Wildflower watch

Famed Ennis bluebonnets perk up and peek out for their 2022 spring show

They're not quite bountiful seas of color yet.

Facebook/Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival

Wildflower watchers who've been doing rain dances: Keep on grooving. The bluebonnets are coming, but they need some more help. The Ennis Bluebonnet Trails, considered one of the best places in Texas to see the beloved state flower, are opening for the season Friday, April 1 and running through April 30, 2022.

The Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival, annually held at the peak of bluebonnet season, is set for April 8-10.

Event organizers have been posting daily bluebonnet updates on their website and social media pages, and up until late March, things weren't sounding too encouraging. While bluebonnet season typically starts in late March, an unusually dry fall, winter, and spring have delayed the season around the state, spotters report.

Last week's rain showers across Dallas-Fort Worth helped the Ennis fields. It seems more storms are on the way Tuesday night.

"The bluebonnets are starting to peek after the rain we had last week and the sunshine over the weekend," a spokesperson for Ennis Bluebonnet Trails says. "We expect the rain this week to really bring them out."

For the uninitiated, Ennis Bluebonnet Trails wind visitors through 40 miles of picturesque wildflowers, and they're free to drive. Ennis was named the Official Bluebonnet Trail of Texas and the Official Bluebonnet City of Texas by the 1997 State Legislature, and Ennis' trails are the oldest known trails in the state.

Those interested in making the trek about 40 miles southeast of Dallas can check out maps and updates on the website and social media channels.

Bluebonnet seekers can download the Ennis Y’all mobile app to get all the information on smartphones, then plan to stop by the Ennis Welcome Center (open daily in April, except Easter Sunday, April 17), for guidance on getting the most out of their visit.

A favorite DFW tradition is driving the trails and finding picturesque spots for photos along the way, then returning to historic downtown Ennis for the annual festival.

This year marks the 70th annual Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival, presented by the Ennis Garden Club. It will run 10 am April 8 through 6 pm April 10 and will feature food, a beer garden, a wine wander, shopping, children's activities, bluebonnet souvenirs, and live entertainment throughout the weekend; admission is just $5.

According to a news release, the 2022 festival entertainment lineup will include Infinite Journey, a high energy Journey cover band; and the headliner, country star Rick Trevino. Fireworks will cap off Friday and Saturday night festivities.

The Downtown Ennis Bluebonnet Market, located on North Dallas Street, opens every Saturday from 8 am to 12 pm, April through October. It sells fresh produce, baked goods, artisan gifts, jewelry, clothing, and more.

At least at the beginning of bluebonnet season, visitors are encouraged to call, email, or check out the Bluebonnet Trails website for the latest status of the bluebonnets before driving out to the trails.

Now, resume those rain dances. Find a much longer list of the best places this spring for bluebonnets in DFW and around Texas here.

nature

Grandscape goals

Soccer and dining venue from the UK gears up for U.S. debut in The Colony

Photo courtesy of TOCA Social

TOCA Social will make its U.S. debut in Grandscape in The Colony.

In time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup frenzy taking hold of Dallas, a soccer-themed entertainment and dining venue from the United Kingdom will make its U.S. debut in DFW this spring: Called Toca Social, it will open at The Grandscape complex in The Colony on March 6.

First announced for Grandscape in 2024, Toca Social combines soccer, entertainment, and dining, with a state-of-the-art venue and innovative soccer-based games. (A Toca Social was originally planned for Dallas, but that location was scrapped.)

The concept was founded by two-time U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS player Eddie Lewis and is backed by soccer legend Abby Wambach. It's billed as "the world’s first soccer social club" and only has three other locations - two in London and one in Birmingham, England.

“Toca was born from my obsession with the technical side of the game and the belief that a soccer ball should be at everyone’s feet,” says Lewis in the release. “After seeing the incredible reception in the UK, bringing our Social flagship home to the U.S. — and specifically to a soccer-rich market like Dallas — is a dream realized. We’ve created a place where the skill of the pros meets the energy of a world-class night out.”

Toca Social soccer Toca Social coming to Granscape in March 2026. Toca Social

The 20,000-square-foot high-tech venue features "social boxes" where players kick soccer balls against a screen that keeps score on best kicks. Cleats are not required. They tout their proprietary ball-delivery and tracking technology — an evolution of the "small ball" training method Lewis used during his 14-year professional career, the release says.

“Soccer is the ultimate unifier, but for too long, the 'entry fee' was being a pro-level athlete,” says Wambach in the release. “Toca Social is changing that narrative. This Dallas-area flagship is where the next generation of American soccer culture is being built.”

Sustenance comes by way of a chef-driven “Global Street Food” menu featuring Birria Tacos and Spicy Fried Chicken; along with a bar program that includes something called a "Pitch Invader" cocktail, which the release does not describe but calls a fan favorite.

There are massive 4K screens, ensuring Toca Social will be a premier location for FIFA World Cup watch parties this summer. Nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in June and July. Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will serve as the official will also serve as the International Broadcast Center.

Toca currently operates another concept, Toca Soccer and Sports Centers, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with locations in Allen, Carrollton, The Colony, Keller, and Mansfield. The company also has a strategic partnership with MLS club, FC Dallas.

“Our partnership with MLS is a cornerstone of our mission to engage fans in innovative new ways,” says Yoshi Maruyama, CEO of Toca. “By launching our U.S. Flagship at Grandscape now, we are providing a world-class destination where fans can play, dine, and celebrate the global game."

Reservations are now open at Toca Social in Grandscape for group outings, celebrations, corporate events, and matchday gatherings.

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Raven Jordan contributed to this report.

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