How to Plan a Weekend Away with the Girls in Mesquite

When the daily grind is getting you down, there’s nothing like a girls’ getaway to help you recharge. What’s better than sharing belly laughs—and maybe a few glasses of wine—with good girlfriends? There’s something special about women traveling together: It’s a chance to connect over aspects of life it sometimes feels like no one else understands.

With that in mind, a Mesquite weekend is a good way to escape humdrum routines without breaking the bank. Its location just 15 minutes east of Downtown Dallas offers easy access to the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, so it’s convenient without the big city price tag—savings you can apply directly to a spa splurge or fancy meal. It’s also a friendly town with plenty of southern hospitality.

WHAT TO DO During a Girl's Weekend

Start the morning off as you enjoy wildflowers and bluebonnets making a grand entrance in the spring as at Samuell Farm (at Beltline and I-80) or along the Butterfly Trail, an arm of Mesquite’s 17+ miles trail system.

Of course, no weekend getaway would be complete without a little retail therapy. Mesquite is known as a retail hub, and with good reason: more than 18 million shoppers flock to the Town East Mall and Market East Shopping Center every year. (You might want to take care of this errand early in your trip, so you can sport a new pair of cowgirl boots from Cavender’s Boot City throughout your trip.)

If you’re making it an early night, finish off the evening with a paint-and-sip class at Mesquite’s Painting with a Twist studio, where you’ll each get to create your own works of art. Or you can head to the Mesquite Arts Center and see what they have on their schedule for plays, the symphony or gallery receptions.

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Together

One of the best parts of a getaway with your gal pals is that no one has to cook—it’s time to kick back and let someone else do the work. Affordable lodging in Mesquite means you can splurge a bit when it comes to your food budget. Bonus: Mesquite is home to more than 250 restaurants, serving comfort food in a happy place and who could ask for more than that when you are hanging out with a bunch of girlfriends? No visit to Mesquite (or any town in Texas, for that matter) is the real deal unless you’ve eaten Tex-Mex at least once. Fortunately, Mesquite has you covered in that arena: Alejandro’s at Front Street Station has unique local dishes and a great outdoor patio in the heart of Downtown Mesquite enjoyed by locals and out-of-towners alike.

WHERE TO STAY For the Weekend

The whole point of traveling with girlfriends is to spend time together, so you don’t want to hole up in separate hotel rooms. That’s no problem in Mesquite, where a variety of hotels offer suite options so your whole group can share a room—that means more time for watching movies, sipping wine, and catching up until the wee hours.

Stay at TownPlace Suites by Marriott Dallas Mesquite with its relaxing outdoor patio or Courtyard by Marriott Dallas Mesquite for its Starbucks coffee and signature cocktails meaning you’ll have no trouble filling any downtime. Both offer pools and fitness centers in case some group members have regimens they’d like to keep up with. Rooms are equipped with 42-50-inch flat-screen TVs, so you can gather around for all your favorite flicks.