Travel South Magazine Travel South low (kasey daleo's conflicted copy 20 | Page 114

VISIT
Mckinney, TX
Any time of year is perfect for making McKinney, Texas, your
destination for down home fun in a quaint, historic town.
Springtime brings with it an abundance of nature, art,
and fresh homegrown food. At the heart of this vibrant
city is a picturesque authentic Texas downtown square
featuring roughly 120 mom-and-pop businesses.
Among these, visitors will find more than 20 eateries, a
boutique hotel, wineries and oodles of specialty shops
filled with eclectic merchandise and tasty treats. in
other areas of this city that sits just 30 miles north of
Dallas are lush rolling hills, plenty of nature areas, and
even a croatian-inspired village, all awaiting the curious
traveler. May brings other fun events including Bike the Bricks, which
brings hundreds of cyclists to historic downtown Mckinney
for a high-speed closed-circuit race offering considerable
prize money. Then, celebrate your patriotism at the July 4 th
hometown parade and fireworks display. Fall brings roughly
50,000 guests to the downtown square for the hugely-pop-
ular Mckinney Oktoberfest. This three-day late September
festival offers plenty of craft beer, wine, German food, games,
dancing, music and a carnival. Also that month, Dinosaurs
Live starts its annual six-month stay on the nature trails of the
Heard natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary.
The city’s signature Spring event, Arts in Bloom, kicks
off the warmer weather season with a celebration of art,
wine, and music that fills the downtown square the sec-
ond weekend in April. This three-day festival features
150 juried artists, a tent full of wineries offering tastings,
and loads of local and regional musical artists providing
live entertainment. Mckinney rings in the holiday season with Home for the Hol-
idays over Thanksgiving weekend. December follows with
a tour of decorated historic homes and a nighttime parade
of lights.
112 | Spring 2018 | Travel South
More information on Mckinney events and attractions is avail-
able at VisitMcKinney.com or by calling 888-649-8499.