KidsOutAndAbout Weekly Newsletter |
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Thu, May 21: Carrollton Chalk Art Festival
Fri, May 22: The City of Lancaster Birthday Celebration: A Taste of Lancaster
Fri, May 29: Trinity Nights
Fri, Jun 5: Puppy Pals Live
Sat, Jun 6: Father-Son Field Day: Raceway Rumble
Sat, Jun 13: 2026 World Cup Viewing Party
Sat, Jun 13: Best Southwest Juneteenth Celebration
Fri, Jun 19: Little Elm Juneteenth Concert Presented By Cowboy Car Wreck
Sun, Jun 21: Father’s Day- Bahama Beach
Wed, Jul 15: Hamilton |
Dear KidsOutAndAbout readers:
For 25 years, one of my core missions with KidsOutAndAbout has been to make invisible things visible, to celebrate what local communities offer families. Everyone is busy, and local treasures are easy to miss. Our job is to point, spotlight, nudge, and say Look here. Try this. Bring the kids. But there’s another kind of invisibility worth fixing:
The people who create these experiences rarely get to see their full impact. They track tickets sold and kids enrolled, but may never hear that your child talked about their field trip for six months, found courage on their stage, or simply felt welcome exactly when they needed it. That’s why our annual Top 20 Places to Take Kids survey matters. Each summer, we ask readers to vote for their favorite local places to take kids.
The results help families see what other families love. The ranking and comments help local organizations see that their work matters. So your three minutes becomes both a recommendation and a thank-you. The survey is simple: Click on your three favorite local destinations. Then also, optionally, nominate favorites in special categories—like arts, sports, and STEM education—and leave comments that we’ll pass along to the people who make these experiences
happen. This year, we are excited to partner with Texas Lifestyle Magazine and DFW Motherhood on the survey... We'll all be shouting about the winners for 2026, so please make your voice heard all over Texas! Click here to vote in the 2026 edition of the survey. Choose either the Dallas or Fort Worth version, depending where you live. Help families find the places they’ll love, and help the people behind those places know they’re making a difference. The survey will be open until June 20.
—Debra Ross, publisher of
KidsOutAndAbout.com, co-author of The Eclipse Effect: How to Seize Extraordinary Moments to Build Strong Communities
P.S. You can check out the 2025 list here to see who won last year. |
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KidsOutAndAbout.com: Discover more. Do more. Connect more. If you like my publisher's column, you can easily scroll through past columns in the "Notes from Deb" section of our site. |
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Main Street Fest is a family-friendly festival in the heart of Historic Grapevine, Texas, that is three fun-filled days of delicious eats, shopping, a KidZone, live music, a carnival and midway, Grapevine Art Project Market and so much more!
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Good vibes and sweet treats are on the menu! Chefs will create colorful tie-dye grilled cheese sandwiches, build bright rainbow veggie skewers, and then head to the sundae station to craft their dream ice cream masterpiece using homemade ice cream and fun toppings.
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Join us for Opening Day at Hawaiian Waters The Colony on Saturday, May 16th from 11:30 AM–6 PM – or get in early at 11 AM with your 2026 Platinum Season Pass – plus another full day of fun on Sunday, May 17th from 11:30 AM–6 PM. Then we’re open daily starting May 23rd, just in time for nonstop slides, waves and lazy river days all summer long!
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Bird eggs are amazing! Join us for a tour through the incredible life of bird eggs. We'll learn how an egg is made, why it's the color it is, and how the chick survives inside! Then we'll look at some nests. Did you know that you can identifiy a bird by the nest it makes? You can and we'll learn a few tips to recognize common nests.
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Lights, Camera, Lawn: Zootopia 2! Join us at The Lawn on Saturday, May 16, at 7 p.m. to watch Zootopia 2! Enjoy the show with some treats from our local vendors.
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Fashion, Vendors, and Vibes. Start your day at the vendor market and fashion show, then come back for an unforgettable night of live music and entertainment. Two experiences, one extraordinary day, all in celebration of Black culture, creativity, and community.
