Category Archives: Outings

Topgolf Allen Summer Events

Last week I made the trek up to the great white north Allen to attend a Ladies Happy Hour at Topgolf Allen. I mean … it was a drive, but it was so worth it. If you’re not familiar with the Topgolf concept (where the hell have you been?), it’s a tech-forward driving range dreamt up by the Jolliffe brothers in Watfotd, England. Topgolf (Target Oriented Practice Golf) takes a traditional driving range and adds microchips to the golf balls and targets to the pins. The closer your ball gets to the pin, the more points you’ll get. You can find some extra background on Topgolf Allen in Brian’s recap of his visit.

Top Golf has really upped its game … not just its literal game (which it has), but its food, drink, and hospitality game, too. To start off our happy hour (hosted by me, Staci from 7onashoestring, McKinney Moms Blog, and the Dallas Blogger Collective). After introductions and a few words from some of the Topgolf peeps, we were treated to a “speed” wine tasting lead by a very knowledgable teacher. We tasted fives wines–(some seriously grapefruit forward) whites, roses, and a Layer Cake red (one of my favorite budget-friendly wines).

After the wine tasting, they opened up the floor to ceiling glass doors and let us take over the range. (Ok, not the whole thing … but we had room to spread out.) Even though I don’t know much about golf, I could tell this was an impressive driving range with modern facilities, Ace Driving Range Netting and plenty of golf balls to go around! Our group all had some natural ability (some more than others), so we grabbed the drivers and started the game. (I’d like to note that Brittany (pictured below) and I were neck-and-neck … though she did win. It really made me think about getting a golf simulator so I could get some practice in before our next golf outing.)

The gracious Topgolf team plied us with more of their delicious offerings–chicken & waffle sliders, s’more sandwiches, Green chili mac & cheese, and more. I like to think I’m more qualified than most Texans to identify good green chili menu items from bad (my sister and her husband live in Albuquerque and EVERYTHING is green chili-flavored), Topgolf’s Green Chili Mac & Cheese is damn good–just enough flavor to make it distinct, but not enough to smoke your taste buds. Everything was fresh and delicious with some seriously fun flavors and unique offerings. (I mean … who doesn’t want a chicken and waffle slider?)

Beyond delicious food, great service, a fun atmosphere, and a great game, what more could you want? Well … beyond live music and fun contests from time to time, they have Golf Bags. (And what driving range isn’t more fun after 30oz. of booze in a light-up novelty cup with crazy straws for just $15? I went with the Pineapple Express (Malibu Coconut Rum, 99 Bananas, DeKuyper Peachtree, orange juice & pineapple juice) and it wasn’t a mistake.

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They’ll be hosting two similar events later this summer, one for moms and another catered to couples. My advice? Go to one (or both) of them. Stay tuned to their channels to find out about these FREE events!
TOPGOLF – ALLEN
www.topgolf.com/us/ALLEN
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1500 Andrews Parkway, Allen, TX 75002
(469) 675-9730

HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday – Thursday: 9:00am – 12:00am
Friday: 9:00am – 1:00am
Saturday: 8:00am – 1:00am
Sunday: 9:00am – 12:00am

Grapevine Wine Tours

So … I’m all about unconventional outings–for dates, girls’ nights, and Tuesdays.  Sometimes it’s nice to get out of dodge and head to the ‘burbs, and Grapevine Wine Tours offer a fun evening away from the Big D that highlights Grapevine’s wine options.

I was lucky to join a group of media people on a wine tour on a Wednesday evening.  The group met around 5:30pm and piled into one of their small, air conditioned busses to visit three wine-centric stops in Grapevine led by a GWT representative who fed us fun facts about the city of Grapevine and its wine offerings.  (Fun fact: Texas is the 4th largest wine producing state!)  Each tour will visit three of the seven partners in Grapevine, some vineyards, some tasting rooms, and some restaurants.  The tour lasts around 4.5 hours and always includes a meal.

Our group’s itinerary was:

  • Homestead Winery – this cute, little home close to Downtown Grapevine produces wine from vines grown in Ivanhoe, Texas.  The owner of the winery walked us through a tasting of their wines (15+ — yikes).  They have some wines that are incredibly unique and were happy to talk us through the flavors and nuances of the wines we were tasting.
  • Delaney Vineyard – this vineyard is the only local vineyard and boasts 10 acres of vines, a winery, and gorgeous tasting room onsite.  We were treated to a tour of the entire site and a tasting of their offerings.  (I left with a bottle of wine from their gift shop … because I have a shopping problem.)
  • Winewood Grill – we enjoyed a three-course meal at Winewood, complete with suggested wine pairings.  I opted for the BBQ ribs, and it was a solid choice.  They had live music in the bar, which was a nice bonus.

GWTs will coordinate with your party to determine an appropriate itinerary and pick-up location (at one of three Grapevine hotels, Embassy Suites Outdoor World, Hilton DFW Lakes, or the Gaylord Texan).  Each tour is customized based on your group’s size and preferences.

Call 817.259.WINE (9463) or visit www.GrapevineWineTours.com for tour prices, schedules, group rates and other details.
Tours typically cost $79.50-89.50.  You can save 10% discount on a lunch or dinner tour using the code BLOG10 (offer expires 9/1/14).

****I was invited to experience a Grapevine Wine Tour free of charge.****