Warm Up to Summer Fun During the 10th Annual SummerBlast in Grapevine Texas

With all the traveling I do, I still love certain spots and want to visit over and over again. Grapevine, Texas is one of those spots. There is so much about Grapevine that I love that I can continue to visit endlessly and still find the same joy and good time as if it’s my first time in the area.

A short drive from the Dallas Fort Worth Airport and you will be transported into small, western town America, be delighted by your surroundings, enjoy great food and Texas hospitality!

A Few Days in Grapevine is Never Enough!  I always look forward to visiting the area again. No matter what time of year I have visited, Grapevine offers lots to do and see, welcomes everyone with open arms and provides a wonderful experience for all! Small western-town America meets modern world luxury is how I think of Grapevine, Texas. It’s a perfect family vacation spot, as well as a perfect couples/friends vacation spot. Multi-generational traveling families will be thrilled with Grapevine since there is so much for everyone.

WARM UP TO SUMMER FUN DURING GRAPEVINE’S
10th ANNUAL SUMMERBLAST
Events and Seasonal Fun Through Labor Day Weekend

Celebrate Grapevine’s 10^th Annual SummerBlast now through Labor Day! Grapevine’s SummerBlast features fun for the whole family including waterparks, fireworks, interactive exhibits and more at unbeatable prices. Let your family get away from it all without spending it all. For great savings on hotels and ideas for your getaway, visit www.grapevinetexasusa.com/summer to begin planning your Grapevine getaway now. Here are some of the top SummerBlast activities your family can enjoy all season long.

Sparkle and Sizzle at Friday Night Fireworks

See Grapevine’s Friday Night Fireworks light up the North Texas sky every Friday Night now through August 31. Sparks will fly in a beautiful show reflecting over Lake Grapevine now through Labor Day starting at 9:30 p.m. Don’t miss the exhilarating 10-minute show that is sure to sparkle and sizzle. Firework shows are May 25; June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29; July 6, 13, 20 and 27; August 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. See the show from Grapevine’s lakeside parks. To download the music to accompany the show and for viewing locations, visit www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/Summer.  Parking or entry fees may apply.

Have a Smurf-tastic Summer at Gaylord Texan Resort’s 15^th Annual SummerFest

It’s time to have some Texas-sized fun at Gaylord Texan Resort’s 15^th Annual SummerFest featuring The Smurfs, presented by Aquafina. From fun family entertainment, unique culinary programs, to exciting outdoor activities including the 10-acre pool & lazy river playground – Paradise Springs, there is an abundance of activities for all ages to enjoy. Check out fun events such as Papa Smurf’s Search Party Scavenger Hunt, Breakfast With The Smurfs, bubly™ Splash Party, Le Smurfs Art Corner & Sweet Shop, Gargamel’s Wizard Academy, The Magical Meadow and The Forbidden Forest Escape Rooms, Smurfette’s Smurfalicious Dance Party and Parade, ANIMATE! Video Mapping presented by bubly™, Junior Chefs Camp, Build-A-Bear Workshop and much more. For more information, visit www.GaylordTexan.com.

Splash Away Night and Day at Great Wolf Lodge

Celebrate summer at the largest indoor hotel water park in North Texas. Great Wolf Lodge’s 80,000 square foot water park features slides for all ages, a lazy river, wave pool, and more at this exciting family-friendly resort. Play MagiQuest, the exclusive interactive adventure game where players follow clues and use a magic wand to collect relics and runes needed to battle dragons and goblins, or visit Scooops, the perfect spa for kids featuring ice cream-themed manicures and pedicures. With plenty of dining options to choose from, including the Loose Moose Cottage and the Lodge Wood Fired Grill, there’s something to satisfy all tastes and palates. And make sure to have a great time hanging around the Howlers’ Peak Ropes Course. For more information, visit www.greatwolf.com

See the New Sea Turtle Rescue Center at SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium

