Dallas/Fort Worth is surrounded by great cities including the charming town of Grapevine, located just north of Dallas/Fort Worth. This is a great place to visit anytime of year but especially during Christmas. They are known as the Christmas Capital of Texas. Grapevine hosts Christmas themed musical acts, a parade, photos with Santa and so much more. With its historic city center, wineries, and shopping, you’re sure to have a time to remember year-round!
Take a step back in time with a ride on the Grapevine Vintage Train’s authentic 1920’s coach. This ride was 1 hour and included a fun bank heist show with actors in costume. During the ride you can purchase snacks and drinks off their cart, like popcorn, candy, and sodas. We purchased the First-Class tickets for $26. This coach had air conditioning. They have different types of events though out the year and other types of rides you can purchase that include getting down and shopping at the Fort Worth Stockyard. The coach next to us was hosting a special Harry Potter event. That coach was decorated to go along with the theme and riders were dress in costumes. We saw a woman with a very large and very real snake. There are different ticket prices to choose from. This is a great activity to do any time of year! We did our ride in the summer. They have free parking at the station and free parking across the street.
Main Street Grapevine Historic Town Center
After your vintage train ride, take time to walk along Main Street. Here you’ll see the beautiful Grapevine Glockenspiel Clock Tower that’s hard to miss. Don’t miss the “would be bank robbers” animatronic 9-foot-tall cowboys that make an appearance daily at the top of the clock at 10am, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm. Along Main Street you’ll find shopping, restaurants, and Texas wineries and tasting rooms. Come attend Grapevine’s annual Wine Fest, the largest wine festival in the southwest.
Nash Farm is rich with history dating back to the 1800’s. Here you’ll discover that Nash Farm has preserved and showcases the significance of Grapevine’s farming and agriculture heritage. Take part in its events like the heritage workshops or help a farmhand get chores done. On First Fridays, a different skill is highlighted. Come just to explore or have a picnic.
This is a great place to come with small children. You can plan a birthday party here. There are rides, attractions, 4-D Cinema, Virtual Reality experience, meet and greets with Lego characters. Check the rides for height restrictions. For the kid in you, Lego Land hosts Adult Night. Leave the kids at home with a sitter and bring your friends for some Lego fun!
Outlet Mall
Grapevine Mills Mall is a large mall with outlet stores. There are plenty of nearby hotels and places to eat. Rainforest Café is located here as well as Meow Wolf. The Sea Life Grapevine Aquarium is also located inside the mall near Lego Land.
Meow Wolf is located at the Grapevine Mills Mall near Norstrom’s. This is a great art immersive experience for all ages! Meow Wolf has multiple locations with different themes. At the Grapevine location, you’ll experience The Real Unreal. It’s a house that leads you into other dimensions. The storyline is that you are visiting the house of a kid that has gone missing. Throughout the house you’ll see clues. As you go through rooms, you’ll discover entries to portals that will whisk you away to another world. The closet may lead you out the fireplace. Crawl through the washer or dryer to enter into other worldly artistic places. Go through the refrigerator to enter a room full of refrigerators. It’s a lot of fun! Be prepared to enjoy your visit for at least 2 hours. They have a café and gift shop. Tickets are $50 per person and you must reserve your time of entry.
If you’re looking for good local food with gluten-free options, this is a great place to try. Less than a 10-minute drive from Main Street, Tommy Tamale serves Tex Mex food and has been rated Top 100 Places to eat by Yelp. Most menu items are gluten-free with exceptions of chili and flour tortillas. Be sure to always talk to your server if you have a food allergy as menus change.
The British Emporium’s flagstaff store is located in Grapevine on Main Street. This fun store is a grocer, tea merchant and gift shop with great selections from the British Isles. Pop by if you’re missing home or just to try something different. Check out their events page for upcoming events.
If you find yourself about 30 minutes outside of Grapevine in Roanoke, you’ll find newly opened Breakfast Club 51. It’s a cute, small restaurant in a shopping strip near Walmart and offers several gluten-free options on their menu. Each of our orders came with so much food! Their gluten-free pancakes, eggs, coffee, bacon, were all great and I didn’t have a reaction. They have a large selection of breakfast drinks, including mimosas, smoothies, lattes, and juice.