Grapevine/Colleyville

DOVE WATERPARK

MICHELLE CARTER has lived in cities across the United States, accompanying her television reporter husband Wayne as he has worked at different stations. Home is now Dallas-Fort Worth— Colleyville, specifically. The Carters were initially unsure where to settle in North Texas, but they are confident they chose the right place to raise Priscilla, 12, and Cailyn, 7. Best park: We love PARR PARK. We came across it while house-hunting and fell in love with the trees and hills. The new rock garden is a must see. 3010 Parr Lane,

Grapevine; 817/410-3450, gograpevine.com. Favorite family outing: LAKE GRAPEVINE is an awesome place to soak up sun and see your neighbors. We go when we need to recharge. Also, we enjoy FOUNDERS’ PLAZA, the observation area on the north end of DFW Airport. It’s fun to sit and watch the planes come PARR PARK right over you. And COLLEYVILLE LIBRARY offers some great programs that are perfect for little ones. Lake Grapevine; lake-grapevine.com. DFW Airport Founders’ Plaza, 1700 N. Airfield Drive, Grapevine; dfwairport.com/explore/foundersplaza. Colleyville Public Library, 110 S. Main St., Colleyville; colleyvillelibrary.com. Go-to for going out: We frequent WINEWOOD on Main Street in Grapevine. The food, drinks and atmosphere are a great blend. Going to Main Street makes you feel young and reminds you of being in the big city. We’re also big fans of CHEF POINT. Winewood Grill, 1265 S. Main St., Grapevine; 817/421-0200, thewinewood.com. Chef Point Bar & Restaurant, 5220 S.H. 121, Colleyville; 817/482-5030, chefpointcafe.org. Self-care spot: Having DFW Airport near us makes it easy to hop a flight and steal away for a break. 2400 Aviation Drive; 972/526-0974, dfwairport.com. Where they get active: I run to recharge, and love the COTTON BELT TRAIL. The kids enjoy riding their bikes while I run, especially since we can stop and see alpacas and horses along the way. Multiple locations; traillink.com/trail/cotton-belt-trail. For cooling off: DOVE WATERPARK is amazing. My kids are five years apart, and they can both be entertained. We can spend all day on the slides, diving board, lily pad crossing and more. 1509 Hood Lane, Grapevine; 817/410-3088, gograpevine.com. How they give back: I run the local chapter of LITTLE HELPERS, a family volunteer group.

Each month, we have a different service project that kids of all ages can participate in. We do things such as pick up trash at Lake Grapevine and make no-sew blankets for Project Linus.

Search “Little Helpers of Dallas-Fort Worth” on facebook.com. Why Colleyville is great for families: Schools were a driving factor for us to narrow it down to the cities near this area. Our neighbors are warm and caring. It’s a little melting pot of people like us who relocated here and lifelong Texans. We’ve been here for nearly five years now, and Colleyville quickly became home. My kids love their schools and their friends.

SOUTHLAKE

Dallas-Fort Worth has been home sweet home to ANDREA NELSON’s family for eight generations now. Nelson (a stay-at-home mom, or “chaos coordinator,” as she prefers) and husband Craig—who works in sales—moved to Southlake seven years ago. They have four sons: Nolan, 12, Fletcher, 10, Knox, 7, and Miles, 5.

Park they love: BOB JONES PARK. I can take my boys, and one can be playing while another fishes or explores around the pond. Horseback riders, walkers and runners frequent the trails there. 3901 N. White Chapel Blvd., Southlake; 817/7488019, experiencesouthlaketexas.com.

Best family outing: My kids love URBAN AIR. They have dodgeball, race cars, bumper cars and trampolines. 2201 W. Southlake Blvd., Southlake; 817/2038686, urbanairtrampolinepark.com.

Say ahhh: The best-kept secret is FOOT JOY near Hobby Lobby. I was so relaxed after an hour that I could have taken a nap there. 2125 W. Southlake Blvd., Suite 365, Southlake; 817/310-0599, foot-joy-tx.hub.biz.

Cool it: We like BICENTENNIAL PARK—or as my kids call it, “The Dragon Park,” for the dragon-themed spray pad they have. And we love frozen yogurt at YOGURTLAND. Bicentennial Park, 450 W. Southlake Blvd., Southlake; 817/7488019, experiencesouthlaketexas.com. Yogurtland, 1251 E. Southlake Blvd., Suite 327, Southlake; 817/310-6390, yogurt-land.com.

Meeting friends: I love the SOUTHLAKE TENNIS CENTER and have met so many nice women there. JAZZERCISE is a great place to dance off any stress with a community of strong ladies. Southlake Tennis Center, 450 W. Southlake Blvd., Southlake; 817/421-5605, southlaketennis.com. Jazzercise Southlake, 2059 W. Southlake Blvd., Southlake; 817/456-2821, jazzercise.com.