‘Tis the season of scary movies, costume parties, and everything pumpkin we can get our hands on. While here in Texas the weather is a bit indifferent, there’s still plenty of ways to enjoy the autumn in Dallas. Read on to discover 40 terrific things to do in Dallas this October!
1. Experience the Wizard World of Harry Potter
Begin an enchanting adventure as you traverse a stunning forest path and encounter captivating magical beings from the world of Harry Potter™ and Fantastic Beasts™ at Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest experience. There are countless wonders waiting to be uncovered throughout your journey!
2. See Concerts Under the Stars
Concert Under The Stars is set to infuse the thrill of live music into the premier rooftop location in Dallas. During this evening of exceptional musical talent, you can relish a performance featuring Frank Sinatra’s iconic tunes, all while taking in the breathtaking vistas from the Sky Blu rooftop in Dallas.
3-7. Experience an Amazing Candlelight Concert
Start your fall in Dallas magically with at Fever Originals wildly popular Candlelight series in the form of intimate concerts lit by candlelight at breathtaking venues. Highlights in October include:
- Candlelight: Emo on Strings
- Candlelight: A Tribute to Oasis
- Candlelight: Friday the 13th Special – Favorite Halloween Themes
- Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics
8. Experience this AirOtic Soirée
The AirOtic Soirée has made its debut in Dallas, Texas, and it’s exclusively happening at Viva’s Lounge! Prepare to be captivated as a stellar lineup of acrobats from around the world takes center stage in this immersive cirque-inspired cabaret, infused with a contemporary burlesque flair!
9-10. Go on a Halloween Bar Crawl
Embrace the eerie ambiance of the season in a fashionable manner by joining the Dallas Halloween Bar Crawl. It’s the ultimate way to explore the trendiest establishments in town with a single, comprehensive access pass!
Revel in exclusive drink offers, gain entry to top-notch nightclubs, and indulge in additional benefits that will elevate your Halloween celebration at some of the city’s most exceptional destinations. You can anticipate live performances, complimentary welcome shots, and a variety of other exciting surprises along the way.
11. Partake in Whiskey Wednesdays
Good drinks, fine hors d’oeuvres—all that’s missing to make it complete is you! Hosted by The Whiskey Spot, this Whiskey Wednesday is dedicated to sharing a selection of great spirits from around the world. Expand your drink knowledge with other whiskey enthusiasts, sample some fine food, learn about great whiskey pairings, and get a first-hand education in whiskey mixology. But it’s not just about the whiskey: you’ll also make connections that will live beyond that last taste of fine food and drink.
- Enjoy an exclusive tasting event! Learn more about the tricks of the trade in the world of whiskey with a talk through with experts. Taste an array of whiskeys, including premium whiskeys from around the world to limited edition craft whiskeys that you can’t find at your local liquor store. During the tasting, indulge in making a jarcuterie with premium meats, cheeses and vegetables. The best will be in with the chance of winning a prize!
12. Tantalize Your Taste Buds At This Dining In The Dark Experience
Imagine stepping inside a restaurant blanketed in darkness and being served a sublime three-course meal – the flavours and textures of which are intensified by your remaining senses. Sounds a little bit incredible, right? An experience that’s been backed by psychologists as an ‘amplified’ way to enjoy food, the enticing ‘Dining In The Dark’ event is now open in Dallas so you can “see” for yourself.
13. Take a Spin in this Hidden Bowling Alley Inside Old Movie Theater
Recently opened, Bowlski’s Lakewood Theater is a live concert venue, candy counter, pool lounge, arcade, bar, and bowling alley. When it came to renovating the historical venue, Bowlski’s owners salvaged what they could of their predecessor.
14. Stroll through the Enchanting Pumpkin Garden at the Dallas Arboretum
Every year, the Dallas Arboretum holds their beloved (and highly acclaimed) autumn festival. You know what they say: “everything is bigger in Texas” — well that seems to be the case at the Arboretum. In its 16th year, the festival will feature a dazzling display of autumn flowers embellished with the likes of 90,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squash courtesy of Floydada, Texas. Additionally, you’ll be able to stroll by the four 20-foot tall pumpkin cottages!
15. Go Chasing Waterfalls
There’s no understating the natural beauty of the Lone Star State. This season, head the call to adventure and venture out to the state’s most gorgeous waterfalls and the hiking trails that take you there.
16. Let The Good Times Roll At This Inventing Gaming Alley
Whether you’re young or an adult, games never get old. And while you can find a bowling alley in any given city in America, you’d be hard pressed to find pin toss anywhere else in the world (to our knowledge). Bowl Games in Dallas is a one-of-a-kind gaming bar that offers shuffleboard, foosball, and the aforementioned pin toss – a bowling and football hybrid that leaves no joy to spare.
17-20. Sneak Into A Speakeasy
There’s something special about speakeasies. The secretive, vicarious forbidden feel of transporting back to the prohibition make imbibing cocktails all the more tantalizing.
- Hope you’ve been reading this quarantine, because you’re going to need your book smarts to get into the Rare Books Bar. In order to gain entry into this Frisco speakeasy, visitors must dial the librarian and ask for a classic piece of literature.
