For those Michigan fans who are lucky enough to head down to Dallas this weekend to watch our Wolverines beat Alabama, you have quite an adventure ahead of you. There is a plethora of tailgating, bar hoping, and downright rowdy things for you to do with your weekend in the Big D.
Listed below are all the things you need to know going into this weekends game to truly make it an amazing weekend. We have all the places you need to be and things you must do this Friday, Saturday and Sunday to truly make it the greatest kickoff in Michigan football history.
Go Blue!
Travel:
When you are traveling to and from events, you need a safe a reliable service that will get you around Dallas so that you do not miss any of the fun. Here are our top picks for the best way to get around Dallas.
1) Uber - Uber is an Iphone/Android app that lets you easily hail a black car without 
actually having to speak to a human being. All you have to do is use your smartphone to pin on a map where you would like them to pick you up. They send you alerts telling you exactly when your car is going to arrive. And then you just have to pay with a credit card. It really does not get much easier than this. As you can see on the map (left) Uber can easily pick you up from the airport and take you to your hotel if you are staying in downtown Dallas, and can just as easily pick you up from and take you to the game on Saturday.
2) Executive Car Service - (972) 385-2228 - If you are looking for a safe and reliable way to get around Dallas this weekend, Executive Car Service is well known for their outstanding drivers and timeliness. Executive Car Service has one of the highest reviews on Yelp and would definitely be a great company to call this weekend.
3) Premier Transportation - (214) 351-7000 - If you are looking for a stylish way to get
around this weekend, Premier Transportation has a bunch of great options for moving you around. They have plenty of standard black cars and shuttles, but they also have some more fun options as well. They have a party bus, Hummers, and a few vintage cars as well to get you around town in style.
Friday:
This Friday there are plenty of fun things for you to do to get pumped for Saturday's game. There will be plenty of boozing, cheering, and showing off your maize and blue pride all day on Friday. Here are some of the events you will not want to be caught missing.
1) Tailgate with the U of M Club of Dallas - Friday the official Michigan Alumni club is hosting a bevy of events that include the following:
6:00pm at Humperdinks (Arlington)
Be sure to stop by Humperdinks in Arlington if you are in the area with other Michigan fans for a great time. Humperdinks will open at 9:30am on game day for Michigan fans for a place to congregate before the game. They offer a $10 per person round trip shuttle service to the game.
Location: 700 Six Flags Drive Arlington, TX 76011
Phone Number: (817) 640-8553
6:00pm at NYLO Hotel (Las Colinas)
If you are staying in the area, NYLO is offering a complementary happy hour at 6:00pm to Michigan fans. The NYLO is located at 1001 West Royal Lane, Irving, TX 75039.
7:00pm at Texas and Pacific Tavern and Grill (Fort Worth)
You are invited to join in the camaraderie and spirit of being with fellow Michigan fans at
the Texas and Pacific Tavern and Grill, commonly known as the T&P Tavern. Located one block from the Omni Hotel-Fort Worth, the T&P Tavern, is in the 80 year old train depot in downtown Fort Worth, at 221 W. Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth.
8:00pm at Black Friar (Dallas Uptown area)
Michigan fans and supporters come join us at Black Friar Pub in Uptown the night before the Cowboy Classic at 8:00 PM. Wear your Michigan gear and there's a great chance your first round will be paid for. Come out and meet the President of the local alumni club along with other board members. You may even hear Hail to the Victors at the pub! The Black Friar Pub is located at 2621 McKinney Ave, Dallas, Texas 75204.
2) Best Friday Bar - If you are running around Dallas and looking for a place to congregate with fellow Michigan fans and alumni then you have to go to the Fox and Hound. The Fox and Hound is the official University of Michigan alumni bar and will surely be hoping with people Friday night.
3) Drink wine with Charles Woodson - Charles Woodson is hosting a wine tasting 
event at Bailey's Prime Plus in northern Dallas. While this event is a bit out of the way, this is a great opportunity to try some great food and to meet a Michigan legend. To sign up for this event you must call 214-750-8100 for reservations. The cost of attending this dinner is $59.95 for dinner. While this may seem like a pretty pricy night out on the town, this is a pretty unforgettable event that will surely make your trip down to Dallas all the more fun.
