Foodstuffs

of crafts and activities. Fort Worth, 817/392-7260; fortworthtexas.gov

Farmers markets, sweet shops, kitchens, and you-pick farms

ERS MARKET, adjacent to the Shops at Clearfork, operates year-round on Saturday mornings. That means you’ll rarely have to go without the locally-grown produce, homemade goods and other essentials like coffee and beignets. Bring your littles with you for the FIT4MOM or free yoga classes. Fort Worth, 817/731-7396; farmersmarket1848.com

Shop for farm-grown produce, snacks, fresh flowers, veggies freshly pulled from the ground at COPPELL FARMERS MARKET in Old Town Coppell. Be sure to bring the kids along on your trip to splash in the interactive fountain and enjoy the playground. Coppell; coppellfarmersmarket.org and Sundays, and the Market, a food hall and artisan market open daily. Dallas, 214/664-9110; dallasfarmersmarket.org

With the capacity for nearly 100 vendors at FRISCO FRESH MARKET, you’ll find every kind of freshly harvested food under the sun—all from underneath the shade of the pavilion. The new market is open Saturdays and Sundays all year and located next door to Toyota Stadium. Check their schedule so you don’t miss the petting zoo, live music and seasonal festivals. Frisco, 844/776-2753; friscofreshmarket.com

On Saturday mornings year-round, you’ll find a plethora of delicious offerings as well as kid-friendly entertainment like pony rides, face painting and live bee demonstrations at the

SQUARE. Trolley tours through the historic district also originate at the farmers market on the second Saturdays April through November. McKinney, 972/5628790; chestnutsquare.org food COWTOWN FARMERS MARKET guarantees that its local vendors are truly local, requiring them all to grow or produce their items within 150 miles, and you can find those seasonal goods on Saturdays year-round and on Wednesdays from May to September. Don’t miss the Kids’ Farm to Table cooking lesson. Fort Worth; cowtownmarket.com

MARKET is a multi-million dollar, permanent complex of luxury apartments, restaurants and vendors offering a wider array of foods and goodies than you may find at typical markets. You’ll need to carve out a chunk of time to explore the Shed, open Saturdays

specializes in blueberries, generally in season May through July. Fill up your pail with four varieties from their 1,600 bushes, pollinated with the help of the farm’s own bee colonies. Then retreat into the shade for the made-from-scratch popsicles, fudge or lemon- blueberry cake. Rockwall, 972/772-3645; blasefamilyfarm.com ONEAL BERRY FARM, about 15 minutes east of Rockwall, opens to the public when the blackberries, raspberries and tomatoes turn ripe for the picking, typically late May through early July. Use provided baskets to pick the fresh berries from the vine, and when you need a break, cool off with a snow cone in the shade and say hi to the farm chickens. Royse City, 214/929-1808; onealberryfarm.com Father-daughter duo Jack and Megan Neubauer grow everything from carrots to blackberries to sunflowers at PURE LAND FARM, and they do so without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Guests must go online and book their visit during available pick times. McKinney; purelandorganic.com Head over to WOW U-PICK FARMS, about 15 miles west of Denton, to pick fruits, veggies and herbs. Guests are welcome firstcome, first-served to pick tomatoes, sweet potatoes, strawberries, lettuce varieties, onions, peppers or cilantro from the greenhouse. Look online for the open days and times. Krum, 940/312-9889; facebook. com/wowupickfarm

is an epic clash of swords and jousting inside a Spanish-style castle. You cheer on the six knights while eating a four-course meal with your hands. Go online to reserve your seats and select add-ons like a pre-show knighting ceremony. Dallas, 469/3425555; medievaltimes.com You’ll encounter a jungle full of animatronic animals at

inside Grapevine Mills, where gorillas, jaguars and tree frogs peek out from every corner lush with faux vegetation. Once you’re ready to eat, choose from a dozen options, like Python Pasta, from the kids’ menu. Eating out for a special occasion? Order the volcano dessert served with a sparkler. Grapevine, 972/539-5001; rainforestcafe.com

The ice cream cone flights at BALDO’S ICE CREAM are simply the cutest ever. Split a flight of three or six mini cones with the kids, choosing from about a dozen flavors. Elsewhere on the menu are skillet cookies, floats, ice cream sandwiches and birthday cakes covered in rainbow sprinkles. SMU Dallas and White Rock Lake Dallas, 972/913-4001; baldosdallas.com

Clients love COW TIPPING CREAMERY as much for its elevated soft serve as for its amazing toppings piled sky high. Ask for the Stacker of the Week to discover new signature treats, like The Warhol with roasted banana pudding cake crumbles and Nilla Wafer dust. You’ll also be hard-pressed to find their cookie butter hard shell dipped cone anywhere else. Multiple locations; cowtippingcreamery.com

The pros at CREAMISTRY use liquid nitrogen to rapidly freeze liquid into ice cream right in front of you. To get this science experiment going, choose your base (dairy, nut or fruit for sorbets), your flavor (there’s no skipping the matcha green tea) and toppings, and watch as the fog cloud billows from the mixing bowl to reveal your dessert. Multiple locations; 972/685-6512; creamistry.com

The traditional flat and crispy waffle cone takes a big step up at THE DOLLY LLAMA, a brand new ice cream shop in Uptown Dallas and the LA-based company’s first foray into Texas. The brand specializes in Belgian waffles and—even more daring— the Hong Kong Bubble Waffle wrapped around a scoop of ice cream. Dallas; thedollyllamala.com

HOWDY HOMEMADE has found the right formula with their signature flavor Dr Pepper Chocolate Chip. The shop is prized in the community for their policy of employing people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome and autism. Dallas, 214/4841552; howdyhomemade.com

The only way to improve upon JOY MACARONS’ soft and chewy French cookie (as if perfect needs improvement) is by adding ice cream. Cue their ice cream sandwiches and waffle cones scoops. Stop by one of three locations to experience