Sometimes suburbia is the destination.

One such suburb is Irving, Texas. Once a bedroom community for Dallas, it has become a destination in its own right.

Away from Irving’s stereotypical strip malls, box stores and residential neighborhoods is Las Colinas.

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The 1970s master-planned community was built around the man-made Lake Carolyn and a series of canals. Basically, this is a big-city downtown in the middle of the suburbs.

Formerly the domain of office buildings — something like eight Fortune 500 companies have their global headquarters in Irving — it has evolved over the years, adding apartments, hotels and a solid food scene. Another big draw is the Toyota Music Factory, a world-class entertainment venue anchored by an open-air amphitheater. Past concerts have featured gospel and Christian performers, including Kirk Franklin.

The real gem in Irving’s crown, however, is the waterfront created by the lake and canals, particularly during the hot Texas summer.

Some of the streetscape by the waterfront felt vaguely Mediterranean, not least when I watched a Marian procession organized by the annual DFW Italian Festival. It was like being in some Italian or Spanish town on the patronal feast day. Adding to the sense of place are the authentic Venetian gondolas that ply the water. (Gondola rides seemed especially popular with couples at sunset.)

A short drive away is Irving’s claim to fame or infamy, depending on your perspective.

Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of John F. Kennedy Jr., spent the night before he killed the president on Nov. 22, 1963, at the house of Ruth Paine. Paine’s house, a modest postwar home, survives as a museum. It’s been carefully restored to its 1963 appearance with both original and replica furnishings. A guided tour is quite informative for anyone unfamiliar with the Kennedy assassination.

While Irving has more than enough to do and see over a weekend, it’s also easy to get into Dallas for a visit to the Museum of Art or Sunday services at First Baptist Dallas, pastored by Robert Jeffress, or the Church of the Incarnation (Episcopal/Anglican). The two churches are among the major destination churches in Dallas.

If you go

I stayed at The Westin, an upscale hotel directly across from the Irving Convention Center and right by the Toyota Music Factory. An alternative hotel is the Omni with its resort-style outdoor pool.

Commentator and intellectual Jordan Petersen will be in Irving on Dec. 11 as part of his “We Who Wrestle with God” tour. Tickets are still available through the Toyota Music Factory box office.

Tours of the Ruth Paine House must be pre-booked through the Irving Archives and Museum.

Recommended restaurants in Las Colinas include Monaco, Pacific Table, Hugo’s Invitado and Two Mules Cantina.

I picked up a rental car at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. It was totally unnecessary, as Uber was widely available. The airport itself is about 10 minutes from Las Colinas and is partially within Irving’s city limits. 

Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post