It’s May, folks. Spring is in full swing and summer waits just around the corner. With outdoor brunches, patios, rooftops, and more at your disposal, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the cool weather in Dallas before it gets really hot!
Add a garden stroll with a vibrant art twist to your May plans by catching Hunt Slonem’s colorful, monumental sculptures among the blooms at the Dallas Arboretum this spring and summer. The Dallas Arboretum debuts Hunt Slonem’s large-scale exhibition Bunnies, Birds & Butterflies from April 20 to September 30, 2026, featuring 28 monumental animal and insect installations and roughly 100 pieces across the garden. Tickets start at $21.95 for adults and $19.95 for children (ages 3–12).
An immersive cirque-cabaret with aerial stunts, intimate performances and a hidden speakeasy. For a show night that feels a little more immersive than the usual stage-and-seats setup, AirOtic: Tease brings its cirque-cabaret residency to Station 4 in Dallas with high-flying aerial stunts, powerhouse vocals, and a cocktail-hour featuring pop-up performances. The residency runs May 14–June 13, 2026; doors at 6:00 PM and shows at 6:30 PM (approx. 2 hours).
If you’re looking for a can’t-miss spectacle this May, ECHO returns to Dallas with jaw-dropping acrobatics, immersive projections, and an original score. Cirque du Soleil’s ECHO opens in Dallas April 9 and runs through May 9, 2026, presenting a 100-minute immersive show of acrobatics, projections, original music and cutting-edge stage design. Tickets start at $59 with VIP and meet-and-greet options available.
Step into a full-scale immersive 16th-century English village for eight weekends of performances, marketplace wares, rides, and living history. If you’re looking for a bigger-than-life day trip near Dallas this May, the Scarborough Renaissance Festival returns to Waxahachie for its 45th anniversary, running weekends from April 4 through May 24, 2026, with a special closing celebration on Memorial Day, May 25. The immersive English-village event features over 20 stages, 200+ shoppes, themed weekends, hands-on attractions, rides, animal experiences, and period entertainment.
Dallas is about to get a major breath of fresh air with Halperin Park, a project the New York Times recently named one of the city’s most anticipated openings of the year. This landmark development will transform the space over I-35E—stretching from Ewing to Marsalis Avenue—into a vibrant five-acre urban oasis. Southern Dallas residents can look forward to a stunning mix of green space, a modern pavilion, and even a rooftop garden, creating a brand-new hub for the community to gather and relax.
No membership required — SaveGo is Plano’s new “Asian Costco” for bulk Asian groceries. If you’re looking to do a serious pantry restock this May, SaveGo Wholesale — the locally founded “Asian Costco” — is now open to the public in Plano with bulk Asian groceries and no membership needed. The warehouse-style supermarket at 915 W. Parker Rd. carries bulk rice, sauces, snacks, walk-in coolers, curbside service, and daily hours from 8 am to 8 pm.
Step back in time at Barber’s Book Store — a three-story Fort Worth treasure with some 60,000 books. Founded in 1925, Barber’s Book Store is widely regarded as the oldest bookstore in Texas, with roughly 60,000 books spread across three stories. Head to 901 Throckmorton in Fort Worth to browse the family-owned shop’s rotating rare editions, and take advantage of its daily opening hours.
Step inside prehistory and come face-to-face with realistic dinosaurs at Sandbox VR. If you’re looking for an immersive indoor experience, Sandbox VR brings Age of Dinosaurs to its Dallas Mockingbird Station location on April 3—a family-friendly VR adventure developed with the Natural History Museum, London and paleontologist Dr. Darren Naish. Guests can walk among lifelike dinosaurs with full-body tracking and haptic vests for a hyper-real, science-grounded experience.
If you haven’t had the chance to explore the newly debuted Netflix House in Dallas – May is a great time to go. Netflix House at Galleria Dallas is an experiential venue opened in December offering interactive spaces themed to popular series like Stranger Things and Squid Game, plus the Netflix RePlay arcade.
Nowhere else serves barbecue with an Ethiopian twist quite like Smoke N’Ash. If you’re looking to add a flavorful food stop to your May itinerary, head to Smoke N’Ash, a Tex‑Ethiopian barbecue restaurant in South Arlington founded by Patrick and Fasicka Hicks. The menu blends Texas smoked meats with Ethiopian flavors like Berbere and Awaze, with signature dishes including Berbere-rubbed brisket, Awaze-glazed ribs, Brisket Tibs, Berbere Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Loaded Injera Nachos, and several vegan tibs and stews.
