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

The Dink aces pickleball with funny, star-filled comedy

Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

Mary Steenburgen and Jake Johnson in The Dink.

While the sport of pickleball was invented way back in the 1960s, it has exploded in popularity in the 2020s. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make a movie about the craze, and a comedy like the new Apple TV film The Dink provides the best way to honor and make fun of the divisive sport at the same time.

Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), aka The Hammer, is a former tennis phenom who’s now working as an instructor at a club owned by his dad, Chuck (Ed Harris). While the two don’t always see eye-to-eye, they have a mutual hatred for pickleball, which they have begrudgingly allowed on the property by giving it the worst court.

Dusty is hoping to stop all future pickleball expansion by winning a one-on-one grudge match, but when he injures his wrist, he’s given a prescription of pickleball as a form of rehab. Older women like Candace (Mary Steenburgen) are the only people he can find to play with, and despite his disdain for the sport, he soon falls prey to its low-key charms.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper) and written by Sean Clements, the film is probably the best advertisement pickleball will ever have. Dusty’s introduction to the sport serves as a lighthearted tutorial for the uninitiated while still getting in some nice digs at its expense. The other players - Candace, Gail (Cleo King), and Judy (Lynn Marie Stewart) - are equally welcoming and critical of Dusty, who initially has trouble adjusting to the game’s different rules.

The film’s approach to the story is silly but never stupid. Dusty is a blowhard, but he’s also able to admit when he’s wrong, especially when Candace introduces him to multiple things he had never considered before. A long-standing feud between Dusty and Andy Roddick provides more than just a goofy cameo for the real-life tennis star. The film also pushes right to the edge of being over-the-top before pulling back, allowing it to keep a semblance of reality to it.

Clements’ story follows a tried-and-true formula, making the film very predictable but enjoyably so. Where it earns its comedy credentials is in its finer details, like Dusty’s love for his 1999 Buick LeSabre with under 200,000 miles on it, his trunk full of old VHS tapes, or his interactions with his assistant PJ (Aaron Chen), who manages to be the comic relief in an already funny film.

Johnson, probably best known for starring in the sitcom New Girl in the 2010s, has the right amount of smarm and niceness to pull off the role, letting viewers laugh at and root for him at the same time. The film is full of comedy all-stars in small roles like Oswalt, Chris Parnell, and Ben Stiller, but Harris steals everyone’s thunder. The line readings by the four-time Oscar nominee give an extra punch to his character’s jokes, especially one that hints at the sordid history of the tennis club.

It’s a shame that The Dink is only playing on a streaming service as there’s a dearth of good comedies like this in movie theaters. With a solid joke-telling approach, a respect for its subject matter, and a cast who all play off each other well, this is a film that deserves to be seen by more than just those with an Apple TV subscription.

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The Dink is now streaming on Apple TV.

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