If you’re in Plano, Texas, for a business meeting or convention, chances are your free time is extremely limited; there are people to meet and connections to be made! But with a little planning, you can use those spare hours to find out all there is to see, do, discover, and eat in Plano. Here’s a quick three-day itinerary to help you make the most of your stay during your business trip.
DAY 1
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
They say the early bird gets the worm, so start your day on the right foot and get some of those steps in before getting business done. Plano has more than 82 miles of recreational trails open to the public. Chances are there’s a trail near your hotel. Get trail information here, including downloadable trail maps. Two of the largest parks in Plano offer great opportunities to connect with the outdoors. Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve is 800 acres and has 3.5 miles of concrete trails and 5 miles of soft trails along Rowlett Creek. Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is a 200-acre park with hiking and biking trails, a 2-mile walking trail, and stunning views of the prairie and forest.
Take a Stroll and Grab a Coffee
Stroll the Boardwalk! This restaurant park has many unique offerings, but for a quick nosh while on break, visitors recommend three particular stops. The Biscuit Bar, a new fast-casual, Southern-homestyle concept, offers scratch biscuits with a wide range of toppings, salads with biscuit croutons, biscuit desserts, and a bar menu. Edith’s French Bistro features French baked goods, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. So walk the Boardwalk and grab a bite and a coffee before heading back to your business meetings!
Indulge in Plano’s Dining Scene
Ready for a culinary adventure? From the Downtown Plano Arts District to Legacy West and The Shops at Legacy — and everywhere in between — there are over 800 restaurants in Plano covering all your favorite cuisines. At both Legacy West and The Shops at Legacy, enjoy dinner and drinks at the many popular restaurants, including Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Earls Kitchen + Bar, Fleming’s Steakhouse, Kenny’s Smokehouse, Mesero, Mexican Sugar, North Italia, RA Sushi, Tommy Bahama, True Food Kitchen, Haywire, Taverna, Toulouse, KĀI, Fogo de Chao, and The Keeper. On top of all of that, Legacy Hall is a one-of-a-kind artisanal food-hall experience with equal parts premium food hall, beer garden, craft brewery, and live entertainment venue. Each of the 22 chef-driven, artisan food stalls and half a dozen bars presents its own unique personality. In downtown Plano, dine at one of the many restaurants, which range from wood-fired pizza and Mexican to sushi and barbecue. Here’s a complete list of restaurants to dine at in the Downtown Plano Arts District. See our complete list of Plano restaurants here.
DAY 2
Take a Retail Therapy Break
One thing is for sure when it comes to Plano: There are endless shopping options to experience. Dallas may be known as one of the top shopping destinations in the U.S., but just 20 miles north, you can continue the one-of-a-kind shopping adventure in Plano, which has over 26 million square feet of retail space! The new $3.2 billion, 255-acre Legacy West development boasts 415,000 dynamic square feet of open-air retail and restaurant space. Shop for stylish home décor items at West Elm and Frontgate and high-end women's and men’s apparel at Bonobos, Fabletics, J.Crew, Johnny Wass, Tommy Bahama, Peter Miller, Planet Blue, Pockets, and Suitsupply. The Shops at Legacy is a hopping urban development featuring unique boutiques, popular shops, and sidewalk cafes, and it's also a culinary landmark for some of Dallas/Fort Worth’s finest chefs and restaurants. A unique “Main Street-style” experience, The Shops at Legacy combines a downtown feel with the intimacy of a neighbourhood and community, with today’s modern styles. The Shops at Willow Bend offers visitors a unique blend of Texas-style ambience and world-class shopping. The center is anchored by Dillard’s, Macy’s, and Neiman Marcus. With stores such as Coach, H&M, G by Guess, Banana Republic, American Eagle, Swarovski, and Sephora, everything you need is around the bend. Plus, Restoration Hardware, Z Gallerie, and Crate & Barrel make The Shops at Willow Bend a premier destination for stylish home décor.
Experience Plano’s Nightlife
An exciting post-meeting night out with peers isn’t very hard to come by in Plano. Live music feels as though it’s always within arm's reach of wherever you are in the city. The live music scene here is stronger than ever before, with more than 25 venues that offer some sort of live music on a regular basis. If you enjoy getting up on your feet to the beat of the music, try Blue Martini, Sambuca 360, and VNYL at The Shops at Legacy. In the Downtown Plano Arts District, there’s the new McCall Plaza for live concerts. Check out our live music page for more events and venues in Plano.
DAY 3
Grab a Workout
Plano has been named the healthiest city in Texas and 12th-healthiest in the U.S. by TheStreet, so come work out with us! Four of our city’s recreation centres welcome “drop-in” visitors for a nominal fee. Amenities at each centre vary, but many include indoor tracks; racquetball, volleyball, and squash courts; indoor and outdoor pools; gymnasiums; weight rooms; and playgrounds. Take a look at our Grab a Workout page, which is dedicated to getting a workout in Plano; you can find a list of all the hotels in Plano with hotel gyms and see what other types of calorie-burning options are available to visitors.
Head Downtown
Before you make your way back to the airport, stop in downtown Plano. The Downtown Plano Arts District boasts a charming downtown area with authentic brick streets, one-of-a-kind restaurants, clothing and jewelry boutiques, specialty shops, antique stores, art galleries, artist residences, pottery, and more. Don’t forget to take a mural selfie!
Visit an International Icon
Known as the “world’s most famous ranch,” Southfork Ranch is best known for the television series Dallas. It offers visitors the opportunity to relive memorable moments from the fictional Ewing clan. The “Dallas Legends: Fact to Fantasy” exhibit features the gun that shot J.R., Lucy’s wedding dress, video clips from the series, and other memorabilia. Located in nearby Parker, Southfork has attracted millions of visitors and is open daily year-round.
Bonus Tip: Family Traveling in Tow?
Plano’s newest and most colorful attraction, the Crayola Experience at The Shops at Willow Bend, is an amazing, 60,000-square-foot attraction that Parents Magazine calls one of the Top 10 Trips to Take Before Your Kid Turns 10. Experience 22 hands-on attractions inspired by Crayola products and their technologies. Visitors can name and wrap their own Crayola crayon, star in a coloring page, create melted wax spin art, and learn how crayons are made in a live factory show. The Dallas Observer also named the Crayola Experience the Best Place to Take the Kids in 2018. For more attractions, dining, and events in Plano, explore our site.
