enjoy the outdoors

Get in free to all Texas state parks on one day only this fall

Cedar Hill State Park is one of the many Texas State Parks that will have free admission on November 3.

tpwd.texas.gov/

Calling all outdoorsy Dallasites: Keep an eye the forecast for Sunday, November 3, because you won't want to miss out on free admission to all Texas state parks in celebration of Texas State Parks Day.

The free admission day is a new tradition after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) celebrated its centennial in 2023. In a press release, Texas State Parks director Rodney Franklin said he hopes the event encourages Texans of all ages to explore and enjoy Texas' natural beauty.

"Any day in a Texas state park is a good day," said Franklin. "[All Texans] are invited to visit a park that is new to you, take a friend and try a new adventure."

Cedar Hill State Park is the closest park for residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The park has about 1,200 acres of trails for hiking and biking, plus 350 campsites, the Penn Farm Agricultural Center, and more. Visitors are also welcome to fish in the 7,500-acre Joe Pool Lake, which is full of largemouth black bass, crappie, and catfish.

"We have two lighted fishing jetties and a perch pond for kids," the park's website says. "We also have two four-lane boat ramps and lighted boat trailer parking. You do not need a fishing license to fish from shore or pier in a state park."

Visitors can swim, boat, fish, and relax at Joe Pool Lake at Cedar Hill State Park.tpwd.texas.gov/

TPWD lauds Cedar Hill as an "urban oasis" and says the park feels like "a world away from the city" due to its location 20 miles from downtown Dallas.

"Relax by the lake, tour an old Texas farm, or explore our rugged limestone hills and rare prairie pockets," the website says.

For North Texans who are keen on a weekend road trip to take advantage of the free admission day, two parks should be at the top of the list: Garner State Park (360 miles southwest of Dallas) and Palo Duro Canyon State Park (about 380 miles northwest of Dallas). The two popular parks recently appeared among the top 10 best state parks in the nation, according to the 2024 HomeToGo State Park Index.

But if traveling long distances isn't in the cards for that weekend, there's always one of the many nearby state parks across North Texas, such as:

Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose
Cleburne State Park
Lake Mineral Wells State Park and Trailway
Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway
Ray Roberts Lake State Park, Pilot Point
Lake Tawakoni State Park, Wills Point
Purtis Creek State Park, Eustace

A full list of parks and a map of the closest nearby can be found on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website.

dallas fort worth free admission north texas state parks texas parks and wildlife department texas state parks

Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

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