Category Archives: Free Fun

Central Park in Frisco

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‘You can warm your socks in the oven but that don’t make them biscuits’
North Texas Ramblings Central Park StatueThis and other tidbits of cowboy wisdom etch the Wild West into steps and flagstones at Frisco’s Central Park. Located just north of Dr. Pepper Arena, many Frisco residents know the park only from the confines of their cars as they whiz past Anita Pauwels’ bronze statues of cattle and cowboys at Parkwood Drive.

A seven acre oasis in the city, Central Park celebrates that time in history when cattle not cars traveled up Preston Road. Climb the steps from the parking lot and read about the Shawnee Trail. Carved into each stone is a bit of cattle trail lore. Learn that over 350,000 Texas cattle headed north each year on the Shawnee, Chisholm and Goodnight-Loving trails. Be inspired by the simple wisdom of cowboys with whimsical sayings like ‘A go-getter is a cowboy who forgot to hobble his horse’ and ‘I reckon the Lord done put tumbleweeds here to show which way the wind is blowing.’ On the hilltop, three large bronze reliefs depict cattle drives, from stampeding herds to chuck wagons.

The oldest north-south route in Texas, military surveyors set up the Shawnee Trail with small forts to protect settlers moving from the Red River to the Brazos in the 1840s. According to Wayne Gard, author of a Southwestern Historical Quarterly article on the Shawnee Trail, it was the chief route used to trail longhorns from Texas up to Kansas from 1850 until 1867. The Shawnee Trail roughly parallels what we know today as Preston Road.

Central Park’s outdoor art gives insight into those rough cattle trailing times. Pauwel’s bronze statues capture both cowboy and longhorn as they must have looked over 150 years ago. Two fountains on top the plateau represent the historic Twin Wells, a source of water on the Shawnee Trail. Frisco can trace its roots to the Shawnee Trail and its cattle drives. At that time, however, there was no Frisco. A settlement called Lebanon — near our modern day Lebanon Road — provided Texas drovers a stopping place on their way north.

In addition to the dose of history, Central Park is a peaceful park with ample walking trails and paths. The twin fountains feed a small stream bubbling down the hill, over a small waterfall and into a man-made lake. Walking paths circle the lake, and egrets hunt along its shore.

Central Park has no children’s playground. It’s not that type of park. It is, however, a park with an exquisite mix of green space, public art and local history –well worth the visit. Frisco’s Central Park is located at 3155 Parkwood Drive.

The Kimbell and Dallas Museum of Art

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Beat the summer heat with an outing to one of the area’s free art museums — the Kimbell in Fort Worth and Dallas Museum of Art in Dallas.

Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell is now better than ever. The Renzo Piano Pavilion, added in November 2013, allows the museum to organize and more fully display its permanent collection. If European art is your thing, then you’ll enjoy wandering the Louis Kahn building (the main building). The museum’s eclectic collection contains a smattering of works from European artists from Bernini (terra cotta angels) to Rembrandt (Bust of a Young Jew). And its European collection includes Impressionist masters like Sisley, Monet, and Manet.

North Texas Ramblings Kimbell Art Museum in Fort WorthThe Kimbell gives guided tours of its permanent collection Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Visiting families can obtain an audio guide tailored to children ages 7 – 12.

The museums Buffet Restaurant is a great place for lunch. It uniquely offers a selection of soups, salads, quiche and dessert — the unique part — the cost is based on the plate size. Small plates are $9.50 and large are $12.

Details: The Kimbell is at 3333 Camp Bowie Blouvard, Fort Worth. The museum is closed Mondays. Onsite parking is free.

Dallas Museum of Art (DMA)

The DMA houses an extensive collection of over 24,000 pieces of art. In the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the innovative museum offers visitors an eclectic art experience far beyond just gazing at masterpieces. The innovative Center for Creative Connections (C3) lets you experience art from different perspectives. And it’s in the C3 gallery that you can make and take home your own piece of art. DMA supplies the materials; you the creativity.

Embracing technology, DMA has several self-guided tours accessible via your smart phone and the DMA mobi site. If you don’t have a smart phone, you can borrow an iPod Touch from guest services to take the web-enabled tour.

Details: DMA is located at 1717 North Harwood in Dallas. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thursdays (open until 9 p.m.). On the third Friday of each month, the museum offers special programming until midnight. Onsite parking is available for $10.

Chua Dao Quang — Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Garland

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Chua Dao QuangLike most of America, North Texas is a melting pot of culture and diverse ethnic groups.  Over 20,000 Vietnamese Americans call the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex home.  It’s no surprise, then, to also find Vietnamese Buddhist temples throughout the area.  Chua Dao Quang is one such Buddhist temple complex.

You don’t need to be Buddhist to visit the temple and grounds.  Visitors are welcome.  And you don’t need to be Buddhist to engage in mindful contemplation.  Concrete benches litter Chua Dao Quang pathways.  Throughout the grounds, you’ll find several shrines with Buddha depicted in various forms.

There is a happy, smiling Buddha shrine.  This fat and bald Buddha is actually a depiction of a tenth century monk, Bodai, respected for his happy contentment and open heartedness.  Some Buddhist traditions consider him the ‘future’ Buddha.  There is another shrine with a reclining Buddha, symbolic of enlightenment; and, in the middle of a pond, a standing Buddha.  A beautiful stone panel relief depicts Buddha’s life.

At each of the shrine, you’ll find offerings of incense, flowers and fruit.  On the day of our visit, neatly piled, mountains of fresh oranges graced many of the shrines.

The Buddha Dharma Education Association ascribes the following meanings to shrine offerings:  incense reminds us to cultivate good conduct; flowers reminds that all things are impermanent; fruit symbolizes the ultimate goal of enlightenment; and light (a candle) symbolizes wisdom and dispelling darkness.  Just outside the main entrance to the temple, you’ll find a table laden with vases and a barrel of water should you choose to bring a flower offering.

Visitors may also enter the temple, but please first remove your shoes.  And, like all places of worship, be respectful (e.g., ask permission before taking pictures, etc.).

Chua Dao Quang is located at 3522 North Garland Avenue, Garland.  Temple grounds are open daily until 10 p.m.