Get ready for four days of wine tasting, grape stomping, and comfort food.
The Dallas - Fort Worth area is obviously ground by the eponymous twain of Dallas and Fort Worth . But it ’s Grapevine , a township with about 50,000 multitude , that throws the state ’s ( and the Southwest ’s ) biggest annual wine-colored festival .
GrapeFestis entering its 38th year , and beginning Thursday , September 12th , Grapevine will shut down its historic Main Street and welcome about 200,000 wine lovers over the course of study of four boozy days . Attendees will garner for vino degustation , master classes , hot euphony , local foods , grape - stump contest , bob - shot competitions , and other wine - related diversions .
As the fifth - largest wine-colored - producing state in the country , Texas is no slouch when it make out to fermented grapes . You ’ll feel great wineries acrossTexas Hill Countryand theHigh Plains , with Grapevine even having its own Urban Wine Trail . There ’s an international flavour to GrapeFest as well as spokesperson and wines from Grapevine ’s eclectic sis metropolis ( Barossa Valley in Australia , Krems , Austria , and Parras , Mexico ) will be there , too — just with “ Lone Star vibes . ”
GrapeFest is a celebration of all things wine.|Courtesy of GrapeFest
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30 minute from Dallas3 hours from Austin4 hour from Houston
What to Do Beyond GrapeFest
Grapevine is homebase toMeow Wolf , a wildly popular immersive art experience that turned a helping of the Grapevine Mills Mall into a mysterious theatre with surprises around every corner . The same plaza also containsSea Life Aquarium , a 45,000 - square - foot locale that put up thousands of ocean creatures across two stories .
If you ’ve got kids in tow , or just need a social disease of nostalgia , Legoland Discovery Centeris next door . It ’s your probability to make with more than two million Lego bricks as well as enjoy some drive and play interactive games .
In term of the corking out-of-doors , Lake Grapevine — set on 8,000 acres — is a quality destination for boating , waterskiing , windsurfing , and sportfishing . you may also camp on its shores , or explore nine sea mile of wild trail on foot or by bike .
And hey , we ’ve only got three more months until Christmas , when Grapevine — akathe Christmas Capital of Texas — turn into a real - life Hallmark movie set , host nonstop events over 40 festive days .
Where to Eat and Drink
Morning : Start your day atMain Street Bakery , known for its hearty breakfast and almond crescent roll .
dinner party : When you need to soak up some wine , tryTolbert ’s , a kin - run joint that ’s been around since 1976 and still draws crowds for its famous chili con carne , chicken fried steak , and fry siluriform fish . Bacchus Kitchen + Bar , inside Hotel Vin , turns local ingredients into Mediterranean cuisine , with dish aerial like Mussels Meuniere , Pork Chop Milanese , and an 18 - ounce ribeye with garlic confit and red wine jus .
Group dinners : If you ’re traveling with an indecisive group , tryHarvest Hall , a intellectual nourishment hall with eight restaurant and two bar , so you’re able to chow down on a lobster axial rotation while your friends get their filling of Thai , pizza pie , or hot wimp .
The annual grape-stomping competition.|Photo courtesy of GrapeFest
Drinks : Back at Hotel Vin , Magnum Speakeasy , a obscure bar tucked behind a telephony booth , pours craft cocktails and nightcap . And the Rioja Rooftop Terrace help wine and cocktail with a view of the circumvent town .
Beer and tacos : Grapevine is menage toHop & Sting Brewing Co. , where you’re able to sample local beers . But more significantly , it ’s where you ’ll findVaquero ’s Texas Bar - B - Q , a food hand truck that pops up Thursday through Sunday to sling some of the best brisket and birria tacos in DFW .
Where to Stay in Grapevine
When wine is flow , it ’s practiced to remain the night . And a bang-up seat to rest your head in Grapevine isHotel Vin . The Autograph Collection property is the most luxurious hotel in the metropolis , it ’s handily situated next to the historic Main Street train station and vintage railroad , and it render easy access to GrapeFest event .
Other options include the mega resortGaylord Texanor the family - friendlyGreat Wolf Lodge , which has an indoor water system park . There ’s also a fistful of reliable chains from brands like Hilton , Hyatt , and Embassy Suites .
GrapeFest|Courtesy GrapeFest
