Game Stops

the ever-changing flavors. The Cereal Milk sandwich, made with Fruity Pebbles and a white chocolate shell, is always a hit with the kids. Multiple locations; joymacarons.com

For melt-in-your-mouth scoops, MELT ICE CREAMS serves up everyday favorites like the dark chocolate and peanut butter explosion (both dairy-free and vegan!) and many more flavors on a rotating menu. Spice up your Taco Tuesdays with Melt’s two scoops nestled inside a taco-shaped waffle cone. Multiple locations; melticecreams.com

PACIUGO (pronounced “pah-CHOO-go”) Gelato & Caffè, excels in its authentic Italian gelato and at its newer, more imaginative creations like the sprinkles-covered “Paciunicorn” cones. Their summer menu includes the refreshing cantaloupe sorbet, and you’ll have to see their “gelato spaghetti and meatballs” to believe it. Multiple locations; paciugo.com

Treat yourself to STEEL CITY POPS’ gourmet popsicles (like the tangy buttermilk and savory carrot cake), each dipped, drizzled or dusted according to your specifications. Fort Worth; steelcitypops.com Say howdy to FARM LUCK

SODA FOUNTAIN & DRY

GOODS (or “The Farmacy,” as the owners originally wanted to call it). This treasure is housed in the late 1800s-era Waxahachie Bank & Trust building. Order up a banana split or banana pudding, brownie fudge sundae, ice cream soda or, for small appetites, the World’s Smallest Sundae. The menu also features more hearty foods. Waxahachie, 214/903-8021; farmlucksodafountain.com

Snow Cones

food

Soda Fountains

At its original location on the Denton Square, BETH

MARIE’S OLD-FASHIONED ICE CREAM &

SODA FOUNTAIN churns ice cream from a machine designed in 1927. Climb onto a stool at the antique wooden bar and choose from well over 100 flavors of ice cream, plus sundaes, banana splits, shakes and malts, ice cream sodas— and really old-fashioned options like egg creams and phosphate sodas. Multiple locations; bethmaries.com Did you know that 100 years ago nearly every drugstore had a soda fountain? That’s why DOUGHERTY’S PHARMACY, one of the oldest independent pharmacies in Texas, also opened up a soda fountain. Stop by to sip on a fizzy soda, milkshake, float, malt or sundae while waiting for your grilled cheese or grilled PB&J. Soda fountain hours are 10am–6pm Monday–Friday and 11am–4pm Saturday. Dallas; 214/3735300, doughertys.com Nod your head to ’90s hip hop at HIPPOP (get it?) on Main Street in Historic Downtown Grapevine. Choose from slushies, popsicles (fruit and milk-based), or shave ice served in those brightly colored flower cups that you remember from your last Hawaiian vacay and with condensed cream or coconut cream poured over. Their must-try popsicles? Cap’n Crunch Cereal pops and toasted marshmallow. Wow. Grapevine, 817/5274383; hippoptx.com It’s a pirate’s life for everyone at SCALLYWAGS, two 22-foot-tall, custom-built pirate ships, offering 16 flavors of shaved ice from a stand hidden below deck. Upgrade to a cone with ice cream on

WHAT’S COOKING?

Let your kids learn to cook for themselves (amazing, right?) by signing them up at your nearest YOUNG CHEFS ACADEMY. Four North Texas area locations offer a variety of classes and workshops for kids by age group, typically as young as 4. Each class is crafted to introduce math (measuring), science (chemical reactions), reading and social skills (teamwork and sharing). Multiple locations; youngchefsacademy.com

the bottom, McKinney and Wylie, 214/733-2296; facebook.com/scallywagsdfw

Kids’ Cooking

One of our favorite grocery stores also offers cooking classes for kids, teens and parent-child pairs. Expert instructors at four CEN-

TRAL MARKET COOKING

SCHOOLS teach baking basics and specific dishes in workshops and classes. Multiple locations; centralmarket.com/cooking-school

Shop for fine kitchen tools and then learn how to use them by joining culinary classes at SUR LA TABLE. Workshops and classes vary by location but are open to teens and kids as young as 7. Multiple locations; surlatable.com

GAME STOPS

Where to test your skills and get a thrill

Bowling

There’s fun to spare at AMF and BOWLERO, sister bowling alleys with locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. You’ll find dozens of lanes, blacklight bowling, huge video walls, games like billiards and table tennis, an arcade and in-lane dining. Multiple locations; amf.com and bowlero.com

