Thursday, June 29, 2017

How to visit 19 DFW Breweries by Rail

*Updated 4-19-18

If I told you is was possible to visit 19 Breweries in DFW for only 10$ would you believe me?  YES its true!!!  We all have driven in awful Dallas traffic and wanted to start drinking already.  Are there alternatives to this nightmare for those of us that just want to visit breweries/beer stops without the headache of city traffic?  Sure, you can take UBER and pay a hefty price for getting around the metro plex or go with a group of friends.  

Another alternative that I have recently discovered: using FREE Parking at a DART rail stop, spending 5-10$ for an all day pass of exploring DFW breweries without having to use the bus! The most amazing part about this was not worrying about driving and knowing that the train does not stop and sticks to a schedule.  Here's a few facts about DART rail. 


Rail Transportation in DFW 

- 93 Mile light rail system
- 7 different lines (Red, Blue, Green, Orange, TRE, Dallas Street Car (free), M-Line Trolley (free)
- 5$ Local Day Pass for ALL dart buses and trains (East of DFW Airport)
-10$ Regional Day Pass for ALL dart buses and trains in DFW (including TRE service to Ft. Worth and DCTA to Denton).
-Train departs every 20 mins (Mon-Fri peak hours) 30-45 mins (Sat-Sun) and after 9 PM weekly.




My adventure started on a Wed Morning, I opened up my google or apple maps and selected the transit feature.  After a few searches and typing in "breweries" I discovered nearly every brewery in DFW is accessible by the DART transportation system if you don't mind taking the Rail and Bus.  I opted out of using the bus because of time.  DART rail operates every 20 mins at a stop (except weekends and after 9 pm) and you can conveniently download the "GoPASS" app on your phone to purchase tickets and plan out your route.   

I have picked out breweries that are less then 0.5 miles walking distance of a DART light rail stop.  In  a 6 hr day I was able to visit 5 different breweries and had time to travel back to my destination before 6 pm.  DART Rail hours vary but is enough time to visit breweries, see the sights, and arrive back to your destination before midnight.

*Breweries at least half a mile from Rail*

GREEN LINE - 3 Nations, Old Town Brewing, Armadillo Ale Works (May 2018) , Denton County Brewing Co., Deep Ellum, Community, Texas Ale Project

BLUE LINE- Four Corners, Malai Kitchen, Oak Highlands, Intrinsic Brewing, Bankhead.


RED LINE & ORANGE LINEGordon Biersch (closed Oct 2017) , Four Bullets Brewery 

(TRE)- Noble Rey, Bishop Cider, Collective, Hopfusion, Rahr. 










An even easier option for those of us that live in East TX is using Amtrak.  Amtrak has stations in Marshall, Longview, and Mineola that directly connects to Union Station in downtown Dallas. From there you can connect to any of the DART rail lines and start exploring DFW. Whichever route you choose to explore Breweries and Taprooms, we from ETBrews want you to be safe, drink responsibly and enjoy yourself.  Happy Exploring!


-The Happy Chappy (Jeff)- 

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing"