I've had the pleasure of helping with a couple of outings the Sierra Club has sponsored as well as…read morespeaking with others who have enjoyed the activities. The inner city outings give kids who otherwise may not get the opportunity a chance to fish, hike, go on archaeological digs and more. I went on one outing where kids had a chance to ride bikes near the forests, kayak on Lake Lewisville, plant native flowers, and camp out in tents overnight. The kids didn't have to pay for anything! Kids were expected to bring a lunch. In the evening, the Sierra Club provided dinner which the kids cooked themselves outside. Later that night, kids learned to build a camp fire and make s'mores. In the morning, students cooked the pancake breakfast provided by the Sierra Club. I think these inner city outings are a wonderful way to expose young people to new experiences. To a kid who was probably going to sit home and watch TV all weekend, this is an eye opener. Kids get really excited to find out what Sierra Club has in store for them on these trips.

So much fun ! My friend and I had a blast kayaking with Dallas Paddle. The staff was super nice-…read moreLibby had an amazing spirit and went above and beyond to make sure all our needs were covered. They gave us clear instructions of what to do, gave us life jackets and helped us in and out of the water. Whenever we got back- I told Libby how my shorts were wet from getting in the kayak (there was left over water in the kayak) and she ran and got me a towel and allowed me to take it home ! The sweetest !! They have a little parking lot on both sides of the rental area so it's easy in and out (free parking). In terms of renting the kayaks- they offer 10% off for all students, teachers and military. For the hour it was only $20. I felt like it was a fun nature activity. I also love that a small portion of their funds go back to support local Dallas communities and parks. Can't wait to go back and do it again!

Dallas Paddle provides a great service to the lake and community. I went with two friends this…read morepast Saturday afternoon, one of which is blind. The parking is public and we didn't have any issues for our three cars. The location was very easy to find; right next to the boat ramp. The staff was inviting and helpful. We signed our waivers, hopped in, and James shoved us off to leave us up to our own adventure. Will definitely do it again! Please note it is credit card only. Dogs are allowed but must have a life jacket. Also, if it is too windy they have to shut down operations--about 25 mph, so it may be best to check conditions or call in advance.

I am an ISR instructor and I can assure you that the great majority of ISR instructors in Dallas…read moreand beyond run professional businesses and have good relationships with students and their parents. ISR has saved over 800 documented lives and child water survival is our mission. I'm sorry that someone had a bad experience related to Groupon, but very few instructors use that service. Check www.infantswim.com for more information.

Bought a groupon in Feb for 6 week of swimming lessons. Expires 6/6/16. No where in the information…read moredid it state it can only be used from Jan to March class. Yet I bought it in Feb. so it was less than 6 weeks before it expired. False advertising!!! When i called to set up classes no call back! So I emailed and Ashley informed me that I would not be able to use it. I would not recommend using Tonya or this company. They never apologized just told me to contact groupon to get a refund.

I hosted a Summerween-themed book club here inspired by *I Was a Teenage Slasher*, and Boy Scout…read moreHill was the perfect setting. Surrounded by towering trees and tucked away from the city, it has just the right amount of eerie charm to make you feel like you've stepped into a classic summer camp horror movie. We spent the evening reading, chatting around a campfire, making s'mores, and fully embracing the spooky atmosphere. Whether you're looking for a scenic overlook, a peaceful nature escape, or a unique spot to host a themed gathering, this hidden gem delivers. I'll definitely be back for more adventures here.

White Rock Lake 1 Candace 0 (for now)…read more I called myself "trying" this past weekend. Trying to find reasons to like this relocation when things have been wildly different from anything I could have anticipated. I'm pretending this is one of those Hallmark movies where you end up somewhere and a bunch of random crap makes you hate it, then all of sudden out of nowhere it turns into fairytale. A girl can dream! I suppose getting up and leaving your home town after decades to move to a city all by yourself felt like a courageous escape at the time, but it's feeling down right lonely and isolating since this is not the "Texas" I dreamt of. I was thinking Americana, coyboys (not the football team but ofc football too!) texmex!!! I told myself that driving into Dallas would be a good way to switch it up. I wouldn't typically drive 30min for a run but I needed OUT! I stopped off for my fav jalapeño cheddar kaloche and mini cinnamon roll at the donut shop and drove over to White Rock Lake. The drive was smooth enough, parking super simple. I filled up a water bottle to have after my run since I'm still not used to running with water for less than a half marathon - although this heat and humidity are making that difficult. I was all set to hit the 9 mile loop here. I'm not running long distances right now due to a couple little overuse injuries. Things were going fine. The trail is nice. I liked seeing runners and cyclist alike, and folks fishing on the banks and docks. The entire experience wasn't anything I felt I needed to repeatedly drive this distance for since I have located a nice little trail I can hit from my front door that provides these same aspects (water, trail, cyclist, runners, fishing, wildlife) but I was enjoying it nonetheless. Until... somehow I ate shit and took a pretty gnarly gravel dive. I lost chunks of flesh out of both palms and busted my knee then had to finish the last 3 miles back to the car a bloodied, stinging, swollen, painful mess. Not fun! I was running at a very relaxing conservative pace and still got extremely torn up. Be very careful out here. My home trail isn't gravel! That's what I remember thinking. I could have just run there. It's my one tiny slice of serenity here. The impact was so strong I did hit up urgent care to ensure I was ok and my X-rays were fine. Doctor says I shouldn't run for a few days, and I'm assuming it'll take that long until my wounds begin to close. I'm not certain if this has completely wrecked my feeling about this trail. I'm frightened to get this hurt again but after signing up for the Dallas marathon I do think this is an optimal training location. You can loop this bad boy a couple times and be done for the day. I do love the ease and noticed several water fountains for refilling flasks if need be. As much as I didn't love the $75 urgent care co pay and cost in bandages I feel like I'll find myself back here at some point. Parking is free which is nice. If you're walking it, I think it's a very lovely option for a sufficient distance. I'm hopeful this will be a very useful training route in a couple months.

