I have been to Texas a handful of times but one of my favorites was the summer of high school graduation. My best friend and I loaded up her little mustang and took a much needed girl’s trip before we started college. I love going to the great Lone Star State. So, I was excited to get an invite back to Texas by the Mesquite Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Mesquite, Texas is a suburb of the great city of Dallas. So, it’s the perfect destination for the weekend to catch the Mesquite Arena and you can easily explore Dallas and Forth Worth during the day. Honestly, you don’t really notice when you go from Fort Worth to Dallas to Mesquite.
My son and I have gotten to travel to so many amazing destinations and you all know that it’s our goal to travel to all 50 states before he graduates. We are definitely getting closer! I’ve visited 43 states and he’s visited 26 so we’re over half way there.
We loaded up my truck early last Friday morning and hit I-35 south from Northern Missouri to Texas for a 9.5 hour drive. I love a good road trip! If you haven’t taken a road trip through the Midwest you are seriously missing out. There is so much beauty to be taken in by these great states.
We made a stop for lunch at the cutest little diner, Penny’s Diner, in Wellington, Kansas. It was a much needed break from driving.
Mesquite Championship Rodeo
The Mesquite Championship Rodeo has been around for more than 50 years. I can remember watching it with my dad on the television growing up. It was always the perfect Saturday night entertainment.
The rodeo is perfect for family, date night or a night out with friends. The Mesquite Convention and Visitors Bureau put us in an awesome rodeo suite. If you’re in a suite, there’s private elevators after you enter the rodeo venue. Once the elevator doors open there’s a cash bar in the lobby. You’ll go down a hallway of doors that open to individual suites.
I highly suggest getting a suite for the night or if you’re close, get one for the season. You’ll get two tables and two padded benches that put you down in front to watch all the great rodeo action.
You’ll find plenty of great concessions on the main floor like a BBQ buffet, tacos and all your rodeo favorites.
And they have all of your favorite events: team roping, calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback & saddle bronc riding, barrel racing and fan favorite bull riding.
The cowboys and cowgirls work heard to earn enough points throughout the season competing in rodeos in hopes to be one of the top individuals in their event to make it to the Wrangler® National Finals Rodeo (NFR). It was actually just announced that this year they are moving it to Texas. It will be hosted at Arlington’s Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. The NFR has been held at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV in Las Vegas since 1985. I’ve always thought it belonged in Texas!
I used to dabble a bit in team roping myself so it’s always been one of my favorite events to watch. I also love watching the broncs but every event is unique in it’s own way.
It takes a lot of skill, practice and highly trained horses to compete in these events at the professional rodeo level. The goal of these cowboys and cowgirls is to accumulate enough points to make it to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas every December.
These animals are given the best care. As someone that raises animals and has many pets I know that I care for them better than most people would get.
They even have themed nights throughout the season! For example, Teacher Appreciation Night, Military Appreciation and Hispanic Heritage Night.
Rodeo season in Mesquite is from June through August, every Saturday night at 7:30pm. Adult tickets are usually between $22-$32 for adults and $10 for kids. Children under 3 are free. Tickets typically go on sale around May.
Delicious Eats
Mesquite has a variety of great eats from chain and fast food to local restaurants. I always love eating and supporting the local businesses when I travel. You can always find a unique place in every city.
I knew we wanted to definitely try a local Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurant while we were in Mesquite. So, we chose local hot spot Dos Panchas Mexican Restaurant.
My boy and I both selected Mateo’s Special which is like a chimichanga. Select from chicken or both and they are so delicious!
Of course, eating at a great steakhouse is always on our to-do when traveling. We decided on the Saltgrass Steakhouse in Mesquite. We actually just got one of these in Liberty, Missouri which is about an hour and a half drive for us. We’d been wanting to eat it since it opened earlier this year.
So, we decided to splurge and both got the filet mignons. They were cooked perfectly and oh so delicious!
A Favorite Hotel
The Mesquite Convention and Visitors Bureau put us up in the Hampton Inn & Suites that’s actually connected to the Mesquite Convention Center and Mesquite Arena.
