End-of-summer fun

6 kid-friendly DFW adventures for one last hurrah before school starts

For parents with school-age children, the end of summer is near. Most Dallas-Fort Worth districts start school the week of August 10, meaning there are a just a couple weeks left for any last-minute summer fun. Looking for ways to keep the kids entertained during summer's home stretch? Here are six nearby destinations (including one slightly out of DFW, in Waco) great for getting out of the house or even a quick overnight getaway. All will provide for top-notch memory-making before the back-to-school preparations begin.

Dig World
Construction becomes entertainment at this adventure park that opened in July at Grapevine Mills. Dig World allows families to operate full-size construction equipment, from excavators and pavement rollers to bulldozers and skid steers, making dig dreams come true for little construction enthusiasts. The Grapevine location is Dig World’s second (the first opened in Katy in 2022) and features exclusive attractions developed in partnership with Dude Perfect, the popular YouTube entertainers known for their trick shots. Challenges range from sky-high barrel ball throws to sinking putts using a giant, custom-built putter connected to an excavator.
Good to know: Paid admission is required for everyone who enters. There is an on-site snack bar that sells beer.
Tickets & hours: Single day passes start at $30 for weekday admission. Hours are 9 am-4 pm daily.

Activate
Kids can swap their gaming consoles for real life gameplay action at Activate, an immersive, uber high-tech indoor gaming experience that puts participants in the middle of fast-paced tasks that challenge physical and mental agility. Explore up to a dozen different digitally powered rooms, each offering a unique skills test like dodging laser beams, hopping on the correct colors on a floor grid, and completing push button sequences while hiding from a giant glowing eye. Each room is identified by a simple one-word description, such as “Grid,” “Hoops,” “Control,” and “Portals.” Participants can play solo or work in teams (such as parents and kids, or groups of friends) and even earn points for prizes. Activate has locations in Dallas' University Park, Plano, and Southlake.
Good to know: The minimum age for play is six, and children 13 and under must have an adult present during play, although admission is not required if not playing. (So parents, bring your laptop or a good book, if desired.) On-site lockers are complimentary for storing personal belongings.
Tickets & hours: Tickets start at $20.99 for 60 minutes, but 90-minute timeslots are available and range from $27.99 to $37.99 for peak times. Hours are 10 am-10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 10 am-11 pm Friday and Saturday.

Universal Kids Resort
The first-of-its-kind theme park from Universal Destinations and Experiences opened in early July on 32 acres in Frisco, designed with younger children (3-8) in mind. Seven themed “lands” are inspired by franchises from DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Illumination, and Universal, including Jurassic World, SpongeBob SquarePants, Shrek, Minions, Trolls, Puss in Boots, and a central “Isle of Curiosity.” Attractions vary from land to land, ranging from family-friendly rides and water play zones to themed shopping and dining. Little ones will love the character meet-and-greets, including appearances by a Jurassic World baby raptor and a Trolls techno dance party.
Good to know: The property includes a 300-room Universal Kids Resort Hotel with bunk beds, a resort-style pool, and arcade. Note that admission to the theme park is not included with stays, but hotel package deals are available and overnight guests receive early entry to the park at 9 am.
Tickets & hours: Tickets start at $64.99 for one-day general admission for the rest of July and through early August for ages 2 and older. The park is open daily at 10 am and closes at 7 pm on weekdays and 8 pm on weekends.

Fritz's Adventure is worth the trek to The Colony. Fritz's

Fritz’s Adventure
Kids and adults alike who love physical quests will find fun challenges at this Branson, Missouri-based adventure park in The Colony. Explore mazes, tunnels, a ropes course, ziplining, a 48-foot climbing wall, and even a suspended airplane. The name “Fritz” comes from the classic story by Johann Wyss, The Swiss Family Robinson, about a child who loves to explore.
Good to know: Anyone 15 and under must have an adult present during play, and admission is required for all guests. There is a café on-site that sells snacks, pizza, nachos, and even beer.
Tickets & hours: General admission for those over 4 years old is $26.99 and includes most activities. (Children 4 and under get in free, but must be accompanied by an adult with paid admission.) There’s also an “All Access” ticket for $36.99 reserved for those 55 inches or taller that includes access to all attractions, including the TreeTops Zipline Course. Fritz's is open at 10 am daily, and closes at 6 pm on Sunday, 7 pm Monday through Thursday, and 8 pm Friday and Saturday.

Dig World/Facebook

Dig into construction-themed activities at Dig World.

Slick City Action Park
Playground fun goes indoors at this slide park that has locations in North Dallas, Frisco, Plano, Arlington, Colleyville, and Denton. Slides range from straight downhill to curvy and rollercoaster-like, with mats and grip socks ($5) required for riding. Slides are named to describe their experience, like “Rush,” “Mega Launch,” and “Avalanche.” Slick City also offer a bouncy Air Court for basketball.
Good to know: All slides are for children four and older and intended to be ridden forward-facing. Children three and under may play in the Soft Play and Air Court areas for a different ticket price. Admission is not required if not partaking in attractions, so parents can relax on-site while the kids run wild.
Tickets & hours: Tickets start at $25.99 for 90 minutes and max at $30.99 for two hours. Junior tickets for those three and under start at $13.99 and don’t include slides, but do include a Soft Play area and the Air Court. Hours are 10 am-8:30 pm daily.

