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Plano offers visitors a variety of things to see, visit and do, a perennial favorite being the Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival held each September since 1979, the popular event has earned Plano the title of “Hot Air Balloon Capital of Texas.”
Plano boasts a charming downtown area recently named one of the 10 best in America by Livability. The area’s authentic brick streets are lined with creative restaurants, specialty shops including quaint antique stores, art galleries, artist studios, and more. Visitors can see more than a dozen restored historic homes and other properties that are designated as historic landmarks, most of which are within walking distance of the downtown area. Located in downtown Plano’s Haggard Park Historic District is the Interurban Railway Museum. The museum is housed in a building that served as a primary stop on the Texas Electric Railway that ran from Denison to Dallas from 1908 to 1948. It contains many artifacts associated with the Interurban Line, as well as a colorful history of Plano. Next to the station is car 360, one of the original cars that carried mail and passengers. Also located in the Haggard Park Historic District are three “Plano Stages” – the Courtyard Theater, the Cox Building Playhouse, and McCall Plaza which opened in April 2016. A “home for the arts in Plano,” the ArtCentre of Plano features art galleries for displays of local artists and national shows. Not far from the Downtown Plano Arts District is Heritage Farmstead, a four-acre museum that preserves a way of life during the height of prosperity in the early 1920s.
Dallas may be known nationally for its shopping, but within the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Plano is known as one of the best places for shopping. Plano has more than 70 shopping centers, as well as countless boutiques, specialty stores, one-of-a-kind shops, antique stores and galleries. In addition to the Downtown Plano Arts District, some of Plano’s most notable shopping venues are Lakeside Market, which features the ultimate, open-air upscale luxury lifestyle and home furnishings shopping experience; Preston Park Village, which includes more than 60 specialty shops and more than 15 restaurants within walking distance; The Shops at Legacy is a 168 acre master planned development of urban style homes, local & national businesses, boutique retail, best-in-class restaurants, a full-service hotel, and public parks & trails and The Shops at Willow Bend, a delightful, upscale shopping center that includes Neiman Marcus, Macy’s and various other stores and the home of Crayola Experience: where the magic of Crayola comes to life. Embark on a colorful adventure where color, chemistry and digital technology combine to make a one-of-a-kind family attraction. And finally the newest addition, Legacy West. Opened in June 2017, this “city within a city” is the largest mixed use destination in North Texas and the perfect place to play, shop, dine and stay. The 255-acre development boasts 415,000 dynamic square feet of open-air retail and restaurant space. Here, diners can satisfy every craving, whether for steak or a good old-fashioned milk shake, French bistro fare, a perfect plate of pasta, or a red velvet cupcake. For those who can’t decide, Legacy Hall has it all. In this one-of-a-kind artisanal food hall, visitors can wander from stall to stall to meet local purveyors and sample everything from lobster rolls to Philly cheesesteaks to house made ginger beer floats. There’s also an on-site brewery and live music stage in the Box Garden. Legacy West’s shopping offerings run the gamut from fashion to furnishings to cosmetics and even cars. (Think Tesla!)
The city has 3,600 acres of public parks offering more than 40 miles of recreation trails. Worth a visit is the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, a 200-acre park featuring vast areas of natural beauty for walking, jogging, orienteering and other outdoor activities. Amenities include a playground, restrooms, approximately 2.3 miles of paved recreational trails, approximately two miles designed as an off-road cycling trail, an observation tower and three pavilions.
Relive some memorable moments from the television series “Dallas” at Southfork Ranch in nearby Parker. The “Dallas Legends: Fact To Fantasy” exhibit features such memorabilia as the gun that shot J.R., Lucy’s wedding dress and video clips from the popular series.
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