September on the doorstep and fall is around the corner. While you might have already cracked into the Pumpkin Spice Lattes, there’s still plenty more summer-soaked things to do before the season runs out.
Don’t let you summer in Dallas fade away, check out our list of 37 things to do to make the most out of this September!
1. Have an epic weekend at the LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship
Dallas, mark your calendars! The thrilling LIV Golf Dallas Team Championship is coming to Maridoe Golf Club this weekend. From September 20-22, watch Dallas native Bryson DeChambeau defend his team title on his home turf, see award-winning headliner Bailey Zimmerman, party during DJ Martin Garrix’s lively set, enjoy the fan village, and savor street eats—all while soaking in the festival-style vibes.
To celebrate in style, Sports Illustrated and LIV Golf have teamed up to host a swanky party at hotspot Komodo Dallas for a night that fuses entertainment and sports on Saturday, September 21st. The one and only DJ Diesel (known as the legendary Shaquille O’Neal will be spinning beats alongside Zack Bia in the VIP room, while Dombresky, Linska, and Distant Matter will keep the party going in the downstairs main area. Grab tickets to The Sports Illustrated LIV Golf experience here!
⛳ Don’t miss out! Learn more and grab your tickets to LIV Golf at Maridoe Golf Club now!
2. Experience Enchanting Candlelight Concerts
You can experience an absolutely magical season here in Dallas, and part of that is thanks to the amazing spaces the city has to offer. Luckily, Fever Originals is bringing its wildly popular Candlelight concert series to beautiful venues for the season.
3. State Fair of Texas
The State Fair of Texas returns to Dallas this September with a month of Big Tex-approved festivities. Featured attractions include a Texas-sized music festival, state fare rodeo, midway rides, carnival games, an auto show, and of course. ALL the food.
4. Check out this top-rated haunted house
The Dark Hour Haunted House is known as the number one haunted attraction in the DFW for a reason. Prepare to be terrified as you step into a spooky manor taken over by 13 witches whose dark powers have awakened centuries-old spirits. Snag your tickets now at 15% off to celebrate the opening of this frightening attraction on Friday the 13th weekend this September!
5. Autumn at the Arboretum
Dallas’ favorite fall tradition returns to the Dallas Arboretum this September for its 19th year. Revel in this gourd-geous display of autumnal foliage including 100,000 pumpkins, 150,000 blooming plants, and one Texas-themed pumpkin village. Autumn at the Arboretum runs from September 21 to November 3.
6. Dallas Cowboys: Return of the NFL
This is going to be the Cowboys year, we can feel it… Watch America’s team in action with the return of NFL football this September. If you can’t score stadium seats, watch the games from the best sports bars in Dallas.
7. Plano Balloon Festival
Fly over to Plano this September for the return of the annual Plano Balloon Festival. Launching September 19, the festival regularly features a kaleidoscopic display of hot-air balloons taking flight, parachute team demos, concerts, rides, food, and more!
8. Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will strike a chord this September with its annual Gala hosted on Saturday, September 28. The event will coincide with a black-tie cocktail reception, dinner, Gala Concert with a performance from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, as well as a Gala after party.
9-10. 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!
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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
15. Sip On Nitrogen-Infused Margaritas
Who knows who makes up these random holidays? There’s national sibling day, national donut day – there’s even a National Clean Your Desk Day – of which we’ve never celebrated not even once. But National Margarita Day, well that should’ve been something set in stone since the inception of this glorious country.
16. Pick the Perfect Peach
There’s nothing like a fresh peach in the summertime. You could take your chances getting handsy with the selection from H-E-B, Whole Foods, or otherwise, or you could go straight to the source at Ham Orchards.
17. 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.
18. 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!
19-20. 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.
21. 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.
22-23. 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.
24. Visit this Dazzling New Bohemian Cafe
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.
25. Enter a Portal at Meow Wolf
Explore an alternative universe at Meow Wolf inter-dimensional immersive art collective in Grapevine. The experience is comprised of over 30 uniquely designed rooms that weave experimental art and compelling storytelling.
26. Go Dancing at the World’s Largest Honky Tonk
Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth Stockyards is a storied institution and honky tonk haven. The restaurant, music venue, and dancehall spans 100,000 square feet, featuring a Texas-sized dance floor, memorabilia museum, bull-riding ring, 30 bars, and more.
27. Watch Cinema with Texas Spirit
The It Came From Texas film festival returns for its second year this September to the Plaza Theatre in Downtown, Garland. Here, movie-lovers can enjoy a variety of films new and old that capture the spirit of Texas, as well as panel discussions, interactive screenings, and more.
28. Visit Llama Castle
Tucked in the North Texas countryside is the charming town of Royse City. There dwells a castle. It is no ordinary castle, mind you. In this Irish replica castle abides a fellowship of frolicking llamas, who await travelers and enthusiasts alike, to take them on hikes and learn of their llama ways.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. Glamp In The Stars
New resident Texan, Elon Musk, promises that humans will land on Mars by 2026. If you can’t wait that long, you can spend a few nights at Basecamp Terlingua, an other-worldly glamping experience that integrates the future with the past, giving its visitors the impression of luxury camping in the cosmos.
32. Eat The Best Tacos In Town
33. 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.
34. Do Yoga with Adorable Baby Goats
Like meditation, yoga is a practice of centeredness and concentration. It’s a discipline of balance in the face of stress and adversity — that which may be difficult to do when resisting the urge to snuggle one of the herd of baby goats bouncing around.
35. Smash the Champagne Button and Ferris Wheel Cupcakes
Stylish, glitzy, and vividly pink, the XOXO Dining Room in Dallas offers one of the most dazzling and photo-ready dining experiences in town. Whether its the cupcakes served in Ferris Wheels, striking pop-art, twinkling chandeliers, or bright XOXO wall, the dining room and lounge is Dallas’s go-to place to smash that champagne button – seriously, XOXO has champagne buttons.
36. 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.
37. 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.
38. Enjoy open-air Concerts Under the Stars
This month, Dallas’ Concerts Under the Stars will feature nostalgia-filled tributes to Frank Sinatra, as well as Billy Joel and Elton John. Taking place at the Artisan and Sky Blu Rooftop in Dallas, the starlit evenings are complete with lively tunes, stunning views, and classic cocktails. Learn more here.