Things to Do in DeSoto

For more than 20 years, ladies from all over the world have gathered in Dallas to recharge their batteries, glean inspiration, and celebrate bein' a woman. Exhibitors vary year to year, but most expos have featured fashion and beauty experts, makeover artists, and chefs. Panels discuss important news in health and wellness and they also chat about new hairstyles and ways to spruce up a wardrobe without totally stripping and refinishing it. More kinetic fun may involve shopping and professional dance shows, which encourage audience participation. VISIONS even boasts a certified audit of attendance by the Exhibition and Events Industry Audit Commission.

Of the two activities most associated with pub crawls—drinking and walking—the guides at Buckhead Pub Crawl know which their guests prefer. That’s why, when it came to plotting the course for their nightly crawl, they handpicked seven local bars within a short walking distance of one another.

On designated nights, the guides lead revelers on whirlwind tours that highlight the eccentricities of each bar, english pub, and club on their list. At the various stops along the way, guests receive complimentary drinks and a rhythm for sipping said drinks courtesy of four live bands and six DJs. Crawls typically embark from East Andrews Café, where acoustic music wafts over a marble-topped bar and up to a second-floor terrace. A go-go cage, disco ball, and lava lamps mark the indoor dance floor, and DJs spin records throughout the night in an outdoor courtyard.

After a catered dinner, guests travel to six additional venues. Bad puns notwithstanding, Stout Irish Pub sets the bar high for the rest of the night with its 50 draft and bottled beers and 19 satellite TVs. On a deck behind the honky-tonk-inspired Lost Dog Tavern, bartenders mix drinks on a granite-topped bar sculpted into the shape of a question mark. Each evening ends at Tavern 99, where guests find seats in front of a brick-walled stage as live musicians sigh before obliging yet another request to hear “99 Bottles of Beer.”

Not many events can combine puzzles, obstacle races, and charitable giving—all while filling the downtown area with people in gorilla suits. Gorilla Challenge accomplishes all of these things in a single afternoon. With annual events held across the country, it is quickly becoming the premier event for raising fun and social responsibility. Several of the event’s clues are designed to bring awareness to topics such as literacy, poverty, environmental concerns, animal welfare, and elder care. Amid these consciousness-raising events, the company’s gorilla-suit-clad staffers make surprise appearances to award participants prizes and collect bribes in the form of fresh bananas or sign-language-speaking kittens.