One Week in Texas: What We Did, Where We Ate & What Surprised Us Most

Last Updated on October 28, 2026 by Lauren Belzer Sanford

If you’re planning one week in Texas, my honest advice is this: go in with an open mind and a loose itinerary, because this state will surprise you. Austin had been on my bucket list since 2020, and when we finally made it happen, we didn’t just go to Austin. We went all in: five cities in seven days, Dallas, Frisco, Fort Worth, Waco, and Austin, covering more of this state than I knew what to do with.

We went in May, and fair warning: Texas in May is hot. Aggressively hot. Pack accordingly and plan outdoor time for mornings. Our favorites, by a comfortable margin, were Fort Worth and Austin, and I’ll tell you exactly why.

If you only have one week in Texas, build the trip around Fort Worth and Austin: the Fort Worth Stockyards for history, longhorns, and the cattle drive, and Austin for Terry Black’s BBQ, South Congress, and live music. Dallas and Frisco are easy add-ons if you’re flying into DFW, and a half-day stop at Waco’s Magnolia Silos on the drive between is worth it, even if you’ve never watched an episode of Fixer Upper.

Where We Stayed for One Week in Texas

In the Dallas–Fort Worth area, we based ourselves in Frisco, a suburb north of Dallas, at the Hotel Indigo Frisco. It’s simple, comfortable, well located, and easy to get around from, right beside a little lake and about five minutes from The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters, with a great cluster of restaurants. The buttons below book a room there.

In Austin, we stayed at the Tommie Austin, a downtown boutique hotel near the river and walkable to Sixth Street. When we arrived, there was sparkling wine waiting in the room with a note. We were immediately charmed, and it set the tone for everything that followed. These buttons book a stay at the Tommie.

Flying in? We started at DFW and flew home from Austin; search flights on Expedia. You’ll want a car for the drive south, too, so book a rental car at DFW before you land.

Frisco

We chose Frisco partly for the price point and partly out of curiosity about suburban Texas; we were loosely wondering whether the DFW area could ever be home. (It’s lovely, but not for us. More on that at the end.)

On our first night, we met my high school best friend Jade and her now-husband at Lombardi Cucina Italiana in The Star District, a lovely Italian spot, and got to see their first house in Frisco. The perfect start to a Texas week.

Dallas

We made it into Dallas proper twice: once for an anniversary dinner in Uptown, and once for drinks and dinner in the Bishop Arts District after our day in Fort Worth.

The Uptown dinner was a belated celebration of six years together, and we chose Haywire, a Texas staple done exactly right. We shared the lump crab dip, and I had one of the best steaks I can remember: a 6-ounce charbroiled Angus filet with smoked chile butter, paired with a Shiner Bock because it felt like the only right call. Uptown is beautiful for a stroll before dinner, with wide sidewalks and great energy, the kind of neighborhood that makes a city feel livable (from a self-proclaimed non-city girl).

The Bishop Arts District was its own adventure: a creative, walkable neighborhood south of downtown with excellent bars and restaurants. We started at Casablanca for a drink (it has karaoke rooms you can rent, which I fully endorse), moved to Mermaid for another, and ended at Paradiso for a delicious Italian dinner. All three, along with Botanist and Tejas nearby, are owned by the same restaurant group, and the consistent design across all of them is a joy to see.

We spent our last Dallas night at The Rustic in Uptown for a drink and live music, Jade’s recommendation and exactly the right way to end our time in Dallas.

Fort Worth (The Highlight of the Trip)

Let me be very clear: the Fort Worth Stockyards were my single favorite part of the whole week, and I didn’t see it coming. There’s something magical about it: the history, the longhorns, the rodeo arena, the shops that feel like they’ve been there forever. We watched the cattle drive, wandered the wooden walkways, and I bought a longhorn stuffy for our cat, Todd, still one of my better souvenir decisions. (I may or may not have found the perfect boots for the occasion, too; my Western style picks are your excuse to shop before your own Stockyards day.)

If you want more than a walk-through, guided Stockyards tours and rodeo tickets are worth building extra time around.

We also detoured to Texas Christian University (TCU), a school I was accepted to but never visited. Standing on that campus, I understood immediately why that was probably a good thing. Expensive. Gorgeous.

Fort Worth has a completely different energy from Dallas: smaller, full of character, easier to fall in love with. If I planned one week in Texas again, I’d give Fort Worth far more time.

Waco

On the drive from Dallas to Austin, we made what I’ll defend as a completely necessary stop at the Magnolia Silos in Waco. If you grew up watching Fixer Upper, you must stop here. If you didn’t, it’s still worth it: the shopping is charming, the food trucks are so good, and the bakery line moves faster than it looks. Pick up something from the bakery, and don’t skip it. For more than the Silos, browse Waco tours and experiences.

Austin

We finished our week in Austin and arrived completely unprepared for how much we’d love it.

For our first meal, we went straight to Terry Black’s BBQ, and it lived up to every word of its reputation. The brisket was extraordinary, and the line was worth it. If you’d like someone else to choose where to eat and hear live music, Austin food and music tours are a wonderful shortcut.

We spent the rest of our time on South Congress, where the shops are excellent and the people-watching is even better. We made it out to Lake Austin briefly, too, the kind of afternoon that doesn’t need a plan to be perfect. Our last dinner was at Fresas on South Congress: casual, delicious, and completely worth it. Go; you won’t regret it.

Our flight home was canceled just as we got to the airport, which feels catastrophic in the moment and like a good story shortly after. We rebooked the earliest flight we could, lost half a day, and made it back to California with a lot of very good Texas memories.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What We Learned About One Week in Texas

Texas is bigger and more varied than you expect, even when you expect it to be big and varied. A week isn’t enough; there’s a reason people live their whole lives here and still haven’t seen all of it. The food is wonderful, and the hospitality is real. Austin and Fort Worth, especially, are places I’d return to without a moment’s hesitation.

We decided Texas wasn’t the right move for us, at least for now, but as a place to visit? We’ll be back. There’s still so much more of this state, and of the United States, left to explore.