- The only sign post at this bar takes the form of two ambiguous As on a door in a crusty alleyway behind Henry’s Majestic. For those that can get past the initial sketch factor, however, a warm-lit cove of tantalizing libations await
21. Go Back To The Future
The 1980s are making a come back. Be it the nostalgia-saturated Stranger Things, kaleidoscopic fashion lines, or droves of new wave, synth-driven music flooding the sound waves. Travel back in time at McFly’s, the pub made in the image of what’s been called the most ’80s movie ever made.
22. Tour Texas’s Most Haunted
Gather around the campfire, folks, for Halloween season is here. Ushering in the celebration of all that is spooky, we’ve compiled a list of the most haunted places in and around Texas as well as the grim tales that beseech them.
23. Level Up at this Boozy Arcade
Some of weren’t around in the ’80s, but that doesn’t stop us from the feeling of vivid nostalgia we have for new wave hits, technicolored-patterned jumpers, and all the zaniness the decade had to offer. This season, Dallasites can blast back to the ’80s at the new FlashBack RetroPub in Bishops Arts District!
24. Let Your Colors Out at This New Concept Bar
iPhones at the ready, Dallas, for a new selfie sanctuary has come to town with the opening of Austin-based Wonder Bar. While the quirky, IG-ready watering hole has teased their opening for a while, the bar has finally opened.
25-26. Sweetin’ Up at Dallas’ Best Bakeries
Treating yourself in the pandemic has become something of a lifestyle rather than a once-in-a-blue-moon event. If you need a sweet pick-me-up, or want to share the love, these Dallas bakeries have got all the goods.
- Withdraw for the Sprinkles Cupcakes’ ATM – Sprinkles is a small-batch bakery that whips up everything from decadent cupcakes to delicious ice cream.
27. Enjoy a Drink on the Patio
Enjoy the cool, crisp temperatures while you can, Dallas. Get out and about this southern winter at the city’s many great patios! Be it a sprawling, boot-stomping backyard or a rooftop vista with a view, there is a swell of wonderful outdoor venues to savor the season.
28-29. Sing (and Drink) From the Rooftops
Nothing quite says “living the highlife” like clinking glasses on a city rooftop. Touch the sky this season with a brunch, evening, or nightcap on the most jaw-dropping rooftops in Dallas.
- New York-based RH, formerly known as Restoration Hardware, has opened its first Texas outpost with a luxurious three-story establishment complete with a glass-encased rooftop restaurant.
30. Visit this Dazzling New Bohemian Cafe
A brand new oasis has opened in Dallas. Located in the back alley behind Tejas in the heart of Bishop Arts, Casablanca is a vibrant cafe transporting patrons to the Silk Road with its unparalleled ambience and dazzling variety of craft cocktails and shared plates.
31. Go on a Culinary Journey from Bangkok to Bali
From the alleyway to the table, bar, and lounge, and back again, Elephant East in Harwood feels like a multi-sensory excursion to a faraway land and experience that you won’t want to miss!
32. Experience Pumpkin Pandemonium at Pumpkin Nights
For the rest of the season, Pumpkin Nights is inundating Howell Farms with an un-gourdly amount of fall festivity for their autumn-exclusive Pumpkin Nights event running all October long.
33. Beat The High Score At This Retro Arcade
We weren’t around in the 80s, but that doesn’t stop us from being nostalgic for new wave-style synth pop, campy horror movies, fluorescent jackets, and an underground bustling arcade culture. If you want to wreck it like Ralph, grab your Walkman and head down to the National Video Game Museum in Frisco, home to their “Pixel Dreams” retro arcade.
34. Enter a Xmas Explosion at This Tex-Mex Restaurant
There’s no such thing as having too many holiday lights. Neither is there such a thing as having too many fajitas. Do Christmas, but make it Tex-Mex at Campo Verde in Arlington for the most festive fajita experience you’ll have all year.
35. Eat The Best Tacos In Town
36. Visit the Spa Castle
Spa Castle in Carrollton is like the amusement park version of a spa, only instead of rides they have Himalayan salt rooms and hydrotherapy pools. The innovative spa blends together traditional Asian and European styles to create a fun and luxury experience all on its own.
37. Dine Royally
Savor the high life this fall at Monarch Restaurant. Perched on the 49th floor of The National, Monarch is designed with floor-to-ceiling windows, giving restaurant-goers the chance to dine on their wood-fired Italian dishes with an epic view of the city.
38. Go Buckwild at This Rodeo-Themed Bar
Nostalgic Dallasites will remember the Rodeo Bar’s previous incarnation. Opened back in 1981, the iconic bar was renowned as an authentic, laidback hangout where one could drink ice cold beers and grab a bite without a fuss. After 40 years, the bar is back on the scene with its original grit, albeit, with a modern vibe.
39. Cozy Up In The Nooks Of This Bookish Coffee Shop
For all the people out there who have ever been shushed at a library – this place for you. At the Funny Library Coffee Shop, guests are encouraged to crack up as much they are to crack open one of its many books.
40. Live La Dulce Vita In This Italian Marketplace
Given the circumstances, you might have had to cancel your vacation to Italy. Be that as it may, you can still get a taste of Tuscany with the arrival of the famed Italian market, Eataly.