Make plans this summer to learn about the creatures of sea at the new Sea Turtle Rescue Center at SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium. The new permanent exhibit lets guests of all ages learn about the threats turtles face in the wild and experience first-hand the process of successfully rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing sea turtles. Upon entry, guests will become a bonafide turtle rescuer as they collect a mock turtle from the beach, name and weigh their patient, then begin a virtual rehabilitation journey.  After using an x-ray machine to diagnose and remedy injuries, guests nurse their turtle back to health at the feeding and hydration station then release them back into the wild. In addition to observing non-releasable sea turtles in a display tank, guests can also view aquarists through a glass window working with real injured patients in the aquarium’s new rehabilitation facility and hospital. The Grapevine aquarium is the first SEA LIFE in the U.S. to be permitted to rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles and release them back into the wild through partnerships with Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other Texas coast sea turtle hospitals. For more information, visit www.visitsealife.com/grapevine.

Become a Master of the 4^th Dimension at LEGOLAND^® Discovery Center

Get ready to experience the supercharged world of NINJAGO^® as you’ve never seen or felt before, with the all-new 4D film, “LEGO^® NINJAGO^® – Master of the 4^th Dimension,” exclusively at LEGOLAND^® Discovery Center in Grapevine.  Join your favorite NINJAGO heroes in a very special Dojo training session where you’ll become part of the 4D action as Master Wu prepares the ninjas to take on the teachings of the mysterious ‘Scroll of the 4^th Dimension.’ Disastrous consequences strike and Kai, Nya, Lloyd, Zane and Cole find themselves, and the entire universe, in a whole heap of trouble. The 12-minute, 3D film plays several times a day in the theater with “4D” effects such as wind, water, fog and more bringing the action bursting off the screen and into the audience. For more information, visit www.LEGOLANDDiscoveryCenter.com/dallasfw.

Climb Aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad

Step back in time and climb aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. Now through August 19, don’t miss the Grapevine to Fort Worth Stockyards Excursion every Friday, Saturday and Sunday or the Grapevine One-Hour Train Excursion on Saturdays while riding in style inside 1920s Victorian-era coaches. The Grapevine to the Stockyards train departs Grapevine at 1 p.m. and returns at approximately 5:45 p.m. The Grapevine One-Hour Train Excursion departs Grapevine at 10 a.m. and returns at 11 a.m. Ticket prices vary by excursion. Schedules are subject to change so please check www.gvrr.com for the most up to date information. 705 S. Main St.

Celebrate America’s Birthday at the 36^th Annual July 4^th Fireworks Extravaganza

On July 4, the exciting, 26-minute firework spectacular over Lake Grapevine is set to patriotic music and is the perfect way to celebrate America’s birthday. Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Viewing locations include Grapevine’s lakeside parks. Parking or entry fees may apply. For a list of viewing locations or to download the music to accompany the show at www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/Summer.

Transport Yourself Back In Time at the “Grapevine Rails: Rolling Through Time” Exhibit

Learn all about Grapevine’s railroad past, present and future at the “Grapevine Rails: Rolling Through Time” exhibit in Grapevine’s Tower Gallery. The exhibit showcases the fascinating ways the railroad impacted the growth of Grapevine from a farming community in the 1840s to the world class destination it is today, as well as the continuing evolution of transportation with TEXRail. Hear stories from the early days of steam rail and discover the Lone Star Hi-Railers Club 1,000 square-foot O-gauge model railroad display. Younger visitors can step back in time and play in the train yard featuring a replica of the Grapevine Vintage Railroad and the Grapevine Cotton Belt Depot. Explore the Grapevine Cotton Belt Depot and historical artifacts. The exhibit is open now through September 16, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, noon – 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. 636 S. Main St. If you want to learn more about model railroading click here.