Saturday:
While Saturday is game-day, there are still a ton of things to do before the 7 PM central time kickoff. Some of these events are university sponsored, and some of them might require a bit of moving around the city. So please keep in mind that you may have to do some moving around the city on Saturday before the game.
1) College GameDay - Here is your chance to be on TV this weekend! ESPN's College 
GameDay is hitting Dallas by storm this weekend. At GameDay, expect to see many famous ESPN celebrities such a Kirk Herbstreit, Brent Musburger, Charles Woodson! and many more. Additionally, expect to see cheerleaders from both teams, and come prepared for a rowdy good time. The live coverage of ESPN GameDay goes from 8 AM to 7PM. They will be broadcasting live from Lot 3 (corner of Legends Way and Randol Mill Road).
2) Parking - If you are looking to park at the stadium for the game, you will need to get 
parking passes well before the game because the lot is inevitably going to fill up. You can pre-buy your parking tickets here. Parking is $35 for the entire day. If you are looking to go to College GameDay, lots 12 and 13 are the shortest walking distance to the event. If you are looking to park strategically, the majority of the university sponsored events or official events are located on the northern end of the stadium, so you might want to look to park there fro some of the best tailgating spots.
3) Official University of Michigan Alumni Tailgate - The Alumni Association is hosting its own tailgate starting at 4 PM central time. This event is located at 1010 Collins Entertainment Center, Arlington TX (across the street from parking lot #10). The tailgate includes food and drink and is only open to paying attendees. In the past, events like these have featured appearances from famous Michigan football alumni, cheerleaders and performances by the band. As of right now, this tailgate is sold out, but we have ad success in the past showing up to these events day of and paying at the door.
4) Best Game Day Sports Bar - If you are looking for the best sports bar in Dallas to
hand out at before the game, J. Gilliagan's Sports Bar is the place to be. They offer great food and are having a bevy of specials of Michigan fans before the game. The best part is that they are having free parking there before the game, and are offering an $8 shuttle to and from the game. This is a great place to go and part for a while earlier in the day and party before you head over to the stadium for other festivities. They are conveniently located at 400 East Abram
Arlington, Texas.
5) Best Post Game Sports Bar - At the end of the game you are either going to be 
celebrating your face off or you are going to be sobbing with giant elephant tears. Either way, you are going to need to find a bar to either help celebrate or alleviate the pain. Lucky for you, we know the place you need to be when you are in either of these states. The Spread Eagle Saloon is the place to be Saturday night after the game, especially if you are not from the Dallas area. The Saloon is located in the heart of the city at 1608 Elm Street Downtown Dallas TX. They have a huge drink selection, lots of great music, and all the Texas attitude you could want. They are conveniently located near a bunch of other bars and restaurants downtown, but this is surely the place you are going to want to stop first.
If you are looking for an official Michigan sports bar, we mentioned them above but the Fox and Hound houd will be flooded with Michigan alumni, so this is definitely a place you will want to stop at some-point during the night. The Fox and Houd is located at 18918 Midway Road Dallas, TX 75287.
Sunday:
If you are still in Dallas on Sunday and are looking for some fun things to do, there are plenty of events you can attend to help finish out your weekend on a strong note. Listed below are the top things you should do this Sunday after the Cowboy Classic.
1) Guided Tour of Cowboys Stadium - If you went to the game or not, this is a great way to spend your Sunday afternoon. For $27.50 a person, the Cowboys offer a guided tour
that lets you see all of the behind the scenes features of Cowboys Stadium. The tour begins at the Main Club and stops include a private suite, the print media press box, the Cotton Bowl office vestibule, and the Dr Pepper Star Bar or the Ford Motor Company Fountain. After you've seen these areas, your guide will take you down to the event level where you'll see all of the stops on the Self-Guided Tours, including the field, the Miller Lite Club, the post-game interview room and both the Cowboys locker room and the Cheerleaders locker room. For more tour and ticket information check the stadium tours official website.
2) JFK Assassination Tour - Whether or not you are familiar with the conspiracy 
behind the assassination of president Kennedy, this is something you must do if you are first timer to Dallas. The Heritage Tours is a great way to get a tour of Dallas and learn about the JFK assassination. Heritage Tours has excellent tour guides who are fun and informative. To contact their tour guides, check here.
We wish the best of luck to our Wolverines this weekend and hope that they will come back to Ann Arbor victorious! GO BLUE.