Waco Surf Lagoon The summer season at Waco Surf is on. Photo courtesy of Waco Surf

Waco Surf
Those looking for a unique day-long excursion or an overnight getaway will like Waco Surf for its surprising list of attractions and amenities, about 90 minutes from DFW. For one, the destination is home to the world's longest lazy river, at one full mile. Guests can grab an innertube and float for hours under shade trees with their own cooler of snacks, drinks, and a portable speaker.

But what draws visitors from around the world is Waco Surf’s two-and-a-half-acre, man-made lagoon that pumps “always perfect” waves. Expert surfers and beginners alike can take advantage of precision conditions to improve their skills or simply learn the sport. Non-surfers will be mesmerized by the constant show on the water, which can be viewed via a sandy beach with lounge chairs, a nearby pool with a swim-up bar, or on a covered deck with rocking chairs. Other activities include a swimming hole with an array of slides that propel participants into the water, fishing, kayaking, hiking, biking, and dining.

Good to know: Waco Surf is located 20 minutes northeast of the city in a rural area with winding roads. The waterpark area, including the lazy river and slide pool, is BYOB and BYO picnic, but outside alcohol is not permitted in the surf lagoon area. (There are multiple cocktail bars, however.) Plush overnight accommodations are available, including cabins that dot the sprawling property and motel rooms, some that provide floor-to-ceiling views of the wave lagoon. Rates start at $259 and include admission to the waterpark and beach area.
Tickets & hours: Admission starts at $39 for waterpark access, or $49 for both waterpark and surf lagoon beach access. Separate tickets are required for surf sessions and lessons. Waco Surf offers a waterpark family special for Texas residents that includes two adults and two children (6-16) for $99. Waterpark hours are 12-6 pm Monday through Friday and 11 am-7 pm Saturday and Sunday. Surf lagoon hours start at 8 am daily and may run all the way until 11 pm for night surfing by appointment.

vacation summer vacation theme park waco families

Movie Review

Spanish film La Bola Negra showcases unique slice of gay history

Photo by Carla Oset/Netflix

Miguel Bernardeau and Guitarricadelafuente in La Bola Negra.

For a long time — too long — gay characters in movies tended to appear as either side characters with no real stories or as tragic figures who were usually unable to express their true selves for fear of what the world at large would think. That has changed in recent years, but the remnants of the past can still haunt, as the new film La Bola Negra demonstrates.

The film takes shape in storylines involving three different men: Carlos (Milo Quifes), a young man in Granada, Spain in 1932 who wants to join an exclusive casino (aka social club); Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente), who unwillingly joins the military during the Spanish Civil War in 1937, only to have desires aroused in him when he’s asked to guard an enemy detainee; and Alberto (Carlos González), an out gay man in 2017 whose inheritance from his recently-deceased grandfather opens up a world he knew nothing about.

The film goes back and forth between each man, detailing how they handle their individual situations and the complications that arise in their individual lives. Along the way their stories are deepened through people they meet who either welcome them with open arms or shun them for various reasons. While tragedy bonds their stories, so too does hope, resistance, and love.

Co-director/co-writers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, along with co-writer Alberto Conejero, have expanded Conejero’s play, La Piedra Oscura, which was inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca’s unfinished play, La Bola Negra. Lorca, who was killed during the Spanish Civil War, had only finished four pages of the work, his first to feature an openly gay protagonist. It’s clear there’s a desire by the filmmakers to honor the legacy of Lorca as both a playwright and a gay man, and the seriousness of their pursuit is evident throughout the film’s 160 minutes.

Calvo and Ambrossi do little handholding to guide viewers through the three distinct stories, an approach that mostly works but occasionally leads to confusion, especially as more characters are added to the equation. None of the stories are overly complicated, but they take their time with each, making the long film feel even longer. Only Alberto’s story contains any kind of development that might be considered surprising, making it tough to fully engage with the other two.

Where the film does come alive is when it brings in two well-known actors for brief-but-fascinating stints. Penélope Cruz plays Nené Romero, a singer who entertains the troops and further expands Sebastián’s mind. Glenn Close pops up as Isabelle Durand, a scholar of Lorca who helps Alberto with a unique discovery he makes in his inheritance. Both actors bring up the level of the film significantly through their performances.

Quifes, Guitarricadelafuente (the stage name of Spanish singer Álvaro Lafuente Calvo, no relation to Javier), and González all put in good work in their roles, even if none are overly engaging. They are often overshadowed by supporting actors like Cruz and Close, as well as Miguel Bernardeau as Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, the captured soldier; Julio Torres as Alberto’s partner, and Alberto Cortés as Lorca, who brings a symmetry to the film as a whole.

La Bola Negra — which means “the black ball,” represented both literally and figuratively in the film — is an ambitious film that becomes a slight victim of its filmmakers’ aspirations. Although each of the three stories contain interesting elements, a strong emotional connection is lacking overall despite good-to-great performances.

---

La Bola Negra is now playing in select theaters; it debuts on Netflix on December 2.

movies film