This Week's Hot Headlines

Guy Fieri chows down on Dallas barbecue in this week's top 5 stories

See Slow Bone on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in April.

Photo courtesy of Slow Bone

Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week features another appearance by Guy Fieri and another development regarding the downtown Neiman Marcus. Plus, a big round of Dallas restaurant openings to know about. Dig into the most popular Dallas stories below, and find your best bets for the weekend in our handy event planner.

1. Dallas BBQ joint gets down with Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. A chef-driven BBQ restaurant in Dallas is headed to Flavortown: Slow Bone, the Texas barbecue restaurant from acclaimed chef Jeffery Hobbs, will appear on Food Network in April in an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, the series hosted by the effervescent Guy Fieri.

2. Lots of fun new openings elevate this Dallas restaurant news roundup. There's no shortage of dining news around Dallas, with a slew of openings, spring menus, and limited-edition bites.

3. Halal gyro chain from St. Louis opens first Dallas restaurant in Plano. A new restaurant specializing in gyro sandwiches has made its Texas debut: Called Soulard Gyro, it’s a fast-casual concept founded in St. Louis opening its first Texas location in Plano in a former Rockfish space at 4701 W. Park Blvd #105, where it opened on February 17.

Soulard gyro sandwich and fries. Photo courtesy of Soulard

4. L.A. team opens Italian steakhouse in Carte Blanche Dallas space. A new Italian restaurant that brings a lot to the table has opened in Dallas: Called Ocean Ranch, it opened on March 4 at 2114 Greenville Ave., the space that was previously home to award-winning restaurant Carte Blanche.

5. City of Dallas obtains mystery land deed for downtown Neiman Marcus. There's a new chapter in the ongoing breakup saga between the city of Dallas and Neiman Marcus, the luxury retailer which is closing its longtime location in downtown Dallas at the end of March.

Water Park Fun

Hurricane Harbor Arlington unveils sprawling new water playground

Photo courtesy of Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington.

Splash Island at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington features tons of new family attractions.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Arlington, the largest water park in North Texas, has unveiled a massive new water attraction for summer 2025: Called Splash Island, it's a new water playground with 17 slides and more than 100 interactive water features such as water cannons, water wheels, dumping buckets, and spray hoses.

According to a release, it'll make its official debut on July 15.

The ride has a huge footprint, taking up 58,000 square feet, making it officially the largest attraction at Hurricane Harbor — so large that it replaces two previous attractions, Splashwater Beach and Surf Rider.

Its emphasis is on family, with the following features:

a multi-level, 50-foot treehouse play structure
17 water slides with plenty of drops and twists
110 interactive water features
huge splash pad
gigantic tipping bucket carrying 1,000 gallons of water

The tipping bucket tips over guests every 6-8 minutes. It’s the first tipping bucket of this size at Hurricane Harbor.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is the water-centric sibling to Six Flags Over Texas, the iconic amusement park in Arlington. Hurricane Harbor is on the north side of I-30, across from Globe Life Field, and features more than 40 rides and attractions like Typhoon Twister and Tsunami Surge.

Other new stuff
Also new for the 2025 season is the reimagined Smokehouse on the Water restaurant featuring an all-new menu consisting of brisket and pulled pork and side dishes like house-made macaroni & cheese, chopped salad, and cornbread.

Other park enhancements include new double-decker family cabanas with beach furniture, updated restrooms, themed murals, and a fresh look throughout the park.

“Splash Island was designed with our families in mind," says Hurricane Harbor Park Manager Heather Blair in a statement. "It provides tons of fun for kids and parents alike, and a place for everyone to relax in the nearby cabanas while they savor our new food and beverage offerings.”

Hurricane Harbor Arlington is open daily through August 10, and then on weekends through Labor Day.

kids families water parks openings