Trains, Wine and Texan History in Grapevine

By Jack Dunphy
Senior Writer 

“Howdy partner. We are glad you are here!” Right away I felt welcomed with that big Texas hospitality, and their friendliness embraced me throughout my stay.

I am sure that the 12 million visitors per year to Grapevine,Texas agree. Many other reasons encourage a trip to Grapevine. Here are some I discovered on my visit:  

Grapevine is super easy to get to. Fly into Dallas (DFW) and you are already there. Three-quarters of Dallas DFW is within Grapevine city limits.

You will probably find yourself at DFW one day as it is the 3rd busiest airport in the world. So, if you are changing planes, think about spending an extra day in Grapevine.  

 Grapevine for Wine 

 With a name like Grapevine, it came as no surprise that wine stores and wine-tasting shops are abundant, 9 total. Our group of six settled in at Messina Hof and sampled their variety of options. Messina Hof offers 40 different wines.

Alexis, the tasting room manager, served us her favorites from several different grapes all grown on the Texas High Plains. A free shuttle bus, running every hour, stops at the wineries on Main Street and transports visitors to all the hotels and attractions in Grapevine. Hop aboard so there are no worries about driving after that second + glass of wine!  

Vintage Railroad Excursion 

I climbed onto a 1920s luxury coach for a relaxing one-and-a-half-hour trip. Kids especially enjoy this train ride, and the conductor explains the history of the area along the way.  

 Meow Wolf at Grapevine Mills 

Meow Wolf promotes itself as a family-friendly immersive art museum with a dose of the psychedelic. This place confused me. It is nicknamed “The Real Unreal.” I have never been to any place like it and that may be the reason to go there. The 29,000-square-foot space boasts 30 unique and amusing rooms. Each room is a work of art showing off a kaleidoscope of colors and sculptures.

You can enjoy exploring the art room to room. For a deeper experience, you can try and solve the Meow Wolf mystery from clues scattered throughout. The goal is to find out what happened to a young fictional boy, Jerad Fugua, by finding clues in different rooms. It is not easy!  

Fun fact: I asked our guide what does Meow Wolf mean? He said the founders put a whole bunch of words in a hat. The first two words they picked meow and wolf made up their name.

They must be doing something right as the four Meow Wolves have attracted 10 million visitors since their opening.

I visited on a weekday afternoon and the place was packed.

Be aware your bag is thoroughly searched, and you go through a metal detector before you enter. I am not sure why so that added to my confusion.  

Next door to Meow Wolf is Sea Life Grapevine. Lots to explore here in this 45,000-square-foot aquarium. Sharks, jellyfish, seahorses and so much more. How do seahorses get around? I asked our guide Julia Leaumont.

She said, “Look closely and you can see many tiny hairs along their spine. They wave their hair back and forth to propel themselves.” And while you are there, do not miss the piranhas swimming above your head and the 11 1/2-foot albino python snake.   

Meow Wolf and Sea Life Grapevine are two of the 180 stores in Grapevine Mills, a 1.8 million-square-foot shopping center. There is something for everyone here.  

 Nash Farm 

 I wholeheartedly recommend an excursion to Nash Farm, especially to all you city slickers. Baby sheep devoured oats out of my hand. That is fun for young and old. My guide, Dalton Meeks (Historical Interpreter) taught me how to thrush wheat. It is a lot of work!

He explained how their active smokehouse cures meat and why the smokehouse does not burn down amidst all that fire and smoke. You are sure to learn plenty about how our ancestors lived and the many challenges they faced surviving on an 1800s farm. You can even stay for a communal farm dinner.  

  Vetro Glassblowing 

 Next door to the train station you will find a remarkably interesting place, The Vetro Glassblowing Studio. Here you can buy beautiful glass art objects made on site. But for a fun time, try glass-blowing yourself.

Artist Nick Clayton patiently taught me the process. Using a long rod so I was far enough away from the 2100-degree heat I made what

turned out to be a handsome solid paperweight filled with iridescent blue swirls (you can pick any color or several colors). It now sits on my desk and reminds me of how enjoyable it was to make.  

