Good time in Texas

April 20, 2008 10:12 AM

Bachelorette party ideas in Dallas? Planning from out of town - help!

I'm in charge of planning a bachelorette party in downtown(ish) Dallas in the next few months from the other side of the country--eek!

I'd love some help coming up with ideas where to go. Ideally, I'd like to choose 3 or 4 bars/clubs/restaurants/activities with different vibes to visit throughout the evening, close enough that it isn't a huge journey between them (walking distance would be fantastic, but I'm not sure that's doable). We're up for anything (except strip clubs - no thanks!), but the place we start needs to serve tasty appetizers (early evening), and I'd like to have at least one place be a silly, cheesy good time (karaoke, drag show, 80's dancing, something goofy). There will be half a dozen fun, laid-back ladies in our mid-twenties, and I am doing everything possible to stop blow up penises and lolly-pop laden tank tops from accompanying us. The bride is also from out of town, so she won't have her heart set on any specific place. All ideas are welcome, even better if you can offer a few within those constraints!

One last caveat - strongly prefer places without excessive cover charges, very strict dress codes or insanely long lines.

Happy to provide more guidance, but since this isn't my city I wanted to be open to any great local options. Thanks!

posted by xaire to food & drink (3 comments total)

You can probably find most of what you want in Deep Ellum. I went to a bachelorette party there a few years ago; it seems that none of the bars we went to are still open, but in Deep Ellum, everything is within walking distance. My favorite bar/club there is Trees. I know several people who rave about Deep Sushi. And there's no better place to end a night of bar-hopping than Cafe Brazil.
posted by korres at 11:06 AM on April 20, 2008

Unfortunately, Trees and a lot of other venues in Deep Ellum have shut down. Turn your eye toward Uptown, and check Guidelive for specifics that might work for you.
posted by lhall at 12:17 PM on April 20, 2008

I'd also say that Expo Park area is a good idea; there's a bar that serves excellent food ((Meridian Room) and also hosts Scaraoke on Thursday nights right around the corner from a hopping gay-friendly nightclub. There are several galleries you can walk to around the block; also, Double Wide is about a block away (it was once a double-wide trailer that's been turned into a bar-cum-live-band-space). All throughout the neighborhood are great places to eat and drink, with music from house to mash-ups (think Justice meets MIA meets Chromeo meets The Cool Kids). Once a month or so The Lollipop Shoppe gang host a go-go 60's themed party, where you will see lots of mods, rockers, girls with pageboys and extras from Laugh-In.

None of the places I listed typically have a cover (Minc will have a cover up to $10 if there's a really great out-of-town DJ playing).

There are a lot more options there than I listed... Like Expo Park Cafe has chicken and waffles for midnight breakfast and The Amsterdam (coffee AND beer!) are both great.

You guys should stay at the Belmont if you can afford it; it's sooo nice and has the best view of Dallas in the city.

Don't go to Deep Ellum unless you want to get cruised by 16-year-old boys and cops. That's all that's left there.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 4:58 PM on April 20, 2008