Where history meets entertainment and relaxation.
Whether you're seeking a whirlwind day trip or a week-long getaway, Grapevine offers something for everyone, from soothing 18th-century historical experiences to unique family entertainment.
History Starts Here
Nash Farm, located a minute's walk from Main St., is a working farm founded by the Nash family in 1869 where they built what is now called the green farmhouse and raised five children. Your children can play as did the Nash folk taking hayrides, making pioneer crafts, and feeding the chickens and turkeys.
Beware of the fascinating Tom Turkey, who dislikes blue! The guide explains that this jealous guy reacts badly to the color because it appears on the face of his turkey rivals. You can learn a lot about animal and human nature at Nash Farm,
Nash Farm offers culinary classes for all ages. My husband and I participated in the biscuits and butter workshop using an 1892 stove. Nash Farm has a monthly calendar of events, including a 1920s ice cream social in July, a cowboy cooking experience in October, and a farmstead Christmas celebration in December. We found it a fantastic way to start our day in Grapevine.
Grapevine boasts 180 years of history, with many museums to prove it.
For example, the Settlement To City Museum takes you back to the 19th century, sporting a frontier schoolhouse. Visit the Keeling House of life in the 1800s, the Cotton Ginners Museum, a model train exhibit, and the Grapevine Vintage Railroad for a historic train ride to the Stockyards in Fort Worth on a 7-hour round trip journey, including 2 hours free time.
The Grapevine Vintage Railroad also takes one-hour short runs on Saturdays from mid-February to mid-November on The Bear Creek Excursion. The Railroad offers extraordinary events such as a jazz wine train, Easter train, Mothers and Father's Day train, and the intriguing Witch Brew and Trick or Treat Trains for Halloween. For Christmas, the train becomes The North Pole Express.
Other historic venues include The Grapevine Calaboose, an old-fashioned jail, the Milliken Blacksmith shop, and Torian Cabin, a well maintained and furnished log cabin (and the Oldest Home in North Texas) on Main Street. Grapevine Botanical Gardens and Heritage Park are a living museum collection with docent and self-guided tours. You'll enjoy the cascade waterfall flanked by Japanese maple trees, the white spring flowering trees planted by the Grapevine Garden Club as a memorial, and the urban butterfly gardens, which include the great monarchs.
The Centerpiece of Historic Grapevine is its Main Street.
Grapevine calls itself vintage Texas, and so it is. Grab a Main Street Map and walk down this long centerpiece of the town. Dozens of restaurants, an urban wine trail with seven tasting venues, and numerous art galleries greet you. It's a shopper's paradise. I spotted a glass-crafted necklace by Kelsey White at the Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Fine Art Gallery and just had to have it. Art and craft lovers will enjoy the Paris Art Gallery, the Giddens Gallery, the International Porcelain Arts, and Teachers' Studios. Dozens of local, regional, and nationally acclaimed artists can be viewed while the children enjoy some of the best ice cream AND Mac and Cheese in Texas.
Start in Grapevine at the Observation Tower with a 360° view of Grapevine. Get an informational overview of the attractions, and, for $3 per person, you can check bags to keep all those purchases safe while enjoying your excursions.
The Ageless Traveler Tip. Strolling is a pleasure. I couldn't resist the Tea and Spice shop for salt-free spices and chocolate sugar-free sweeteners.
Convenient Kid-Ecstatic Places
We were surprised at the convenience of children's entertainment. You can visit Legoland, a well-known creative center for kids in one area; Sea Life, one of the State's largest aquariums and aquatic life experiences; and Meow Wolf, all in the same nearby area of Grapevine.
We visited Meow Wolf in Las Vegas and Santa Fe. Grapevine has its own enchanting theme. All venues offer an immersive experience for all ages. The artistically designed environment allows you to creep and crawl under and between exhibits, walk through secret doors, open a refrigerator door, close it behind you, and find yourself in a magical universe worthy of Alice in Wonderland. Hundreds of artists and storytellers built these fantastic realms, and yes, there is a story or mystery behind your journey.
