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Layover at DFW - where to go, what to do, how much time?

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Old Jun 10, 2015, 9:59 am
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DFW / Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport Layover
Where to go, what to do, how much time?


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Layover at DFW - where to go, what to do, how much time?

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Old Nov 20, 2016, 9:13 pm
  #226  
 
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CR Smith Museum is nice, as is the 9/11 memorial in Grapevine. All minutes away via Uber.
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Old Nov 24, 2016, 6:38 am
  #227  
 
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Originally Posted by dakaix
I'd recommend a visit to Hard Eight BBQ, amazing food served straight out of the smoker and they're open all day. It's only a 15 min drive from DFW too.

Don't do a Google Image search for them on an empty stomach folks!
Good advice on the image search - was bad enough even when I had just finished dinner!

Question for you: Some reviews tend to indicate the food quality can be variable outside peak hours. If we dropped by around 5-6pm on a Sunday I'm guessing there won't be much going on there?
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Old Dec 14, 2016, 6:22 pm
  #228  
 
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Question What to do overnight in Dallas in January?

My flight is scheduled to land in DFW at 11:59 PM on Friday. My outbound flight is at 7 AM on Saturday. I am looking for recommendations on where to spend these night hours.

1. I am confused about the DART orange line train schedule. Does the early AM on Saturday count as weekday or weekend? Is the last train, before the night break, out of the airport, at 1:12 AM or 12:12 AM?

2. Unless there are better suggestions, I was thinking about going to a dive bar, and then moving to a Denny’s or other 24hr eatery, before going back to the airport. Can you suggest places to go?

Thank you.
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Old Dec 14, 2016, 7:04 pm
  #229  
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Originally Posted by TObject

1. I am confused about the DART orange line train schedule. Does the early AM on Saturday count as weekday or weekend? Is the last train, before the night break, out of the airport, at 1:12 AM or 12:12 AM?

2. Unless there are better suggestions, I was thinking about going to a dive bar, and then moving to a Denny’s or other 24hr eatery, before going back to the airport. Can you suggest places to go?
1. The Friday schedule continues until the end, so Saturday departure is on Friday schedule. The return is on Saturday schedule, and IIRC only runs once an hour in order for you to catch a 7 a.m. flight.

Be aware, there's NOTHING along Orange line at that time of day unless you are willing to travel for over an hour. I know, I've taken the midnight Orange line and flew out at 7 a.m. @:-)

If you don't want to get a hotel, I suggest just hanging out at the airport and try to get some sleep.
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Old Dec 14, 2016, 7:36 pm
  #230  
 
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I agree. Stay at the airport.
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Old Dec 15, 2016, 11:56 am
  #231  
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Originally Posted by TObject
My flight is scheduled to land in DFW at 11:59 PM on Friday. My outbound flight is at 7 AM on Saturday. I am looking for recommendations on where to spend these night hours.

1. I am confused about the DART orange line train schedule. Does the early AM on Saturday count as weekday or weekend? Is the last train, before the night break, out of the airport, at 1:12 AM or 12:12 AM?

2. Unless there are better suggestions, I was thinking about going to a dive bar, and then moving to a Denny’s or other 24hr eatery, before going back to the airport. Can you suggest places to go?

Thank you.
I agree, I'd probably just stay in the terminal. The free "DFW Travel Lounges" at B28, C8 and C27, and Gate E8 have cushy easy chairs good for sleeping.

If you do leave, I'd suggest an Uber to nearby Grapevine. No specific recommendations, but last call in TX is 2 am, and I'm sure some bars will be open that late.

Also, be aware of TSA checkpoint hours, they will all be closed for the night when you arrive, and the earliest doesn't open until 3 am (and many not until 4 or 5), so you won't be able to re-enter airside until then.
https://www.dfwairport.com/security/index.php
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Old Dec 15, 2016, 5:12 pm
  #232  
 
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Thank you for the recommendations. I appreciate it very much.
How late are the airside bars open? I will probably stay at the airport.

Are there any 24-hr eateries in Grapevine walking distance from a bar that is open till 2 AM?

If instead I head south, it looks like I should be able to take Uber to The Den at 316 S Industrial Blvd, Euless. And then walk half a mile to Denny's, at 1015 Spur 350 West, Euless, before taking the Uber back to the airport.

Now for the train option... The area around the Inwood/Love Field light rail station seems to be populated with gay bars. Are there any straight bars there? Is the Windmill Lounge at 5320 Maple Ave, Dallas a gay bar?

If I manage to catch the 12:23AM train (I do arrive at terminal A, where the DART station is located), I should be at the Inwood/Love Field Station at 1:01AM with about a 10 minute walk to the Windmill Lounge. Then I guess I could go do Denny’s at 1415 Medical District Dr, Dallas (1.1 miles away), and then backtrack 0.6 miles to the Southwest Medical District/Parkland station to catch a 4:09AM or 5:09AM train back to the airport.
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Old Dec 15, 2016, 5:31 pm
  #233  
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Originally Posted by TObject

Now for the train option... The area around the Inwood/Love Field light rail station seems to be populated with gay bars. Are there any straight bars there? Is the Windmill Lounge at 5320 Maple Ave, Dallas a gay bar?