This isn’t the bowling alley of your childhood. BOWL & BARREL, located in the Shops at Park Lane, is a more upscale experience. Go on a strike spree in one of 15 lanes, and dine at Bowl & Barrel’s full-service tavern. Save room for the funnel cake or cotton candy. Dallas, 214/363.2695; bowlandbarrel.com

Bowl to your heart’s content, and then try out the bocce ball courts at PINSTRIPES. There’s game-side dining with kid-friendly dishes as well as a patio with fire pit; enjoy live music on select summer Fridays at this venue in the Shops at Clearfork. Fort Worth, 682/352-0808; pinstripes.com

Escape Rooms

At BREAKOUT GAMES, with two area locations, the clock is ticking. Whether it’s stopping a runaway train, getting off an island before the volcano erupts, or uncovering a mansion mystery, gamesyou’ve got a lot of puzzles to solve in 60 minutes. Head online for game descriptions (some may be too intense for kids) and to book. BTW, you’re never actually locked in a room. Arlington, 972/474-0111, and Plano, 972/474-0111; breakoutgames.com/dallas Enjoy a study in mystery-solving at ESCAPOLOGY. Kids and nostalgic parents will be drawn to the Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Castle Adventure room; there’s also a World War II submarine escape, a hunt for treasure in a lost city, and the search for an antidote to a virus. Multiple locations; escapology.com NORTH TEXAS ESCAPE ROOMS has games designed for kids and for teenagers and adults at its two Collin County locations. The kid-friendly rooms— including Principal’s Office, Aunt Carol’s Closet and Summer Camp—are 45-minute escapes, while the others (recommended for age 14 and up) are an hour long. McKinney and Plano, 469/712-6837; northtexasescaperooms.com With elaborate sets and clues, THE ESCAPE GAME at Grapevine Mills is a standout escape experience. When kiddos are in tow, we like the Playground room (finish all your school assignments before the dodgeball game!). Grapevine, 214/692-2180; theescapegame. com/dallas

Earthquake!

Whew, it’s just an earthquake-themed room at ULTIMATE

ESCAPE GAME. In a separate game, you can piece together clues that will protect a town from nuclear fallout. With your little ones along, you probably want to skip the Dead By Dawn room. (We’re assuming you don’t want them retrieving a “severed hand” from a “haunted cabin.”) Farmers Branch, 972/793-0444; ultimateescapegame.com/dallas

Go-Carts

The electric cart motors make the equivalent of 20 horsepower at K1 SPEED, which offers junior and adult carts for indoor racing (yay, air conditioning). On Thursday nights at the Richardson location, the lights go down for Glo Karting. Arlington, 817/406-1487, and Richardson, 469/9570731; k1speed.com

Ever dreamed of revving your engine at Texas Motor Speedway? Check out LONE STAR KARTPARK. It may not be Nascar, but the outdoor, 16-turn cart track is located at TMS. Cadet carts are available for racers ages 8–12 (48 inches tall), while 7-yearolds (42 inches tall) can ride alongside Mom, Dad or a track crew member in a two-seater cart. Fort Worth, 940/240-2727; lonestarkartpark.com

Mini Golf

Enjoy some funky indoor mini golf at ANOTHER ROUND, which features 18 indoor holes and post-round activities like cornhole. Your family can also try out the golf simulator; play a virtual round at almost any course, or go for target shooting, a darts game and even virtual miniature golf. After 8pm, Another Round is 21 and up, but all ages are welcome before then. Dallas, 214/233-6316; anotherrounddallas.com

Try to putt your ball through a lighthouse, opening-and-closing barn doors (time your shot just right), a windmill and more when you play at HIDDEN

VALLEY MINIATURE

GOLF. There’s also some old-fashioned arcade games. Lakeside, 817/2375463; hiddenvalleyminiaturegolf.com

Head a little south of Fort Worth and you’ll find yourself mini-golfing in the age of the dinosaurs. JURASSIC ZONE includes 18 holes guarded by lifesize dinos. What more could a kid ask for?

