Looking for recommendations to make this weekend around DFW a fun one? Here’s our five recommendations for you and your crew!
GrapeFest: A Texas Wine Experience
This four-day festival honoring Grapevine’s wine-making industry will include chances to sample local, national and international wines; a consumer- judged wine competition; a grape- stomping contest open to the public on Sept. 19; and daily Champagne cork-shooting contests. There will also be activities and entertainment for all ages, including a carnival and midway, a children’s FunZone and performances by AshenMoon featuring Garry Beers of INXS, Berlin with Terri Nunn, Stray Cats’ Slim Jim Phantom and Asia featuring John Payne.
Sept. 17-18 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. along Main Street in downtown Grapevine; check the website for parking lot and shuttle locations. Free admission Sept. 16; $10 admission per day ($5 for seniors and kids 6-12) Sept. 17-19; $25 weekend passes. Certain activities and events may require an additional fee. grapevinetexasusa.com/grapefest.
While you’re on Grapevine’s Main Street, knock out some holiday decor shopping at Holiday Decor 4 Us, a seasonal holiday decor boutique in Grapevine at 129 S. Main Street, Ste. 100. The boutique offers decors for various holidays including Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and more!
Denton Blues Festival
FREE The Denton Black Chamber of Commerce presents the 23rd annual event featuring live blues music by artists like Mr. Sipp, Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters, Little Elmo and the Mambo Kings, Carolyn Wonderland, Fingerprints and Mike Zito, along with family activities, shopping and food vendors. Attendees are encouraged to take lawn chairs or blankets.
Sept. 18 from 12:30 to 10 p.m., Sept. 19 from noon to 8 p.m. at Quakertown Park, 321 E. McKinney St., Denton. dentonblackchamberonline.org; 23rddentonbluesfestival.eventbrite.com.
Autumn at the Arboretum and Pumpkin Village at the Dallas Arboretum
Get in the autumn spirit at the Dallas Arboretum, where there will be thousands of fall-blooming flowers and more than 90,000 pumpkins, squashes and gourds from Floydada, the Pumpkin Capital of Texas. Orange, white, yellow and green pumpkins will line the gardens’ pathways and be available to buy in the patches, but most will be used in the Pumpkin Village’s 20-foot-tall houses and other arrangements. This year’s theme is “Bugtopia,” and displays will include an 18-foot-long dragonfly, a caterpillar, a praying mantis and other oversized insects. Also, the Pumpkin Village has a new location: behind the Jonsson Color Garden. There are plenty of special events and activities throughout Autumn at the Arboretum, including live music and other performances on the weekends, cooking demonstrations, Mommy and Me Mondays, Tiny Tot Tuesdays, BOGO Wednesdays, a Pumpkin Thursdays Scavenger Hunt and more. Though Autumn at the Arboretum ends Oct. 31 after a two-day Halloween celebration, the Pumpkin Village will be open through Thanksgiving weekend.
Sept. 18-Oct. 31 at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas. Tickets must be reserved in advance. $17 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and up, $12 for children 2-12, free for children younger than 2. Entrance to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is $3 extra. $15 for parking or $10 if bought online in advance. dallasarboretum.org.
Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Celebration
FREE The Fort Worth Stockyards district marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month with a parade featuring dancing horses following the 11:30 a.m. cattle drive, live music throughout the entertainment area and special vendors. Visitors are encouraged to wear traditional apparel. “Mexico in Our Blood,” an equestrian spectacular that includes Mexican dance and music, will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in Cowtown Coliseum; tickets are $17.50-$50.
Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, 131 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth. fortworthstockyards.com.
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day
FREE Whether aeronautics, local history or natural science most tickles your fancy, Smithsonian Magazine ‘s annual Museum Day is the perfect opportunity to explore a curiosity or passion without paying regular admission. About half a dozen institutions across North Texas are participating, including National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and Frontiers of Flight. Before you go, download an official ticket online; it’s good for free admission for two.
Sept. 18 at various museums across North Texas. Free with official ticket. Download a pass and search for local participating venues at smithsonianmag.com/museumday.