For a unique family experience, try Chicken and Pickle, an outdoor game venue where you can play the ubiquitous Corn Hole tossing game, or Pickel Ball, the fastest-growing sport in America. Do all this with a beer, a burger, or a chicken and pickle in your hand. Hear our podcast on pickleball travel with Road Scholar.
Food and Wine
There are many international cuisine offerings along Main Street. We enjoyed the French fair at Chez Fabien Bistro on Main Street, which has a bakery and French-influenced cuisine. With over one hundred dishes and a world-famous wine selection, you can opt for a leisurely dinner, gourmet meal, or breakfast with a French flair. Chez Fabian Bistro's sister restaurant is Piaf, which is also on Main Street for Mediterranean cuisine.
I enjoyed the British Emporium, where I could buy groceries and goodies I usually bring home on my annual trips to England. Teatro, a new Italian offering, includes wine pairings. But this only scratches the surface of upscale and family-friendly Grapevine restaurants. You will have plenty of culinary choices if you're lucky enough to have several days in the area. In all, there are over two hundred restaurants in Grapevine. Take your pick.
Grapevine is a Festival Town
Grapevine is a festival town, particularly during Christmas. This year, they are planning more than 1400 Christmas events over 40 days, including those in the iconic Palace Theatre. I hear they plan a Texas-sized ice rink with millions of lights and entertainment for all ages.
On Christmas, they take advantage of Grapevine's lake setting with a twinkling light boat parade, a Christmas wine train, and, of course, in the summer months, a Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza and the Harvest Moon supper in October.
We attended a show at a visiting circus, Cirque Italia. The circus is a cross between the Big Apple Circus, animal-free, clown-rich, and experienced acrobats of every ilk. The unique proposition was that many acts occurred in a water environment reminiscent of the dancing waters you might see at Disney or in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Speaking of water, consider a sailing adventure with Island Bound Adventures, which organizes sunset sails, sailing classes, and second honeymoons, or renew vows at a sailing celebration with all the family.
And there's GrapeFest! At GrapeFest, you can stomp on grapes and may be televised as two teams stump eighteen pounds of grapes for two minutes to see who can extract the most juice—folks, you cannot make this stuff up. There's even a champagne cork shoot-off; you could poke an eye that way (so you do wear goggles for safety).
Despite the alcohol, there's a kid's zone for games, crafts, and rides. Grape Fest takes place every September and went a long way in having the International Festival and Events Association name Grapevine a World Festival and Event City.
This designation has fostered increasingly extraordinary events for the whole family, coupled with its emphasis on food and drink. For example, there is a craft beer brew experience in May, where craft beer enthusiasts can taste award-winning brews and educate themselves on home brewing. Alongside all this are food tastings, kids' parks, and more for the family.
Age-Friendly …YES, YES, YES
Grapevine checks every age-friendly box. Main Street ends or begins, depending on your point of view, with a ramp beautifully and seamlessly built into the sidewalk structure. The Nash Farm, built in 1869, has few barriers except for steps to the second and third floors. The main floor and the learning events are all accessible, as is the farmhouse itself. I must admit that I enjoyed looking at the reproduction Wallpaper on all floors, but then again, I am a wallpaper fanatic.
For age-friendly accommodation, you can enjoy anything from campgrounds and cabins to the Gaylord Texas Resort on the lake, where you can enjoy a glass of wine or a Margarita at the Glass Cactus lounge. The iconic Great Wolf Lodge is widely known for its family-friendly accommodations. For those who want to stay in town, Marriott's Vin Hotel has its own very upscale food court, Harvest Hall, and an exceptional dining venue with music that chan
Finally, Grapevine does have a complimentary visitor shuttle if people want to hop on and see all the sights without driving with three convenient routes. They run Wednesdays through Sundays.
In general, the venue's attitude is one of understanding that the pace of a trip, proper pricing, and intergenerational experiences like Sea Life, Chicken and Pickle, and kid-friendly areas at events make The Ageless Traveler experiences memorable, safe, and great fun.
For more information and to plan your perfect family vacation in Grapevine, Texas, visit GrapevineTexasUSA.com.
Contact: Grapevine Texas Convention & Visitors Bureau
Discover the magic of Grapevine, where history, entertainment, and relaxation await you and your family.
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