All Tracks Lead to Grapevine

Grapevine's nonstop schedule of fun promises a 'dino-mite' summer

Come face to face with Grapevine's fossil-filled past.

Photo courtesy of Visit Grapevine

This summer, Grapevine transforms into a playground of prehistoric beasts, musical beats, lakeside leaps, and more.

Whether you're in town for a weekend or settling in for a season of fun, Grapevine offers a dizzying array of adventures for every kind of explorer, from fossil-hunters to wine-sippers, art lovers to escape-room sleuths.

Here’s a roundup of the biggest events lighting up Grapevine in June and beyond.

Prehistoric playground: All tracks lead to Grapevine
Dinosaurs are making a comeback in Grapevine, which has been the site of exciting dinosaur discoveries since 1974.

From now through August 31, Historic Main Street is dotted with dino tracks leading to themed treats, hands-on exhibits, and full-sized fossil fun.

Kids (and their grown-ups) can pilot simulation pods at the Be the Dinosaur exhibit, devour chocolate dinosaur lollipops from Dr. Sue’s Chocolate, bite into dino cupcakes at Main Street Bistro & Bakery, make your own colorful dino egg at Vetro Glassblowing Studio, contribute to an eight-foot chalk mural at Holder Dane Gallery & Art Studios, and board the Grapevine Vintage Railroad for Dinos on the Tracks, a Jurassic joyride featuring friendly dinos.

Grapevine train All aboard for adventure.Photo courtesy of Visit Grapevine

For those seeking a bird’s eye view of ancient stomping grounds, the Grapevine Observation Tower offers a 150-foot-high panorama of dino territory.

At Historic Nash Farm, the action continues with a life-size dino dig garden and tales from the notorious 19th-century "Bone Wars" fossil feud. Over at the Grapevine Public Library, guest speakers bring paleontology to life through games and hands-on learning, from fossils and ancient ecosystems to local discoveries like the Ampelognathus coheni.

Each week, catch dino-themed Cartoons & Crafts at the Lancaster Theatre, and enjoy classic dinosaur flicks at the Historic Palace Theatre. Over at Peace Plaza, sunlight becomes your artistic assistant during shadow tracing sessions with massive dinosaur shapes.

Want to take your adventure outdoors? Hike the Dino Trail along the C. Shane Wilbanks and Wall-Farrar Trails, where you just might spot a fossil or two while discovering more about Grapevine’s place in paleontological history.

Kids can test their explorer instincts in Pterodactyl Wings Alley (aka Weems Alley), where flying reptiles hang overhead, and pose for a prehistoric photo opp in a safari-style dinosaur Jeep at Liberty Park Plaza.

History buffs will appreciate the hands-on activities at the Settlement to City Museums, where you can print your own dinosaur cards and see a real Hadrosaur track at the Grapevine Historic Museum’s Ice House exhibit. Meanwhile, Grapevine City Hall displays authentic bones and fossils from the region’s own prehistoric past.

Summer onstage, in the sky, and under the sun
If you prefer superheroes over sauropods, head to Gaylord Texan Resort for the brand-new Universe of Light. This glowing spectacle features 1,000 handcrafted lanterns and LED-powered tableaus of DC superheroes and villains — think Metropolis meets immersive art gallery.

Gaylord Texan Resort Universe of Light Calling all superheroes to Gaylord Texan Resort.Photo courtesy of Gaylord Texan Resort

Meanwhile, Great Wolf Lodge is cranking up the volume with live concerts handpicked by country star Gabby Barrett. Performers like Travis Denning and Tyler Farr will keep the weekends lively, while the resort’s upgraded water park ensures daytime splashing is just as exciting.

Lake Grapevine’s WhoaZone is back with inflatable slides, floating cabanas, and a seriously bouncy obstacle course that’s perfect for adventurous spirits.

And don't miss thisssss: Repticon on June 28-29. From slithering snakes to rare lizards, this exotic pet expo at the Grapevine Convention Center is for anyone curious about the creepier side of the animal kingdom.

Sip, savor, and solve
Wine lovers, rejoice: Grapevine’s Summer Solstice Wine Trail on June 21 invites you to sip through seven winery tasting rooms along Historic Main Street, each offering curated pairings and a commemorative glass. For a tropical twist, Messina Hof is pouring summer-inspired wines paired with flavors like coconut and pineapple at their Tropical Tastes & Perfect Pairings evening on June 28.

Grapevine wine Cheers to the longest day of the year.Photo by Kevin Brown

If you're up for a challenge, step inside the Enchanted Cottage escape room at The Grapevine Escape, where Clarence the Wizard has left a mess of magical proportions. Your mission? Clean up the chaos before he returns.

A city that sings
Every Friday night in June, Grapevine Main LIVE! brings Peace Plaza to life with tribute concerts. From '70s disco to Fleetwood Mac and Bryan Adams celebrations, each evening promises high-energy fun under the stars.

For a performance with purpose, don’t miss The Longest Day 12-hour Concert on June 21. Musician Joshua Ingram will play from sunup to sundown as part of a global Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser. Bring $12, 12 friends, and your best dance moves for a cause worth supporting.

Whether you’re grooving to live music, floating through a neon-lit Gotham City, or digging for dino bones, Grapevine’s summer calendar is anything but ordinary. Start planning your adventure at GrapevineTexasUSA.com.

grapevine vacations dinosaurs grapevine wine trail concerts music universe of light marvel gaylord texan great wolf lodge lake grapevine the longest day concert grapevine main live promoted

Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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Movie Review

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney go off in trashy film The Housemaid