Fun Things to do in Historic Downtown McKinney
Downtown McKinney is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway, a date night, an afternoon of shopping or a girl's night out. Honestly, you could spend a gorgeous weekend here and never run out of things to do and places to explore.
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| Unique stores with a nostalgic vibe |
I'm a huge fan of downtown McKinney, Texas (which is a good thing because I live and work here). It's a quaint town square with shops, cozy boutiques, wonderful restaurants, fun activities, art studios and galleries, wineries and pubs. It feels like you're in a Hallmark movie.
McKinney hosts several festivals throughout the year with petting zoos, art booths, a ferris wheel and stages for live music. Oktoberfest is a blast in 'The Square' and so is Home for the Holidays at Christmas and the Arts in Bloom Festival in the spring. Check out this calendar for more events Calendar of Events.
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| Grab a pint at the Celt and people watch |
If you're staying the weekend, I'd suggest The Grand Hotel because you can park and walk from there to almost everything. As a bonus, it's been recently remodeled. There are also lots of cute Airbnb options in the area. I scored a drop dead gorgeous giant yellow Victorian home one weekend for a group of friends who came to visit through VRBO.
Shop
I'm not a shop 'til you drop kind of gal, but I do enjoy poking around in the shops downtown because they are unique. And because I can take a break and have a glass of wine. It's a great place to do your Christmas shopping.
The Jelly Queens with flavors like Sugared Ginger Jam, Banana Nut Bread Jam and Tart Cherry Cider Jelly, you can definitely pick up some new and interesting flavors. Jams and jellies are wonderful on goat cheese with crackers, as a glaze on chicken or salmon and as a sandwich spread.
Birds and Words is a boutique with unique items for your home.
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| Me & Mrs Jones cute window displays |
Me & Mrs. Jones shop has cute clothes, jewelry and the best little pots of lip butter.
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| All kinds of fun and fragrances at White Rock Soap |
Stop in The Groovy Coop for all things fun, cool and vintage 70s. Also peek in Red Zeppelin records for current and vintage vinyl.
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| The big display windows at Sharla's never fail to WOW |
Fair and Square Imports is my go-to when I need a gift. Luxurious cashmere scarves, fun decor items, jewelry - a little bit of everything and it's all handmade and fair trade!
It's couple of blocks off the square at 507 N. Tennessee, but don't miss Diggin' It, the cutest gift, jewelry, plant store with a hippie vibe. The unique building is an old bus station.
I love Spice & Tea Merchants. They have a wide selection of herbs, spices and tea. The best part is that I can get a small amount of an exotic spice when I want to try a new recipe. It smells wonderful in here!
You're sure to find a favorite treat at Mom and Popcorn, whether it's a sweet or savory popcorn from one of their dozens of flavors or candy from the big old fashioned candy barrels. I love the Jalapeno Popper popcorn.
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| Birds and Words |
Eats
Downtown McKinney is foodie heaven. Whether you're in the mood for an award winning sandwich, an old school steakhouse, boozy ice cream, pizza, authentic Cuban food or an amazing smoked chicken fried steak, you'll find it here.
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| Photo from Bresnan's website |
The Guava Tree started as a food truck and is now also a restaurant that serves delicious Cuban food and drinks. The 'El Cubano' Cuban Sandwich is to die for, as are the Loaded Yucca Fries with added slow roasted pork on top. It's what nachos must taste like in heaven. A unique variety of rum cocktails, Cuban coffee and Mexican Coke and Sprite are the cherry on top. Sit out on the cute little patio in nice weather and enjoy.
In a pizza mood? Try Cadillac Pizza for delicious pizza, salads, pasta and cocktails. They have live music on weekends and Sunday Funday deals on mimosas and bloodies. My favorite is the Goat (cheese) and Fig pizza.
Try an award winning sandwich for lunch at Patina Green. The 'BOB', or Brisket on a Biscuit is served only on Fridays. Get there early before they run out. The ham and smoked cheddar with jalapeno peach jelly on jalapeno cheddar sourdough is no slouch, either.
If you've been dreaming of authentic Mexican food, try Cookie's. It's just east of highway 5 on Louisiana and you can easily walk over from downtown. Their food is legendary but don't expect Instagram type decor. This is what people refer to as a 'hole in the wall', meaning that the decor isn't fancy but the food couldn't be better and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
Local Yocal is another gem on the east side of downtown. These guys are masters of smoke and steak with some insanely good dishes such as LOYO Mac n Cheese (with Wagyu beef bacon and green chile), Smoked chicken fried steak and smoked red pepper pimento cheese appetizer. Their steaks are perfections and don't even get me started on their unique and delicious cocktails.