If I manage to catch the 12:23AM train (I do arrive at terminal A, where the DART station is located), I should be at the Inwood/Love Field Station at 1:01AM with about a 10 minute walk to the Windmill Lounge. Then I guess I could go do Denny’s at 1415 Medical District Dr, Dallas (1.1 miles away), and then backtrack 0.6 miles to the Southwest Medical District/Parkland station to catch a 4:09AM or 5:09AM train back to the airport.
Um, ya, about that .....

Don'k know where you are getting info on gay bars, but pretty sure there aren't any in this area. Wait, I take that back, there's Tin Room, but the main area is in Oak Lawn, about half hour walk from Inwood/Love station.

Windmill is a neighborhood lounge, BUT the area around has a LOT of homeless people and very few civilians walking around, especially after midnight. Denny's is an easy walk, but again what I would consider sketchy area that time of night.
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Old Dec 15, 2016, 7:10 pm
  #234  
 
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Thank you.

How about the Los Balones Sports Bar & Restaurant at 2905 Webb Chapel Ext, Dallas, 0.6 miles away from the Bachman Station. Is that area better, worse, or about the same?

For food afer 2 AM, apparently there is a place called Birrieria Aguinaga, next block, a Mexican food place that keeps a window open 24 hrs.
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Old Dec 15, 2016, 8:14 pm
  #235  
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Originally Posted by TObject

How about the Los Balones Sports Bar & Restaurant at 2905 Webb Chapel Ext, Dallas, 0.6 miles away from the Bachman Station. Is that area better, worse, or about the same?

For food afer 2 AM, apparently there is a place called Birrieria Aguinaga, next block, a Mexican food place that keeps a window open 24 hrs.
Haven't run into homeless in that area, but it's a poorer part of town, mostly Latino, and my guess is that if you're not Latino, you may feel out of place there.

I've thought of suggesting changing from Orange to Green line at Bachman, and since you seem determined to go SOMEWHERE, I suggest now that you look into stops along Green line north (south obviously same as Orange).

Not as familiar with that area, though I've been there in daytime a few times. Just use Google maps to see what's around stops there - IMHO that would be your best bet, and IIRC southbound Green line arrives at Bachman about five minutes ahead of DFW bound Orange line (don't take my word for it, check the schedule @:-) ). Mother's Daughter diner has excellent reputation, but not sure if it's 24/7.
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Old Dec 15, 2016, 8:49 pm
  #236  
 
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The area around the airport is just not the kind of area where one hangs around late at night. It is a nice area mind you, just not laid out and populated with let's hang out all night types of establishments nearby. You would need to travel a ways to reach such an area. This is not something I would do. I suggest you travel within the airport to the Grand Hyatt, book a room, and sleep.
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Old Dec 16, 2016, 7:21 am
  #237  
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Originally Posted by TObject
If I manage to catch the 12:23AM train (I do arrive at terminal A, where the DART station is located)...
Terminals can and do change, even while you're en route. In any case, the exit from the secure area is at A15. From there, expect about a 10 minute walk to the DART train. You need to buy your ticket before you board, add a minute or two for that, or better yet, download the Go Pass app and buy your ticket in advance; then just activate it once you've landed, and then you can skip the ticket kiosk.
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Old Jan 9, 2017, 6:54 pm
  #238  
 
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My flight was delayed 26 minutes, so I could not make the train, and opted for the following option:
I took an Uber ride to “The Den” at 316 S Industrial Blvd, Euless, TX 76040. It is a nice friendly bar with karaoke and games. They had the last call about ten minutes before two am.
After that I walked to Denny's at 1015 Spur 350 West, Euless, TX 76039. I think you can see the Denny’s sign right from the bar, if not, it is behind Home Depot.
And then I took another Uber ride back to the airport. Each Uber ride was about $14.
This worked out well for me.
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Old Jan 11, 2017, 7:55 am
  #239  
 
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An interesting solution. I would never have done that in a million years. I am glad you enjoyed yourself. Do come visit us again.
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Old Jul 18, 2017, 8:46 pm
  #240  
 
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Go to Grapevine. It's 10 mins away from thebairport while Uber or rental.

My favorite places there:

- Messina Hof: Amazing wine; good prices
- Outlaw Cidery: Just opened up. Solid cider.
- Winewood: Expensive, but very, very good food and drinks.
- Flipp's: Owned by the same folks as Winewood. Damn good food here too.

Originally Posted by djohannw
Hi,

on an upcoming trip I have a five-hour layover at DFW airport. Just discovered that there is a Fry's location at Irving which is pretty close to the airport (about 8 miles according to Mapquest). I am in need for a CPU upgrade on my machine, so getting one from Fry's will probably save me a lot of money making this "detour" worth it.

Anybody has a guess what the cheapest mean of transportation is to get there? I could rent a car for about $45 with taxes and 500 miles included, take a cab (probably the fastest way, but I have no idea what that would run at - any suggestions?) or take a shuttle to one of the hotels close to that location and take a cab from there (which will probably be the most time-consuming alternative, however).

So: What would you suggest me to do?

Greetings - Dirk
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