Plano & Frisco, Texas

When you’re invited to a sporting clay shoot near Dallas, you never say no. I pretty much just never say no to getting to shoot one of my guns. No, I don’t go kill animals, though I wouldn’t say no to a good hunt if I was invited – to each their own. Sorry, sometimes I’m like a dog when they see a squirrel. Anyways, the Dallas Gun Club is over by Lewisville Lake.

I’ve had the opportunity to explore Dallas & Fort Worth in the past, so it was fun to know I’d be in a new area. I took the opportunity to take this Friday Clay Shoot & turn it into a #weekendretreat! Cheers to Plano & Frisco, Texas! No, seriously – cheers. Lots of libations in this part of the world. I LOVE YOU TEXAS.

1 | Where To Stay

Oh my GOSH. So this is a fun one. In advance, when I learned we’d be near Lewisville Lake I got so excited. I was stoked because that lake is known for some decent fishing. Well, Dustin loves fishing. So, what do I do? I look for a campground on the best part of the lake for fishing…in Texas…in July. Yeah, I have no clue what I was thinking. I booked this campsite & Dustin was like, “You don’t feel like sleeping for the weekend?”. I was like, “What? Oh. The heat? No big deal, we’ll be fine.” So what do we do? I’m so stubborn I force us to set up camp & then while Dustin is fishing I’m sitting in the truck with the air conditioning. After a few hours fishing we packed up camp & booked a stay at the NYLO in Plano. Yup – I chose my battle (this was not going to be my battle…). A nice bed with a down comforter & a room with icy air, won.

The campground I chose was fantastic, Pilot Knoll. You could basically set up camp on the water & it was very family friendly. Lots of areas you can fish in, including a day area. The bathrooms were pretty typical for a campground, but I didn’t get a good look due to a wasp that was incredibly fascinated with my face. I booked a non-refundable site, but the lady up front (so freakin’ sweet & nice) was so amused by our outward wussiness that she put our money in an account for us to use at a later time. That’s some customer service people. Oh, & to save you the time of scrolling to the bottom – nothing on this trip was sponsored, so don’t go thinking I’m biased.

Up next, the NYLO in Plano. It was the perfect location. Right next to the Shops at Legacy & Dr. Pepper Stadium. More on the two of those lately. The NYLO is amazing. I begged & begged Dustin to let us book an extra night so that we’d have time to swim in their gorgeous pool or enjoy their spunky bar/nightlife. A wedding was set up when we awoke the next morning, so swimming was a no-go or we’d have definitely booked another night. Sadly, our air conditioner gave out in the early morning hours or I’d have rated this one of my favorite hotels. The guy at the front desk didn’t offer to move us & let us know that the mechanic wouldn’t be in until 8 am (what?). It was 4 am. I was super frustrated because we forewent camping due to the heat. I went downstairs a second time, sleepy & frustrated & got us moved. He said he moved us to an upgraded room for our troubles, but it was almost exactly the same except it was a bit longer. Besides that little blip, our stay was perfect. I was a little disappointed they didn’t offer to refund me a portion of the room because we were only there for a few hours total & the majority of that was spent getting our room moved due to a non-functioning, knocking, air conditioner. The manager did call to apologize though, that was appreciated. Tip: Ask for an upper level room & I think you’ll be fine as they have different air units that seem a little more robust.

2 | Where To Eat

I almost said “Oh my GOSH” again because…where do I start!? I guess it all depends on what part of Plano/Frisco you’re in.

Urban Crust: If you are in Historic Downtown Plano this is the definite go-to. They serve 360 Vodka which is always at the top of my list for a great cocktail. It’s one of my favorite options when it comes to liquor because it’s gluten free & eco-friendly. Anyways, the restaurant. So delicious. Sit on the top floor at the “frozen” bar. The bartender was pretty feisty, but I didn’t let that detract from the great food and libations. They serve you a sort of bread appetizer that is like crispy, garlicky pizza crust with marinara to dip in. I got the mussels – they were pretty normal. The real winner here though, it was the pizza. At a place that serves pizza, that’s pretty much all that matters anyways. Between the free bread, fantastic cocktails, & great pizza – I’ll be back.

Mexican Sugar: This is in the Legacy Shops area near the NYLO. Can I just say, foodie heaven. For one, they try to keep it as authentic as possible meaning if you like sparkling water, they have it on tap for free because that’s typical in latin countries. Their brunch. I mean, their BRUNCH. This is a do not miss on a weekend. Not to mention how well decorated this place was. If they didn’t have a designer put together their restaurant, then the owner is a flipping interior-decor GAWD. Tip: Order the queso

3 | What To Do

Stan’s Main Street Bar: This is my pick for nightlife in Frisco. I’m a laid back kind of girl when it comes to drinking. They have an outdoor patio, chips & salsa, & live local music. When we were there, nothing would have been able to compete. The music was on point & the drinks really hit the spot. We uber’d back to our hotel in Plano & it was super cheap. So easy to get around in this area. If you like fancy places, this isn’t your joint. It’s reminiscent of an upscale dive bar, but in all of the good ways. Tip: They have great drink specials, check their website

Dr. Pepper Stadium: This stadium is nothing less than gorgeous. They have a lazy river that you can float on in the outfield. Did you hear me wrong? No. They have an actual lazy river, pack your bikini. The architecture of this joint, fantastic. I had a little tour & they are really lacking in nothing. Don’t miss a Rough Rider game here in Frisco, they are the feeder team for the Texas Rangers.

Lewisville Lake: Not technically in Plano or Frisco, but if you’re looking for some outdoor fun it’s rather close by. Get your fish on people! Just don’t plan to camp in a tent when temps are predicted to soar above 100F.

Shopping Historic Plano: Walking around Historic Downtown Plano my three top picks for can’t miss stores are Pipe & Palette Home Outfitters, Southern Vintage Glam, & Sutton Place. I kind of have a bone to pick with Sutton Place though because they have this awesome vintage Pictorial Dictionary on display. It tugged at my heart strings HARD & they wouldn’t sell it to me… sad face.