The Mansion’s New ‘Summer By Design’ Series Offers Unique Experiences For Travelers and Locals Alike

The moment I drove into the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Uptown Dallas, my shoulders eased. I had had a late-night packing my son’s trunk for summer camp, and we waked at 4 am to drop him outside Gainesville, Texas. When I finally drove away from his Camp Sweeney cabin, I was teary and worn out. Lucky for me, I had Mom Plans: a room reserved at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek to take part in their “Summer By Design” series, a collection of innovative experiences for hotel guests, inviting travelers and locals alike to rediscover North Texas’ distinct culture and community.

The series offers incredible adventures, from visiting the iconic Southfork Ranch to private shopping at the Dallas flagship Neiman Marcus. You can learn to make margaritas in your own hotel suite, invite your children’s friends for a sumptuous slumber party (including manicures, a fully catered movie night, and  monogrammed pajamas), take a floral design or cheesemaking class, or enjoy private tours of Dallas and Fort Worth museums with picnic lunches (and a visit to a Fort Worth cattle drive in a hotel Lexus!)

The list was thrilling, but I chose to pursue calm and bliss: an in-room meditation with a private instructor.

The Mansion on Turtle Creek was originally built in 1925 as a private residence, and completed a multi-year renovation in 2020, timed to its 40th anniversary.

I entered the lobby and sighed, taking in the bright and airy entry rotunda and entryway’s plaster dome, with a leaf-like design cascading down the ceiling. The dome detail was handcrafted by Casci Ornamental Plaster, whose founder collaborated on the original plaster barrel ceiling found within the Mansion’s famous library in 1925. (The plaster ceiling took 12 master craftsman six months to create.)

I loved admiring the hotel’s 16th-century Italian Renaissance style and European architecture, including hand-carved fireplaces, marble floors, and stained-glass windows. There was an enormous arrangement of vibrant purple flowers in the lobby; I texted the image to my mother who confirmed they were gladioli.

My beautiful, three-room suite included a baby grand piano. I peered into curated bookshelf niches and opened French doors leading to petite balconies. The color palette of the renovated rooms is serene: purples, greens, peaches, and blues mixed with cream and beige tones and mahogany wood paneling: white-washed oak flooring; and mirror-paneled double doors. The furnishing are custom-made from Thomas Pheasant’s signature Studio Line.

I want them for my Austin home.

The suite smelled of lemongrass — The Mansion had set up an aromatic diffuser in the corner of the living room. Two yoga mats, lavender eye masks, and yoga booties had been placed on a glass coffee table, along with a “menu” titled Channeling Calmness, A Day of Intention, guiding me through a routine to achieve peacefulness.

I immediately decided the room was too fantastic not to share and called one of my best friends, Ellen Stemmons, who agreed to join my mediation journey at the last minute. (She also wowed me with her impromptu piano playing.) Ellen loved the room, nothing she hadn’t been in the hotel since its gorgeous renovation. We decided that when one of my novels was made into a movie, I would plan a high school reunion in the suite, or maybe birthday party…movie showing…or adult slumber party? Could we get monogrammed pajamas and a pastry chef?

Our meditation teacher, Atina Pegram, arrived and told us about how much she was enjoying the “Summer By Design” series. She also teaches yoga and meditation at Pure Yoga and to Dallas youth organizations, including underprivileged kids. “This is my joy,” she said.

We lay down and our meditation began. Atina’s sonorous and intelligent voice-guided us as we breathed slowly and envisioned calming images. The scent of my lavender eye mask was heavenly and I sank with pleasure into the cushions of the luxurious couch. (I had moved from the floor.) Afterward, we sat cross-legged, feeling calm and restored. I vowed to return for another adventure, and dinner in the stunning Mansion Restaurant (followed by drinks in the cozy Mansion Bar). For this trip, I decided to enjoy the D.S. & Gurga “Cowboy Grass” bubbles in the tub, the room’s complimentary magazine selection, and good dreams in the suite’s Rivolta Carmignani Italian bed linens, followed by morning espresso and an omelet delivered via room service. On a rolling cart! With a vase of flowers! And tiny jams for my perfect whole-wheat toast!

Is it possible to change yourself inside and out in one day? After my luxurious Mansion on Turtle Creek getaway, I would say the answer is yes!