Darleen’s 10 Summer To-Do’s

Here are some suggestions for summer fun! The activities come from a list that appeared in Texas Highways May issue, and the locations are my suggestions. For each activity I have listed a local place (or two) to find it, as well as a location that you could take a road trip to. Summer is all about good times- now that’s a must do!

1. Find Nemo (see some sea life). Sea Life Grapevine Aquarium 3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy, Grapevine. Texas State Aquarium, on Corpus Christi’s North Shore, next to Battleship Lexington.

2. Climb Every Wall.

Dyno Rock Indoor Climbing Center 608 East Front St., Arlington

North Texas Outdoor Pursuit Center 1003 Fourth Ave, Carrollton- inside the historic silos in downtown Carrollton and boasting the tallest indoor climbing routes in the world!

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area- 17 miles north of Fredericksburg in my beloved Hill Country- this is outdoors, so go early before the rock heats up!

3. A River Remote (Get to one)! By definition, this is a place that isn’t too close, but for the local suggestion I’ve chosen the Brazos River, which can be accessed in Cleburn, Glen Rose and Weatherford. For a road trip that’s only a half day away, I recommend the Guadalupe River. If you do go, stay in Wimberley, it’s a beautiful little town that needs your tourist dollars to help recover from the May floods. If you’re up for a real honest to goodness road trip there’s no river more remote or more in thestate than the Rio Grande, and Big Bend is the place to see it.

4. Rock Out (Doors).

Panther Pavillion in Fort Worth on the Trinity River.

Leavitt Pavillion in Arlington, where all the shows are free, except one per year, which pays forthe other free shows!

Whitewater Amphitheater at Canyon Lake, on the banks of the Guadalupe. This is an amazing venue on the lake where I grew up, very cool with breezes coming off the river, camping is also available.

5. That’ll Float (tube, kayak or raft)!

Canoe Dallas does tours on the Elm, West Forks and Main Stem of the Trinity River on the second Saturday of each month. They also rent canoes and kayaks- canoedallas.com

After the Hill Country, my second favorite place in Texas is Port Aransas on Mustang Island. It’s there you can learn how to surf and stand up paddle-board with texassurfcamps.com, who offer individual and group classes for adults and kids.

For an extensive list of Texas Paddling Trails, go to: tpwd.texas.gov

6. Cinema Al Fresco (see a movie in the wild).

Nasher Sculpture Center at 2001 Flora St., Dallas has free movies every third Friday of the month through October- bring a blanket or lawn chair. Nashersculpturecenter.org

Corral Theatre in Wimberley really is in a big corral! Showing movies Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights through September 6th there is a $5 admission. Corraltheatre.org

7. Roper’s Delight.

Mesquite Championship Rodeo is going on now through Ausgust 29th, every Friday and Saturday night. Finals are August 28 and 29 with a $21,000 purse!

XIT Rodeo and Reunion at Dalhart’s Rita Blanca Park August 6-8. This is the big one folks, been going on since 1936. Free BBQ feeds- now ya can’t beat that!

8. Summer Drama.

Shakespeare Dallas is performing “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream” in Samuel Grand Park through August 2nd.

The Ultimate in outdoor theater in our fair state is “Texas the Outdoor Musical”, performed in Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo. This summer is the 50th anniversary of the musical, which runs through August 15. Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in the U.S., and an amazing setting for the play that changes just a bit each year.

9. Putt Putt Paradise.

Buffalo Nickles at 241 Elk Dr in Burleson is said to be one of the nicest courses in DFW. Hole 17 putts through a mineshaft that’s under a waterfall! $3 admission, plus $3 per game.

Hidden Valley at 8621 Jacksboro Hwy in Lakeside features multi-level holes, a spacious layout and well kept grounds. $7 adults, $3 kids under 4 feet tall.

Cool Crest Golf in San Antonio at 1402 Fredericksburg Rd is one of the oldest continuously operating miniature golf courses in the world! Opened in 1929, Cool crest boasts two challenging but family friendly 18 hole courses. $7 per game, or a 2 game ticket for $9.

10. Board, not Bored (get on a wakeboard)!

Cowtown Wake Park is on the banks of the Trinity River at 1301 E. Northside Dr. in Fort Worth. Learn to ride weekdays 10 am to Noon for only $15 including board rental and park pass. If you already know what you’re doing, you can do it ALL here: wakeboarding, kneeboarding and wakeskating.

Dallas Fort Worth Waterski & Wakeboard School is on a private lake just East of McKinney. This place has water that is protected from the wind, so it’s always smooth. State of the art facility, with in-helmet speakers so the instructors can coach you while you’re actually on the water. Dfwski.com

Texas Ski Ranch is just outside New Braunfels on I-35. This is on a private lake as well, featuring 3 cable systems and a boat lake. Coaching and beginner cables, plus jumps and challenges for advanced riders. I had to leave you off in the Hill Country where I was raised and love so much- I know you’ll love it, too!