Save Some Cash at Grapevine Mills

Shop ‘til you drop at Grapevine Mills! Featuring 1.7 million square feet of shopping fun at the more than 180 stores to explore, you’ll find favorites such as Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, Michael Kors, Coach, Vera Bradley, Ann Taylor Factory Loft Outlet, Banana Republic Factory Store, Under Armour Factory House, Francesca’s, Puma, Luggage Factory, NIKE Factory Store and Converse. Also at Grapevine Mills, enjoy the AMC Grapevine Mills 30 Dine-In Theatres, LEGOLAND^® Discovery Center, SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium, Round1 Bowling and Amusement, The Escape Game and Rainforest Café. Pick up your savings passport at Guest Services, worth hundreds of dollars in savings. Enjoy sizzling summer savings during the Grapevine Mills 4th of July Super Sale Weekend, June 29 – July 4. Grapevine Mills is located off State Highway 121 and Grapevine Mills Parkway, just two miles north of DFW International Airport. For more information, visit www.grapevinemills.com.

Step Back in History This Summer at Grapevine’s Nash Farm

Ever wonder what life was like on a 19^th century farm? Step back in time and explore the lives of the earliest settlers at Grapevine’s Nash Farm. Purchased by Thomas Jefferson Nash in 1859, Nash Farm brings history to life through a series of interpretive programs. First Fridays at the Farm highlights different aspects of farm life. Summer First Friday events include June 1: Fun on the Farm, July 6: Keeping Cool and August 3: Meme’s Pickles. All First Fridays at the Farm events are 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and require a $3 per person participation fee. Work alongside Nash Farmhands to learn heritage skills during monthly Heritage Workshops. On August 4, create Victorian Pin Cushions that were used to keep sewing needles organized and within reach while sewing. Heritage Workshops are $35 per person. On June 9, from 10 a.m. until noon, explore the world of dairy making while attending Dairy Day. On July 14, from 7 p.m. until dark, enjoy a 1920s style Ice Cream Social with fresh made ice cream, lawn games, and all new for 2018, cars from the 1920s and vintage dress groups. Admission for the Ice Cream Social is $5. 626 Ball St. For more information, visit www.nashfarm.org.

Do a Little Detective Work at the Texas Star Dinner Theater

Take a lighthearted trip back to the Wild West for a whodunit mystery filled with comedy at the Texas Star Dinner Theater’s “Mein Shaft.” Grab your shovels and watch your step! A millionaire silver miner, John Schmidt, has been murdered and Marshal Jim Courtright must dig for clues to find out who got the shaft. Might Kit, his wife, be working the mine for her own benefit? Or maybe it was Katherine, the new gentlelady in town with an affinity for rich men and all things silver. Perhaps the eccentric Scotsman McPhiggis was aiming to get revenge. Or could it be the notorious gambler, Snake Eyes Roulette, has more than aces up his sleeves?  It’s a safe bet that with a cast of suspects as dangerous as a mine car filled with black powder, trouble is bound to explode. 816 S. Main St. www.texasstardinnertheater.com

Get a Taste of Summer at Grapevine Market and the Grapevine Farmers Market

Become a foodie and eat healthy all while satisfying your summer cravings with produce and locally-grown products from across Texas at the Grapevine Farmers Market, open Fridays and Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., at the Town Square Gazebo. Check out the Grapevine Market, a European-style, open-air market located in Liberty Park, for unique gifts and handmade crafts, open Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and special Fridays: June 15, July 20 and August 17, open from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Both markets are open rain or shine.

Learn How Crime Doesn’t Pay With the Would-Be Train Robbers, Nat Barrett and Willy Majors

Discover Western lore right in the heart of Grapevine. Come see Grapevine’s Glockenspiel Clock Tower featuring two, larger-than-life, 9-foot tall Glockenspiel characters, known as the Would-Be Train Robbers, Nat Barrett and Willy Majors.  Approximately 75 feet above ground, these figures emerge from the Tower at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.daily to attempt a lucrative train heist. 636 S. Main St.

Save Some Dough When You Go

Stay and play at 20 hotels throughout Grapevine, many offering package deals.  To find the perfect hotel option to complete your SummerBlast getaway, visit www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/Summer.

For more information about Grapevine’s 10^th Annual SummerBlast, call the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau at 817-410-3185 or visit www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/Summer.

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