 Grapevine Main Station 

Next door to the Vetro Glassblowing, and the train station is the Grapevine Main Station. Here you will enjoy lunch from one of 9 gourmet vendors.

Take the elevator up five stories to the observation deck which boasts a 360° view across downtown. Book a room in the 120-room boutique Hotel Vin.

Enjoy a cocktail in a real speakeasy there, but you will need to figure out the password to be admitted. Do not miss Peace Plaza in the courtyard out front with the statues of the Native American Chiefs from 10 Texas tribes. These chiefs met in 1843 with General Sam Houston, President of the Texas Republic, and together they allied for peace.

We celebrate and take inspiration from their accomplishment even today at Peace Plaza.  

 Grapevine Visitors Bureau building  

In a beautiful gem of a building across from Main Station, I heard there were some dinosaurs. Who does not want to see dinosaurs? After marveling at the dinosaurs, I saw a man behind a display table, so I went over to chat. His name is Murray Cohen, and he told me he is a fossil hunter.

Not only that, but he also said, “I found a fossil jawbone by Grapevine Lake that is now identified as a new species of dinosaur. This small plant-eating dinosaur is named Ampelognuthus coheni.” How cool is that? I am talking to a man who has a whole dinosaur species named after him. Mr. Cohen holds court at the visitor’s bureau most Saturday mornings.  

 Music and Theater in Grapevine

 Music and theater aplenty. I attended the Texas Star Dinner Theater located just across the street from the Grapevine Main Station. This 90-minute murder mystery kept us guessing who killed the dastardly Horace Grimsby. After a heated debate, my table picked the gunslinger with a bad history as the murderer. Well, we were wrong, but that is all part of the fun.  

Just down the street at the lovingly restored Palace Theater, I attended an afternoon show titled “Piano Man? The Billy Joel experience.” Performer Tim Georgeff and his band gave the full house rocking and rolling tribute of Billy Joel’s best songs. The Palace puts on plays, music, and movies several times a week. Some of their recent tributes include performers highlighting the songs of Elvis, Fleetwood Mac, and Frank Sinatra.  

 Grapevine Dining 

 If you like to eat, Grapevine will delight you. At Tolbert’s, I savored their award-winning Bowl of Red Bean Chili while listening to some live country music. The next day, our group split a pizza at Mr. 01 Pizza. All agreed Chef Renato Viola (from Italy) “makes extraordinary pizzas.” And if you get truly inspired, you can sign up for the Mr. 01 pizza school.  

Across the street my favorite restaurant in Grapevine is Teatro. This place has it all: great ambiance, delicious food, an attractive bar, and wonderful live music the night of my visit.

Chef Carla Pellegrino, originally from Rio de Janeiro, brings her love of South American cooking here to us.

Carla stopped by our table several times to check on us but also to chat at length about her story and love affair with delicious food. Her lively restaurant exudes a certain joy. The music was exactly right, not too loud so we could talk at our table, but enticing enough most of us could not help but get up and dance. What a fun place!  

 Pleasant Surprises 

 Grapevine displays its historic downtown in so many ways. Murals and sculptures abound along Main Street. An old jailhouse and early log cabin beckon you in to visit. So many of these attractions and restaurants, the train station and theaters, and the impressive $114 million Main Station all sit a pleasant walk from each other.

Even Grapevine Lake is nearby. With a shore length of 60 miles and 8,000 acres, there’s room for every water activity: swimming, water skiing, jet skiing, windsurfing, diving, and more. Campsites too.  

 Lodging in Grapevine

Eleven-thousand hotel rooms are available around Grapevine. I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Grapevine in comfortable accommodations. But I kept hearing exciting things about the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center on Grapevine Lake. So, I looked.  

All I can say is “Wow! You walk inside under a soaring atrium you must see to believe. The Resort boasts 5 acres (about twice the area of a Manhattan city block) of gardens set alongside Grapevine Lake.

The whole place is a feast for the eyes. I could list all the many things it offers, but what it offers is a unique and unforgettable hotel experience.

I know the next time I visit Grapevine I will be staying at the Gaylord. Oh, and did I say it is the largest hotel in Texas?