Splash Attack

From pools to parks, your summer guide to water fun in Dallas-Fort Worth

Kid jumping into swimming pool at The Village

Dive into summer.

The Village/Facebook

How are we all getting through this scorching Texas summer? Water. Lots and lots of water. Not only chugging it, but swimming, plunging, and luxuriating in it all season long.

It's an added bonus that exercising in the water is easier on your joints, so take this opportunity to burn a few calories while being kind to your body — and keeping it cool.

Surf
Goodsurf doesn't open in Deep Ellum until next year, but you can still raise your adrenaline in the water all across DFW.

Start with amusement park standbys NRH20 in North Richland Hills and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor for big-time thrills, or combine your pool time with a staycation at Great Wolf Lodge.

Catch a wave at Hawaiian Falls in The Colony and Garland or hop onto the Flowrider at Epic Waters to boogie board or surf.

Dallas-area teens can score free passes to Bahama Beach Waterpark (and other fun spots around town) this summer with the Teen All Access Pass program. For Dallas residents 13 to 17 years old, the Dallas Park and Recreation Department made 10,000 passes available on a first-come, first-serve basis, beginning July 3.

Several neighborhoods also sport tricked-out community pools, from Jack Carter in Plano to Water Works Park in Denton, WetZone Waterpark in Rowlett, and The Center in Bedford (also known as Bedford Splash).

And don't overlook The Village, which hosts water aerobics classes in the morning and the Deep End Pool series every Saturday and Monday and includes DJs and other live entertainment.

Swim
Hoping to work on your backstroke or get in a few laps before or after work? Sign up with a gym that offers pools for serious swimmers and take advantage of instructor-led classes to brush up on your swim skills.

Equinox, LifeTime Fitness, and LA Fitness all include water access at certain locations throughout DFW.

Dallas staple Cooper Fitness Center offers several different levels of swim coaching, from infants to adults, and covers everything from basic summer camp testing to triathlons and open-water swimming.

If swimming to you means lounging by the pool, look into ResortPass, a way to book a day (or weekend) access to pools, spas, and amenities at the area's swankiest hotels.

Spa
Maybe your mind needs the exercise more than your body, and in that case consider saunas, cold-plunge pools, and float tanks.

Take it to the extreme at Haven in Dallas, SweatHouz (with four locations across Dallas), or Fort Worth Float Company, which claims to boost immune systems and reduce swelling and inflammation with a cold exposure plunge you can book in advance.

You can also float in a tank filled with epsom salt there, as well as at Riviera Spa in Knox-Henderson and The Float Spot in Frisco.

Dive
Whether you've been inspired by The Little Mermaid or just can't be contained in a man-made swimming situation, now might be the perfect time to try scuba diving.

There are several places around DFW that will get you on the path to open-water certification, including Dive West, Lone Star Scuba, Scuba Bruce Diving, and International Scuba.

health fitness pools promoted

income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

The cost of raising a child has ballooned in major metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, forcing many families to weight the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas, that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support their stay-at-home partner and their child, the report found. If both parents worked in the household, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in North Texas, however, is slightly more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $22,337 to raise a child in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report's author says families will look for ways to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family