One of our kiddos has been going here all year. They are super accommodating and I love the…read morefishbowl setup where parents can watch their kids swimming! Super nice waiting area and as a plus it's also got a tumbling gym so I'm sure you can get 2 kids busy if you have them! I also love how they make it easy to make up classes if you miss one with other options. The instructors are friendly and the ratio of kids to teachers is always reasonable. All in all a good spot to send your kiddos for some swim lessons!

Pick somewhere else! Enrolled our kids here for 10 months so they could learn swim safety and not…read morejust drown in a pool. After month 4 we wondered why they didn't move up a level, were reassured it was normal, so we waited more months, still no testing to even see if they were ready. Then the instructors kept changing and we realized they were teaching our kids the same stuff they learned on day one every time they changed instructors for the class. Turns out they "weren't keeping track" of what the kids knew and after 10 months and $3,500, our kids still can't tread water on their own and were never tested to move up to level 2. They told us the kids "lacked confidence in the skills" when they've had 20 hours of swim time now and just weren't even taught the basics of basics here. They only let you unenroll via text that they ignore you on and then demand 30 days to unenroll you which is another $340. This place is a mess of mismanagement and poor safety. After 10 months my kids should know something.

Paddlebound is a great business. The folks that run it are super friendly and easy to deal with…read more They make renting a kayak like borrowing one from a friend. They provided all I needed to get on the water this past weekend. The equipment shows signs of use but it very serviceable. I will definitely use them again and recommend them. I am anxious to give the lessons a try!

Corinthian Sailing Club (cscsailing.org) offers among the best one design sailboat dinghy racing in…read morethe country. Club racing is every Sunday, all year round, with the first race signal on the water at 1:30pm CT. The most active fleet is Flying Scot sailboats. Other fleets include V-15, Corinthian, Laser, Butterfly, Snipe, and Lightning. The CSC Juniors program is very active in Optimist, Lasers, and 470's. My entire family have been active members at CSC for years and have just a terrific time sailing and socializing! Please check the CSCsailing.org website for updates and calendar.

I came in from out of town and contacted this club before hand to see if any chance of visiting…read moreover the 4th of July weekend. I was very excited to hear back from the Commodore who invited me and my friends to come Sunday for the Flying Scot Races they do every Sunday of the year. He also invited us to their 4th of July Celebration. We were too busy to make it Sunday thankfully because too much wind cancelled racing but we were able to make the 4th and spent several hours with their membership who could not have been any more hospitable. The Commodore and the Vice Commodore greeted us. The Commodore and I traded Burgees(for you non-nautical types that is the Club flag). We ate their burgers and sides and the great deserts that many members provided. We drank from their Tiki bar and could not have had a better evening. One of the bartenders/members recognized me and actually told us to take his boat out for a sail. Not wanting to be rude we jumped on it and had a fantastic 30 minutes on their beautiful lake. This club has a wonderful membership which requires boat ownership to be a regular member and their is also associate membership for those that sail but do not own a boat. REally good diverse crowd. Great location for festivities and sailing alike. IF in Dallas, I will be back! If you are a Yacht Club member elsewhere they are great about reciprocation which we took full advantage of.

Huge and lovely park with pavilion and kids play area that's perfect for renting out for family…read moreevents and bbqs. We really enjoyed a beautiful Saturday here. It's located on White Rock lake, with a view of the water at almost every angle. Be weary or baby snakes in the grass, and duck eggs before you step on them!! The grass is not very well maintained nearest the pavilion so you're in for all alerts or surprises. Had to remove a star because the porta potties were the dirtiest we've ever seen. And you pay a pretty decent price to rent out the pavilion so we expected a bit more there. And the playground was very outdated. But the kids still had fun so that's a plus!

This is a great place to park to meet others late in the evening or early in the morning for a…read moreride, run, walk or paddle around the lake. It is great to park while bank fishing around the boat house. There are porta-potties, water fountains, picnic tables, open fields, playground equipment and PARKING! The kids love to play here and there are frequent DPD patrols. Grab a big lunch and come out to enjoy the lake!