Under $100: Dallas

T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall of the Perot Museum in Dallas, Texas © Raycan | Dreamstime

Dallas is a beautiful city that many young people, particularly new college graduates, are finding attractive due to the myriad career opportunities and the lowcost of housing as many of Dallas’s older neighborhoods are rebuilt. Whether you’re scoping out the area for a future career move or just visiting friends, enjoying Dallas on a budget is often an easy task.

Start your day with a visit to BuzzBrews Kitchen in Deep Ellum for breakfast. An eccentric 24-hour eatery, they specialize in both fresh and affordable. The crepes are $4.99 and the coffee is bottomless.

Once your belly is full, head to The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, where you can explore 11 permanent exhibit halls and frequent traveling international exhibits. The Perot Museum offers discounted or complimentary admission for many groups, including educators of any level and Bank of America cardholders. However, regular admission is a steal at only $17.

Barbecue at The Pecan Lodge in Dallas, Texas © David Hale Smith | Flickr

Then, you can’t go to Texas without getting some barbecue, so stop by The Pecan Lodge, named one of the best barbecue restaurants in Dallas by Zagat. Their menu is simple, because there’s no point in making a great thing complicated. Plates start at $8.

If you’re needing to walk off your lunch, you might as well go tour the stadium of America’s Team, a.k.a. the Dallas Cowboys. One of the most expensively built stadiums in the NFL, AT&T Stadium is impressive even to non-football fans. Group tours last about an hour and a half, and take visitors everywhere from the locker rooms to luxury boxes. Adult tickets are less than $20 and are available every day of the week during off-season. Self-guided tours are also available for a few dollars less.

Football not your thing? Stop by the Galleria Dallas for not only a wide array of shops, but also an indoor year-round ice-skating rink. Admission to the rink is only $10.

Finish your day off with some of the best Tex-Mex around at El Fenix. In addition to being voted Best Tex-Mex in Dallas, El Fenix has also been voted Best Margarita in Dallas for multiple years. Their original margarita is only $7, meaning you can splurge on drinking more than just one. Meals begin at $8, and the portions are large, so come hungry.