Burleson, 817/295-3783; thejurassiczone.com

Mini golf that glows in the dark and doesn’t require us to stand in the heat—we’re in. Admission at LUNAR GOLF in Grapevine Mills includes two rounds and a shot at the special prize hole when you’re done. Grapevine, 817/422-1771; glowminigolf.com

Virtual Reality

Take screen time to the next level at DREAMSCAPE, a virtual reality experience at NorthPark Center. “Travelers,” as participants are called, must be at least 10 years old and 48 inches tall. You can break an ancient curse, visit an out-of-this-world zoo, or plunge into the sea to reunite a family of whales. Dallas, 469/324-4960; dreamscapeimmersive.com

FIXATION VR bills itself as the largest, most advanced virtual reality arcade in Texas. There’s a wide variety of games you can play once you don the VR headset, and the knowledgeable staff can steer your kiddo to something fun and appropriate. We like Loco Dojo, a quirky game testing silly skills. Hurst, 682/404-6445; fixationvr.com

A flight simulator and virtual reality games are among the offerings at IMAGINATIONS VR, which welcomes players age 8 and up. There are plenty of games that are great for kids, including Loco Dojo, Beat Saber and Walkabout Mini Golf. Allen, 972/3328618; imaginationsvr.com

THEME PARK

Whether you’re looking for coasters, kiddie rides or something in between, SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS has you covered. This summer, the park is debuting Pirates of Speelunker Cave, featuring a pirate treasure hunt. The brave can soar like a superhero on the Texas SkyScreamer’s limited-time extreme experience. Arlington, 817/640-8900; sixflags.com/overtexas

MutiAttraction Entertainment

TI INDOOR KARTING

ADVENTURE LANDING

will keep your family busy, with bumper boats, batting cages (including slow pitch), three mini golf courses, laser tag, an arcade and go-carts. games Dallas, 972/248-4653; dallas. adventurelanding.com Plan a purr-fect day at ALLEY CATS, which offers bowling, mini golf, an arcade, batting cages, rock wall climbing and laser tag.

The Hurst location also offers go-carts and outdoor carnival-style rides. Head to the Arlington location on

Saturday nights for a family-friendly improv comedy show. Arlington, 817/7842695, and Hurst, 817/5890523; alleycatsbowl.com

Race state-of-the art electric go-carts around hairpin turns, up and down ramps, and across long straightaways at ANDRET& GAMES. Have a little driver, age 4–7? They’ll love the Mini Mario go-carts. There’s also an arcade, a two-level laser tag arena, virtual reality and racing-themed bowling lanes. The Colony, 469/527-3278; andrettikarting.com Celebrate summer at CELEBRATION STATION. You’ll find arcade games, batting cages, bumper boats, a trampoline-bungee attraction, go-carts, laser tag, mini golf, paintball (for age 10 and up) and rides such as a little train. Mesquite, 972/279-7888; celebrationstation.com

EVO ENTERTAINMENT

has something for everyone: movies with recliners and in-theater dining, bowling, 200 arcade games, virtual reality, bumper cars, gravity ropes, a climbing wall and more. The Southlake Town Square location opened this spring; a Dallas location is in the works. Southlake, 682/286-6929; evocinemas.com Dine on pizza and other menu items in your choice of themed rooms, then it’s time to play. At IT’Z, you can bowl (regular or mini lanes), climb the rock wall, dodge beams in laser tag or a maze, try your hand at the arcade, drive bumper cars, and try to tap as many lights as you can in a game called Atomic Rush. Euless, 817-283-3700; itzusa.com Your family can have a full day of fun at MAIN EVENT, which offers—bear with us; this will take a minute— bowling, virtual reality, laser tag, billiards, arcade games, karaoke, glow-inthe-dark mini golf, a ropes course and MultiBall (part virtual, part live action, with math games, memory games and more). Multiple locations; mainevent.com Don’t let the name fool you.

MONSTER MINI GOLF

has more than glow-in-thedark miniature golf. Check out the arcade, virtual reality, bowling lanes and the laser maze perfect for little ninjas. Frisco, 469/5980444; monsterminigolf.com Bowling is just part of the entertainment at PINSTACK. There’s laser tag, bumper cars, rock climbing with LED climbing holds, video games, a ropes course suspended 20 feet above the video game floor and giant foosball. The Plano location also boasts a laser maze. Multiple locations, pinstackbowl.com Explore the weird and wonderful, come face-toface with (wax) celebrities, wind your way through a mirror maze, race through laser beams, and pay a visit to an interactive 7D moving theater—in one location. RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT has it all. Grand Prairie, 972/263-2391; ripleys. com/grandprairie There’s 43,000 square feet of excitement at STRIKZ, PHOTOS COURTESY OF DREAMSCAPE; SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS