors a unique blend of Texas-style ambiance and world-class shopping. The center is anchored by Dillard’s, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus. With stores like Coach, H&M, G by Guess, Banana Republic, American Eagle, Swarovski and Sephora everything you need is around the bend. Plus, Restoration Hardware, Z Gallerie and Crate & Barrel make The Shops at Willow Bend a premier destination for stylish home decor.

Experience Plano’s Nightlife
An exciting post-meeting night with peers out isn’t very hard to come by in Plano. Live music feels like it’s always in arms reach of wherever you are in the city. The live music scene here is stronger than ever before with more than 25 venues that offer some sort of live music on a regular basis. If you enjoy getting-up on your feet to the beat of the music, try Sambuca 360 and VNYL at The Shops at Legacy. In the Downtown Plano Arts District, there’s the new McCall Plaza for live music events. Check out our live music page for live music events and more venues in Plano.

Day 3

Grab a Workout
Plano is named the healthiest city in Texas and twelfth in the U.S. by TheStreet, so come work out with us! Four of our city’s recreation centers welcome “drop-in” visitors for a nominal fee. Amenities at each center vary, but many include indoor tracks, racquetball, volleyball and squash courts, indoor and outdoor pools, gymnasiums, weight rooms, and playgrounds. Take a look at our Grab a Workout page dedicated to getting a workout in Plano; find a list of all the hotels in Plano with hotel gyms and see what other types of calorie burning options are available to visitors.

Head Downtown
Before you head back to the airport, make a stop in downtown Plano. The Downtown Plano Arts District boasts a charming downtown area lined with authentic brick streets, one-of-a-kind restaurants, clothing and jewelry boutiques, specialty shops, antique stores, art galleries, artist residences, pottery, and more. Don’t forget to take a mural selfie!

Visit an International Icon
Known as the “world’s most famous ranch,” Southfork Ranch is best known from the television series “Dallas,” offering visitors the opportunity to relive memorable moments from the fictional Ewing clan. The “Dallas Legends: Fact to Fantasy” exhibit features the gun that shot J.R., Lucy’s wedding dress, video clips from the series and other memorabilia. Located in nearby Parker, Southfork has attracted millions of visitors and is open daily year-round.

Bonus Tip: Family Traveling in Tow?
Plano’s newest and most colorful attraction, the Crayola Experience at The Shops at Willow Bend, is an amazing place where visitors can explore the 60,000 square foot attraction that Parents Magazine calls one of the “Top 10 Trips to Take Before Your Kid Turns 10.” Experience 22 hands-on attractions inspired by Crayola products and their technologies. Visitors can name and wrap their own Crayola crayon, star in a coloring page, create melted wax spin-art, and learn how crayons are made in a live factory show. The Dallas Observer also named Crayola Experience the Best Place to Take the Kids in 2018.

For more attractions, dining, and events in Plano, explore our site.
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