Grapevine
Watch for:
- The Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center is undergoing a $315 million dollar expansion to be complete in 2010. New amenities will include a 12-story hotel tower with 500 guest rooms, a 200,000-sq. ft. extension to the convention center, a resort pool and additional parking garage levels. Upon completion, the resort will have more than 5,000 rooms and nearly 1 million square feet of meeting space.
- A 400-suite Great Wolf Lodge opened with an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park, an arcade, an Aveda Concept Spa, a fitness center, a 92-seat symposium and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Attractions
The Grapevine Wine Trail has nine wineries, some of which have meeting space and do custom bottle labeling, too. Lake Grapevine and Nash Farms lend themselves to special, outdoor events. The Historic District hosts many festivals and has shops, restaurants and a studio where attendees can watch glassblowing demonstrations at Vetro Glassblowing Studio & Gallery, which also has team-building packages.
Entertainment
The Glass Cactus at the Gaylord Texan is a 40,000-sq. ft. entertainment complex. The Palace Theater in the Historic District shows movies and is home to the Grapevine Opry. Next door is the Lancaster Theater; together, the two buildings have a 435-seat theater, a 180-seat performance room and indoor/outdoor event space.
Group activities
The Grapevine Vintage Railroad links Grapevine to Fort Worth with regular trips to the Stockyards. The train can be chartered for special events, and there is a historic museum in the Grapevine Depot. Consider booking a private room at a winery for a meal function, or treatment rooms at a day spa to pamper attendees. Three golf clubs and Lake Grapevine give groups opportunities to get outside and active. Duck Riders tours are amphibious explorations of Grapevine and its lake. In September, Grapefest lets visitors stomp grapes (and win awards for their purple feet) at the largest wine festival in the Southwest.
Party ranches
The Austin Ranch accommodates 50 to 1,000 people for private events; attractions include gunfight reenactments, cookouts, live music, dancing, roping and kid’s activities. Cross Creek Ranch has a 4,000-sq. ft. party barn and a 2,000-sq. ft. covered patio deck.
Shopping
Grapevine Mills Mall is a large outlet center with brand-name merchandise at discount prices. In the Historic District, shops sell dolls, gifts, Americana, British imports. From March through November, the Grapevine Market is an open-air, European-style artisan market with vendors selling jewelry, fine art, home décor, antiques and specialty foods.
Dining
The best local restaurants are steakhouses. Take VIPs to Boi na Braza, the Silver Fox Steakhouse, Mr. G’s or the Old Hickory Steakhouse. Other options include Willhoite’s in the historic district, wine dinners at Delaney Winery, and the Lone Star Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. Love & War in Texas is a nightclub with live music and Texas-style cooking.
