No other Dallas jukebox ever stood a chance against the selection at Herby's, the Oak Cliff restaurant co-owned by DJ Sober. Sober has long reigned over North Texas nightlife (and also New York's, Austin's and other cities') so it's only natural that Herby's, which has a pleasingly minimal yellow-white-black aesthetic and fine burgers, could boast of the best curated jukebox. Madonna, Morrissey, Mariah — that's just one shelf. Of course, Sober will swap out selections periodically. You'll also find posters signed by musicians such as Leon Bridges and a cool piece of Texas art by Ralls' own Rob Wilson. As a certified cool spot, the shop has occasional pop-up art events and DJ nights. Come back for breakfast.

Dolly Python in Old East Dallas and its sister Bishop Arts location have long held real estate on our annual Best Of Dallas issue as recurring recommendations. The shops have an outstandingly curated collection of vintage clothes and excitingly weird curiosities that make it worth the visit every time. And now they offer more glitzy sightings than Los Angeles' Chateau Marmont's bar on a Saturday night. Dolly's legend has spread to Hollywood (no surprise, Vogue recently named it one of the best vintage shops in the world), and it's become a destination for celebrities visiting Dallas. Just this past year, it attracted big-name shoppers such as Mad Men star Jon Hamm, Kanye's nemesis Pete Davidson and indie melancholy-pop queen Lana Del Rey. So keep your camera charged if you're looking for a sick selfie to go with that vintage concert tee.

This one is for adventurous types only who can easily shrug off centuries of an evolution-instilled fear of heights. The luxury Joule hotel is best known for its giant outdoor eyeball sculpture, its cool underground bar Midnight Rambler and its lower-level, endlessly cool Taschen bookstore — all available to non-guests. It also has a rooftop pool that's really to infinity and beyond. The pool has a cantilevered design, meaning it sticks out 8 feet from the building, and through the pool's protruding glass side you'll get an excellent view of downtown's Main Street. If you've ever had a surrealist fantasy of swimming among the clouds, well, Salvador Dalí fan, this is it.

There's plenty to do at the lively Lower Greenville coffee shop Halcyon, with its permanent collection of beaten-up board games plus movie nights, happy hours and wine nights, but we are clinically obsessed with its Saturday night trivia competitions. This is when you get to order food and a mocha and answer general culture questions with your team while making s'mores at your table. With a fire and everything. We can't think of a better pairing than the taste of childhood camping memories and the silly adult pride of publicly quantifying all the worthless info you've hoarded in your memory, all for a swell prize.

If you've ever dreamed of going back in time to witness those Greenwich Village parties where a young harmonica-playing, wild-haired unknown named Bob Dylan channeled Woody Guthrie as an androgynous Patti Smith observed deeply from her seat, check out Zounds Sounds B-Sides. Though the new Dallas venue (which is next door to the excellent Zounds Sounds School of Music) is well organized, it still feels truly DIY, spontaneous and indie in the best ways as the perfect spot to soak up all that I-saw-them-first, really-first, atmosphere. But they aren't all up-and-comers on the roster. From classical pianist Bobby Orozco, to a live painter onstage and a private chef serving audience members a plated dinner sample, and artists ranging from punk to jazz, there are a whole lot of reasons to check out B-Sides.

After Barbie's ubiquitous, militantly monochrome color palette flooded movie theaters, Halloween parties and red carpets for what felt like 46 months in 2023, it's understandable that many of us never want to see the color pink again. But if you're still in the "think pink" mindset, you'll find an absolute pink paradise in XOXO, the uber-Instagrammable, shamelessly girly, every-day-is-Valentine's Dallas restaurant. This place was way ahead of Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig, serving highly aesthetic desserts and decor for years. The food is as good as it looks, and the service is just as sweet. XOXO is not all lipstick and influencers, though: Erykah Badu has been spotted there (and showed up 15 minutes before closing, of course) and it sometimes has DJ nights with non-pink-wearing guests.

The Dallas Museum of Art does an outstanding job of keeping us coming through special events and deals, summer camps, classes and exhibitions ranging from the Impressionists to Frida — and this year's excellent showing of contemporary female artists in He Said/She Said. One of the museum's most accomplished efforts is its annual Arts and Letters Live program. For over 30 years, the speakers series has brought in performers and authors such as David Sedaris (who returned again this year for his 11th consecutive appearance), Zadie Smith, Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood and John Grisham. This is a great opportunity to impress (or, realistically, to bore) your future grandkids with your old-timey tales of seeing these classic authors in the flesh — assuming writers haven't been entirely replaced then by AI and "content creators." If that sounds grim, keep the arts and letters alive by attending and getting a book signed, if you're lucky.

The legend has long lingered in Dallas, where you can still hear the sound of glitzy partying echoing through the dancefloor dust left from the Starck Club's closing. Dallas' version of Studio 54 became an iconic 1980s hub for the era's decadence, rich with celebrity sightings, ecstasy and carefree, all-night dancing. For the Starck's 40th anniversary on May 12, Oak Cliff venue The Kessler brought the club back to life through a well-curated, one-night-only pop-up event. It featured Starck original DJs (such as Mark Ridlen), posters and art, and best of all, nostalgic clubgoers. In a shining sea of sparkle, gold, bold and big-pattern ensembles, attendees revived the fashion and dance moves of the Starck's heyday (back when individuality was considered a positive trait), well into the wee hours of ... 11 p.m. Well, we've all grown up now, and so are the neighbors who live around the Kessler.

Few things smell like the '90s as much as Herbal Essences shampoo, but J's is a close second, with its aromatic blend of hashbrowns and indoors smoke. After a late night in Addison, America's shitface-drunk capital, head over (via Uber or a sober driver, please) to J's Breakfast & Burgers. This diner is extra dive-y — you'll believe us when you're greeted by a waitress smoking at a table — and is open 24 hours, with a menu befitting your simple, buzzed palate. Its bright, emerald-green seats invite you to lean into the very best of your bad, drunken decisions: carbs and cigarettes. Order a pie, find a payphone to drunk-dial your ex, and your night's complete.

There's just something magical about standing in a butterfly exhibit as hundreds of colorful butterflies flutter around. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden used to do its "Butterflies In The Garden" exhibit every other year, but it became so popular that it's now a yearly addition to the spring calendar. Every March and April, check out the exhibit and marvel at lepidoptera from the Americas, Africa and Asia. Plus, since you're already there, you can wander the sprawling botanic gardens. We especially recommend the Japanese garden.