Fun stuff to do in and around DFW Area (Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas)
Friends of ours have asked for recommendations on fun stuff around DFW. Their holiday plans were shelved due to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, so they are looking to go local.
The past two years (wow, has it been that long?) has been an exercise in discovery of the Dallas and generally, North Texas area. So much to do, such beauty, such variety.
Since the family is waiting to get started on dinner, I will start off this post with a few bullet points and over the holidays, work to fill this post out. So, please do check back in a week for more!
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
A long-time favorite, this is one place that has never disappointed us. This is Dallas’ answer to New York City’s famous Central Park. 66 acres of gardens by the expansive White Rock lake. Photo ops galore! There is something to explore during all four seasons. Now, especially, there is a unique way to get into the spirit of the season. Millions of sparkling lights and displays for the Twelve Days of Christmas with music… oh joy! That delight is for the evening sessions (separate ticket). We’ve been members for decades, so please reach out to us for tips. https://www.dallasarboretum.org
Scyene Overlook/Piedmont Ridge
In Southeast Dallas, this hidden gem makes us wonder where we are: Catskills mountains in Upstate New York… or the Sierra Nevada mountains in California? For the half hour that it takes to hike this ridge, you’d be forgiven if you thought you escaped the flats of North Central Texas.
There are actually two trails and we had difficulty consistently locating one of them. So for now, let’s just talk about the Piedmont Ridge Trail.
This trail begins off the road that enters the Keeton Park Golf Course. Park on Jim Miller road and walk as if toward the Golf Course. If you look to the left just before the train tracks (yay, DART), you’ll see a kiosk at the edge of the woods. The board at the trailhead is a tad-bit difficult to see from the road, but trust me, it exists 🙂 This is the beginning of a well-marked trail that is easy to follow. The trail climbs up on top of an escarpment, and passes through very nice woods of shin oak and eastern red cedar. As you walk along the ridge, you’ll cross through a patch of native prairie, which is filled with wildflowers in the spring. These flowers are covered in butterflies when the field is in bloom. There is a short path to your right after about a mile, and there’s a great spot to get some views. You can just glimpse the Trinity River bridges next to downtown Dallas. (Hat tip to the D Magazine for alerting us to this hidden gem).
In February there are colonies of trout lilies. There are several places which provide great vistas to the west, miles of forest in the floodplain of White Rock Creek. You also get glimpses of the downtown skyline. And, if you’re lucky, you will see several DART trains pass by you as you walk parts of this trail.
I do have photos that might help you find the trail, and will update the post with those.
Notes about location: For Piedmont, enter at 2400 N Jim Miller Rd, Dallas, TX 75227.
Lake Lewisville
OK, this may seem too obvious, but we have discovered some fascinating vistas along this wide lake. One place that we love is close to a frisbee-golf course by the lake. This is officially called the Tom “Old Man” McCutcheon Disc Golf Course. (Yes, there is a plaque that lays out the story behind the name – find it!). You don’t need to enter the park (fees area)… you could park for free by the street before the entrance to the park.
Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway
About an hour and a half drive from the DFW airport, this is just simply different. The lake is huge. But the real attraction is the trail. This is one of the places that reminds us (just a little) of the hikes in the California San Francisco Bay Area. Good work out. But if you want flat and far, the Trailway is your ticket to joy.
Skate through life at Fair Park
Fair Park
A purely Winter activity: From November 26 through January 2, Fair Park transforms into a snowy paradise with millions of twinkle lights, a mesmerizing Christmas Light Maze, and a unique ice-skating trail that winds around a forested path.
Details: https://www.fairpark.org/events/detail/enchant-christmas
Image courtesy: Fairpark
Fort Worth Water Gardens
Pick a warm sunny day and you could have fun just people watching… or trying to follow the water droplets as they make their way down the seemingly endless staircase.
Klyde Warren Park in Downtown Dallas
This is worth it just for the people watching alone! Young families with kids, older couples… some college-age kids throwing a frisbee… this is one cure for the COVID quarantine blues. A fairly recent addition to the downtown scene (it sure wasn’t here when we last lived in the Dallas area), this park also benefits from being close to the Dallas Museum of Art: another gem (for non-pandemic times).
There’s Farmers’ Markets, Food Trucks and lawn games to explore!
Klyde Warren Park
1909 Woodall Rodgers Freeway
Dallas, TX 75201
Great Trinity Forest
Wait: Forest? In a City? That’s right! Most people don’t know that there is a hardwood forest hidden in plain sight, close to all the skyscrapers and interstate traffic. Oh, this is an oasis, alright! You think that New York’s 840 acre Central Park is big? Well, everything is bigger in Texas, right? Dallas has the 6,000 acre Great Trinity Forest. It’s billed as “a the largest urban bottomland hardwood forest in America “.
We haven’t yet explored all of it. There’s sure to be wildlife to be sighted year-long. And some of the trails are rejuvenating with their quietude.
There are many points of access: a lot depends on what mood you’re in, traffic from where you call home and… the degree of adventure you’re prepared for that day.
https://trinityrivercorridor.com/recreations/Pages/Great-Trinity-Forest.aspx
Dallas skyline from I-30 W
OK, this does not count as a single spot, so this is cheating. But… each time we drive into Dallas, headed West on I-30, the bridges across the Trinity River are a sight to behold, the downtown buildings rise majestically and (if you’re not the driver), there are plenty of photo ops.
If you don’t want to start all the way in Fort Worth, just take Loop 12 S from 114 or 183, and exit to I-30W. Soon as you tackle the sub-optimal on-ramp, you will be rewarded with some good views. Just be sure not to get stuck behind an 18-wheeler!
Walk, run or bike around the White Rock Lake
I ran my first 10-miler around this lake. The trail is well-paved and there are several points of access with parking (usually) available. The trail is a 9-mile loop, well maintained and is varied: you run past some old Dallas mansions such as the Hunt house, past the marina, beside the Arboretum and you’ll share it with runners, walkers, cyclists and bird watchers. Just be sure to shout out “passing on your left” if you overtake someone. One surprising tidbit: the lake spans over 1,000 acres.
Suggested place to park: near Winfrey Point. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/FWRYYsDKMmFPuBn38
More details on the park at: https://whiterockdallas.org/the-park/
Katy Trail in downtown Dallas
I love trains! And what happens to the rails when train traffic goes down? Well, in best case scenario, it gets converted to a trail. That is what happened to an important freight train route that was important in a by-gone era: it is now the Katy trail. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas railway was shortened to the K-T then to Katy. A good origin story, right?
There are restrooms on the south end of the trail and if you avoid busy weekend afternoons, you could actually experience a city from a different perspective. It’s a 7-mile round-trip if walked end to end and back.
Get the detailed maps with access points at: https://katytraildallas.org/trail-info/
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
You want to be transported to a faraway place that is a short drive away? Go here. Really, do.
You could drive by Lake Worth. Hike trails of differing difficulty. Or simply saunter across the water to an island. View lots of birds.
We were surprised by this place. A must return on our list. (Again, we will post photos later).
Details: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wildlife/wildlife-trails/ppww/lake-worth-loop
Bishop Art District in Dallas
Not quite as trained in the Arts as our cousin, we still appreciate good art. The Bishop Art District has some quirky stuff by local artists. A good walk with good restaurants nearby, this is a contender for a lazy Saturday brunch activity.
Thank you Lakshmi and Prabhu Garu … Just in time for holidays to get out and explore.