I have traveled A LOT and stayed at some of the most incredible, luxury hotels across the United States. But I have to say, my son and I were so impressed by the Hampton Inn & Suites in Mesquite that it’s easily one of our favorites.
The staff was absolutely amazing and they took every precaution for safety and health. Check-in was fast and the ladies at the front desk were fabulous. We actually got on the elevator with an employee and she said she checks every room after they are cleaned to make sure everything is up to standards which is amazing.
They gave us a 2-bedroom suite which was amazing. In the middle of the two bedrooms was a separate living room and kitchenette. Each bedroom had two queen beds and their own bathrooms. It was perfect!
The beds were my favorite of any hotel I have ever stayed in. Normally I don’t sleep very well in hotels. I’m either up several times a night or awake super early. We both slept like babies in these beds. From the mattress to the bed linens, they were perfect.
Each bathroom was a little different with plenty of mirrors for getting ready for the rodeo!
Every morning they serve a free breakfast for guests. It has changed a bit for COVID but we were still able to get cereal, bagels, yogurt, coffee and juice.
I love that you can stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites and walk a very short distance to the rodeo. It’s in the perfect location right off the interstate. And you have a gas station and several fast food restaurants very close by.
Short Drive to Fort Worth and Dallas
Fort Worth and Dallas are a very short drive from Mesquite. Mesquite is actually a suburb of Dallas so there’s plenty of things to do in the area.
Every time I’ve traveled to the Forth Worth and Dallas area I’ve always gone to the Fort Worth Stockyards. I knew I wanted to take my boy there at least for a few hours. The stockyards are about an hour drive from Mesquite.
And I one of my dear friends from home was in town for a wedding so we knew we wanted to try to meet up. The stockyards were the perfect drive for us both to meet.
There’s plenty to see and do at the stockyards. You can get lots of great shopping and they even have twice-daily cattle drives. We walked around the stockyards for a few hours and, of course, went intoBilly Bob’s – the world’s largest honkey tonk. They have indoor bull riding and a huge dance floor. It would be a fun place for a date night or night out with friends.
Of course, there’s so much more to do in the area. I can’t wait to go back to explore more of the cities.
Buc-ee’s
If you’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s then you just aren’t living! It’s a combination gas station and supermarket complete with home decor, clothing, and collectibles. They are incredibly huge and clean. Apparently they have the cleanest bathrooms in America! You can even save money on gas if you purchase their car wash. Some locations have over 100 gas pumps!
Buc-ee’s has a full line of treats and food they sell at each store. They make their own sandwiches, fudge and more. I had just tried their Beaver Nuggets the week before. They. Are. Delicious! They come in a variety of flavors but my favorite has to be the sea salt and caramel. Since I’d just recently tried Beaver Nuggets for the first time I knew we had to buy some so my boy and I stopped at the location in Denton, Texas to stock up.
The funny thing is that when we opened the door to our hotel room we noticed they had given us a huge variety of Buc-ee’s in our room! So, we got to try a bunch of their products. Beaver Nuggets were definitely a favorite. And on our way out of town, for some reason, we thought we needed to stop and stock up on more Buc-ee’s. The lady at the hotel front desk said that Buc-ee’s is a Texas tradition and that we had to get one of the BBQ sandwiches and see their bathrooms. We completely forgot to go in the bathrooms! Next time! So, next time you’re in Texas you’ll have to stop at the nearest Buc-ee’s.
Visit Mesquite Texas
Mesquite, TX is the perfect weekend getaway to catch the Mesquite Championship Rodeo, relax and enjoy your family and friends. Be sure to check out our trip recap from our Facebook live video here:
Be sure you’re following us on Facebook here: https://facebook.com/giveawaybandit and turn on notifications to catch our Facebook lives. We do a lot of live giveaways too!
I can’t wait to go back to Texas and explore more of the great state. I’ll be heading to Whitney, TX in October staying at Lake Whitney. It just so happens to be the weekend of the Round Top flea markets which I’ve wanted to go to for years.
Learn More About Mesquite, Texas
Website: https://www.visitmesquitetx.com
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What would be your favorite part of traveling to Mesquite, TX for the weekend?