For dessert try Emporium Pies for out of this world seasonal pies by the slice or Sweet Caroline's Gelato on the west side of the square.
Sips
Check out Landon Winery, Lone Star Wine Cellar or Baron's Creek Vineyard Tasting Room. More of a beer person? Try out Tupps Brewery which is a destination in itself with live music, trivia nights, goat yoga, bingo and oh yea...really great beer.
If coffee is your thing, you're in luck. Grab a cup at Filtered or at Habitat Plants + Coffee.
More - Something for Everyone
Into spooky things? Chestnut Square hosts Ghost Tours (held once a month) of their historic buildings. I've been on this tour a few times and have seen and heard some things that I can't explain. Check out the comedy club or the arcade club. There is lots of live music around, too. Follow the sounds.
Treat yourself at Pavitra Day Spa (the Deep Breath package is the best afternoon ever) or a stay at the luxurious Grand Hotel. Book a guided tour at McKinney Walking Tours and/or check out the self guided tours on that site with downloadable maps.
Food Walks of Texas offers both cocktail tours and food tours and you absolutely cannot miss the McKinney Farmer's Market which is now open every Saturday year round in historic Chestnut Square. Trolley Tours from the market on an old fashioned trolley take you around town for a short overview of McKinney history. Find the Tamale man at the Farmers Market. You can eat one there or take frozen tamales home. The beef tenderloin tamales are a tradition for us on Christmas Eve.
The Collin County History Museum is an interesting collection housed in the old post office that's open Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10-4. Even it you aren't from the area, it's enjoyable.
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| Murals provide perfect backdrops for photos |
Just a bit north of downtown is Franconia Brewing Company , the second oldest craft brewery in the DFW area. They host private events, do tours on Saturdays at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm and have a taproom that is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Get back to nature with a visit to Heard Natural Science Museum. Bird Walks, Animal Encounters, canoeing, Night Hikes, zip lines, camping, and guided trail tours are all part of their event calendar. We did a night hike for date night and it was really fun and different.
See what's happening at the McKinney Performing Arts Center, which is housed in the grand historic courthouse in the middle of the downtown square. They have plays, concerts, special movie showings, events and even a yearly circus that is done in a tent outdoors.
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| Oh, wow...there's a circus in the middle of the street. |
Get some nature with one of McKinney's many parks. Erwin Park boasts 212 acres for hiking, biking and camping. Bonnie Wenk Park is my favorite for playgrounds and it also has a dog park. Finch Park is on the south side of downtown and offers great play equipment, a basketball court, a splash pad, pickle ball courts, sand volleyball and looped walking trails that have story stations, each containing a page to a book.
Historic Homes
Downtown McKinney is in the Historic District, which also includes gorgeous homes, some that date back to the late 1800s.
Take a leisurely drive through the neighborhoods or use this reference for a Self Guided Tour or come visit in December for the annual Holiday Tour of Homes to see some of our neighborhood's most beautiful homes elaborately decorated for the holidays.
Some Interesting Local History
The McKinney Prison at 115 South Kentucky was built in 1880. Frank James, brother of Jesse James, was imprisoned here in 1884 after a bar brawl at the Elm Saloon (no longer in operation, but you can see the historic plaque at the Saloon located about a half block east of Highway 5 on Virginia. An easy walk from downtown).
Tex Watson, a member of the Manson gang was also imprisoned here while awaiting extradition to California for the Tate-LaBianca murders.
Walk to the right of the building in the alley and you can see the courtyard, where prisoners were once hanged.
Speaking of Frank and Jesse James, they hosted poker games at the Celt, (then the Rambo Saloon), on Saturday nights and had a table in the attic for privacy and a trap door for quick getaways. Jesse and Frank stayed with their cousin at his home at 616 W Virginia when they hid out in the area.
Bonnie and Clyde spent a lot of time in Collin County and it’s said that law enforcement simply looked the other way as long as they stayed out of trouble here. My next-door neighbor’s grandparents owned a department store in downtown McKinney where Bonnie liked to shop. The employees would get all nervous when she came in and my friend’s grandmother would tell them, “She’s here to shop, not to shoot you.”
Bonnie also loved to have lunch at the Mitchell and Hale Drugstore on the square and have lunch at the soda counter. A few years ago when it was a Magic Shop, you could still see where the counter stools were anchored into the floor. It's now the Magic Needle Piercing Studio at 211 N Tennessee.Enjoy your trip to McKinney! There is a lot to do here, tons of great food and lots of history.
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