1. Denton May Be Next Door To Dallas, But This City Has More In Common With Austin
Denton is just a quick drive north of Dallas, a city known for being a major center for big business, retail, and tech. But Denton, with its status as a college city full of offbeat art, and most of all, music, is a closer cousin to another major Texas city: Austin.
Some folks call Denton “mini-Austin,” and city has informally adopted the Austin-adjacent saying “Keep Denton Beard.” Although it seems Dentonites enjoy their weirdness being a little more under the radar.
2. All Other Ice Cream Pales In Comparison To Beth Marie’s
Mmmmm, Beth Marie’s. If you’ve ever visited Denton, chances are everyone and their sister told you it was a must-visit spot for dodging the heat and getting some sweet after-dinner goodies.
Beth Marie’s is known for original fountain drinks and creative flavors, like banana cream pie and the lavender and honey-infused Bees Nees, that nestle perfectly in homemade waffle cones.
3. A Green-Lit McConnell Tower Is A Thing Of Beauty
Denton may be an artsy city, but it’s still in Texas, so football at every level is a big part of local life. The biggest gridiron show in town belongs to the University of North Texas, home to Conference USA’s UNT Mean Green.
If you’re ever on campus, and for some strange reason you hadn’t caught wind of the UNT football results following a game, you needn’t look any further than the central McConnell clock tower—it appropriately lights up green to celebrate football wins.
4. Texas Roadhouse Has Nothing On Rooster’s
A Denton favorite for comfort food, Rooster’s Roadhouse is Southern cooking crafted to be as absurdly delicious as possible. That means dishes generally arrive at the table either deep fried, covered in cheese, or slathered in barbecue sauce—or a combination of all three.
Some of Rooster’s undeniably delicious plates include bacon cheese fries, barbecue pork nachos, and burgers topped off with brisket. It’s a favorite among colleges kids fighting a mean hangover or simply aiming for the freshman fifteen.
5. Dentonites Know Calling Their City A Hotbed Of Music Doesn’t Do It Justice
Over the years, the University of North Texas’ music program has fine tuned the skills of chart toppers like Roy Orbison, Don Henley, Norah Jones, and Pat Boone.
Such an explosive small city music scene can create a unique problem among Dentonites: which great local band to check out on any given night.
6. Texas Woman’s University Is All About Girl Power
Texas Woman’s University serves over 12,000 students making it one of the largest women’s (er, “woman’s”) universities in America. However, the name is a little misleading. Men have been accepted to the university since the 1970s, and make up somewhere between 10% to 15% of the student population.
But there’s no need to change the name—the university still has a major reputation for girl power: the school has an impressive collection dedicated to B.A. female military pilots and aviators and is home to the Texas Women's Hall of Fame.
7. The Denton Arts And Jazz Fest Is The Best Long Weekend Of The Year, Every Year
Considering how much great art and music is created within Denton city limits, it would be a shame if there wasn’t one long weekend a year where the community pulled out all the stops to showcase its best and brightest creative talents.
With the annual Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, Denton has exactly that—three full days dedicated to Denton musicians, craftspeople, and artists, with a special focus on local jazz. Oh, and there’s food too. Lots and lots of great food.
8. The Woods Is The Best Place To Get Hitched
A hidden gem on the Texas Woman’s University campus, the Little Chapel-in-the-Woods was dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1939, and ever since, has been Denton’s most popular spot for local couples tying the knot.
The chapel was designed by renowned Texas-based architect O'Neil Ford, and features incredible woodwork and stained glass.
And the best part? There’s only about 100 seats, meaning you don’t have to feel bad about whittling that guest list down.
9. Everyone’s Totally Cool With The Bubble Van Man
In any other city, a man whose existence revolves around selling smokable exotic herbs out of a beat up van and shooting bubbles at passersbys might be met with strange looks. But in Denton, EB, better known as the “Bubble Van Man,” is fully embraced.
Over the years, the Bubble Man has grown into a beloved part of the Fry Street landscape, where he’s notorious for launching bubbles at students at all hours of the night.
10. Denton Is The Best Real College Town In Texas
Calm down Austinites, your city is plenty cool, weird and artsy, but in addition to being a great college town, its also a massive metropolis of nearly a million, and the capital of the second most populated state in the country.
Denton is a college town through and through, and an eclectic one at that, with all the music, art, college sports, great food and drink and general weirdness that goes along with it. Go for dinner at Rooster's, drinks and jazz at Greenhouse, and then a rock show at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios and tell us we’re wrong.
Did we miss anything? Tell us what’s unique about Denton in the comments below! 