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The dragon exhibit at Heard Museum will give families & friends a fun, educational activity to enjoy together. See the dragons move & hear them roar!
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Prepare for Adventure and Step Back in Time for the Time of Your Life into the 16th century world of the iconic Scarborough Renaissance Festival filled with lively entertainment, amazing artisanship, and interactive fun for everyone!
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Wander through a luminous world of imagination and see the wild in a whole new glow. Explore larger-than-life lanterns and towering sculptures inspired by wildlife and nature. Along the way, immerse yourself in captivating performances and interactive experiences – making each night an illuminating adventure!
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Kids Night Out/ Parents Night Off is a scheduled opportunity for parents to plan a date night for three hours by dropping off their kids at Pipe and Palette for an evening of painting, pizza, popcorn, and a movie. Kids Night Out is every Friday & Saturday evening. Splatter Room Kids Night Out are every Saturday and every first Friday of the month.
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Get ready for an action-packed weekend as the World Wake Association brings its Regional Championship to Little Elm Beach. This premier wake sports event is set to transform the Lakefront™ into a high-energy competition stage, drawing athletes and spectators from across the region. Recognized as the global leader in wake sports, the World Wake Association hosts top-tier events that showcase the progression, skill, and excitement of competitive wakeboarding and wakesurfing. The Regional Championship features a full range of divisions—from rising amateurs to elite competitors—all battling for the opportunity to advance to the National Championships.
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Friday Night Flicks, an exciting outdoor movie series, is making its way back to the Commons at Agora, featuring three fantastic films: Coco, The Parent Trap, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Bring your family and friends to watch your favorite movies, grab a bite to eat and a sweet treat from a variety of food trucks, challenge each other in all the yard games, take a dip in the splash pad, and a spin around the playground!
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Janel Nansenn, MA, is an educational therapist and the founder of Read-A-Rific®, a reading comprehension program and Texas PDSES vendor. Nansenn's work has transformed the lives of struggling readers. Over the course of her career, she has helped thousands
of struggling learners achieve success both academically and personally.
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- World Wake Association Regional Championship - Little Elm Beach, West Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, TX, Friday, May 15 - Sunday, May 17, 2026, see website
- Friday Night Flicks - Commons at Agora, Agora Way, Corinth, TX, Friday, May 15, 2026, Park opens at 6 pm| Movie begins at 7 pm
- Movies in the Park - Quakertown Park, Oakland
Street, Denton, TX, Friday, May 15, 2026, 6 pm
- Eggscellent Eggs - Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, Farm to Market Road 1382, Cedar Hill, TX, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 1 pm
- Lights, Camera, Lawn: Zootopia 2 - 303 Main St, Little Elm, TX, Saturday, May 16, 2026, 7 pm
- Free Spring Mini Photo Session with Shoott! - Dallas - Fort Worth - Shoott, Broadway, New York, NY, Friday, May
15 - Sunday, May 17, 2026, See link for times
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The KidsOutAndAbout annual guide to summer camps in the Mid-Cities is back! You can search by date, age, or categories like day/overnight, sports, drama, music, theatre, arts & crafts, technology, robotics, horseback riding, preschool, & more. Our
guide puts summer fun right at your fingertips!
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Parents have an abundance of choices when it comes to PreK and day care options in the Midcities area! Use our Big List to help find the best one for your kiddos and check our events calendar to find Open Houses where you can meet teachers and tour the
schools.
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Looking for a thrilling family-friendly adventure in theMid-Cities? Escape rooms are interactive, puzzle-packed experiences where you and your team work together to solve clues and complete your mission-all before time runs out! Whether you're escaping a
spooky cabin, cracking a high-stakes heist, or breaking a magical curse, escape rooms offer exciting, screen-free fun for kids, teens, and adults.
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Have a great weekend!
Debra Ross
Publisher, KidsOutAndAbout.com
Mom of Madison and Ella |
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