park news

Dallas-area parks top the list for best Texas parks in 2025

Frisco made its debut on the list of best parks

Play Frisco - Parks & Recreation/Facebook

More bragging rights for Plano as a desirable place to live: The city has the No. 1 best park system in Texas this year, a new report says. Dallas and Frisco aren't far behind.

So says the Trust for Public Land's 2025 ParkScore report, which annually rates park systems in 100 of the largest American cities based on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

Plano has maintained its place atop the rankings in Texas for several years. The city ranked 17th nationally after ranking 16th for the last two years, and earning No. 15 in 2021 and 2022.

Most Plano residents (81 percent) live within a 10-minute walk of a park in the city, which is more than the national median (76 percent). Within the city limits, 10.4 percent of the area is dedicated to parkland. The city spends $198 per resident on its acclaimed park system, compared to the national median $133 per resident.

Dallas' parks moved up four spots from last year to claim No. 34 nationally and No. 2 statewide. The report says this marks five years of improvement for Dallas, in part thanks to community efforts and organizations.

"Dallas’ recent rise in park access is due largely to initiatives like the Cool School Community Parks program, which opens school playgrounds and other school-based facilities to community use after school hours, and programs like the Dallas Greening Initiative to transform vacant lots into neighborhood greenspaces across the city," the report said.

The upcoming opening of the Judge Charles R. Rose Park on June 7 will also increase accessibility for other Dallas residents.

The Judge Charles R. Rose Community Park will span 40 acres of land.Photo courtesy of Trust For Public Land

Frisco makes its Parkscore Index debut this year, coming in at No. 3 in Texas and No. 37 nationwide. A majority (70 percent) of residents living within a 10-minute walk of a park in the city, the report says. About five percent of the entire Frisco area is reserved for parkland, and the city spends $258 per resident to maintain its park system.

"We’re seeing inspiring momentum across the Dallas metroplex, and it reflects what we at Trust for Public Land believe at our core: everyone deserves access to the healing, unifying power of the outdoors," said Molly Morgan, Texas State Director of the Trust for Public Land. "When we invest in parks — especially in neighborhoods that have long gone without — we’re investing in healthier families, stronger communities, and a deeper sense of belonging."

Elsewhere across the Metroplex, Fort Worth rose through the ranks to claim No. 72 nationally this year, previously landing in the No. 91 spot in 2024. The city has put a big focus on park investment, increasing funding by nearly 50 percent over the last five years, and the report says there are over 80 ongoing park construction projects.

Arlington moved up one spot as No. 46 nationwide, and Garland moved up seven spots as No. 67. Irving maintained its rank as No. 99 for the second year in a row.

Here's how other Texas parks ranked nationally in 2025 in comparison to 2024:

No. 54 – Austin, down from No. 44 last year
No. 57 – San Antonio, down from No. 53 last year
No. 66 – Houston, up from No. 68 last year

dallas frisco parks parkscore report plano bests lists

Weekend Event Planner

These are the 13 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Photo courtesy of STOMP

STOMP will be at Winspear Opera House on May 31 and June 1.

While there is a good variety of events in and around Dallas this weekend, the theme will be music, with no fewer than eight different concerts taking place over the next four days. Other choices include a big convention for fans of movies/TV, a new local theater production, a visit from a well-known comedian, a convention with lots of oddities, and a stage production unlike any other.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. If you want more options, check out the calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, May 29

Eric Nadel’s Birthday Benefit featuring Shinyribs and The Secret Sisters
The annual birthday benefit show for Texas Rangers Hall of Fame broadcaster Eric Nadel will feature performances by Shinyribs and The Secret Sisters. The benefit supports the work of Grant Halliburton Foundation, a Dallas non-profit that provides mental health education, resources, and support to children, teens, and their families. The show will be at Longhorn Ballroom.

Natalia Lafourcade in concert
Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade comes to Dallas as part of her Cancionera Tour in support of her new album, Cancionera. She will be debuting a new show with intimate arrangements as she reinterprets her classic hits and introduces new songs. Lafourcade will perform on both Thursday and Friday at Winspear Opera House.

Friday, May 30

Fan Expo Dallas
Fan Expo Dallas is the largest sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event in Texas, featuring family-friendly attractions, events, and celebrities. The list of celebrity guests will be headlined by a 40th anniversary celebration of Back to the Future featuring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Tom Wilson, Elisabeth Shue, and more. Other guests will include John Cena, Orlando Bloom, Alicia Silverstone, Mr. T, John Boyega, Parker Posey, Walton Goggins, Anthony Daniels, and more. The event takes place at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Dierks Bentley in concert
There are few country singers with a higher profile than Dierks Bentley. He has released 10 albums since his debut in 2003, with seven of them reaching the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country charts. Those albums have yielded 11 No. 1 songs, including "Come A Little Closer," "Free and Easy," and "Somewhere on a Beach." He'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion in support of his forthcoming new album, Broken Branches, set for release on June 13.

Theatre Denton presents The Marriage of Bette and Boo
The Marriage of Bette and Boo is a fast-paced comedy that finds the irony and humor in life’s most unhappy events as it chronicles one couple, Bette and Boo, through three decades of married life. The production runs through June 8 at the Campus Theatre in Denton.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 – 'Resurrection'"
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's season finale concert, conducted by Fabio Luisi and featuring the Dallas Symphony Chorus, will consist entirely of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 – "Resurrection." Featured vocalists will include soprano Sofia Fomina and mezzo-soprano Catrionia Morison. There will be three performances through Sunday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Hyena's presents Dulcé Sloan
Comedian Dulcé Sloan is best known as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. She also hosted the short-lived The Great American Joke Off on The CW. Sloan has been hailed by Variety, Rolling Stone, and Timeout LA as a Top Comedian to Watch, and honored as the NBC Stand UpShowcase Winner, a Montreal Just For Laughs New Face, and as a Comedian to Watch on The Steve Harvey Show. She'll perform four times through Saturday at Hyena's Comedy Nightclub.

Saturday, May 31

The Oddities & Curiosities Expo
The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is a one-of-a-kind traveling showcase that brings together hundreds of oddity vendors and artists from across the country, creating a playground for the strange and unusual. Attendees can browse and shop for rare and unique items, including taxidermy, preserved animal specimens, dark artistry, original horror and Halloween-inspired artwork, antiques, metaphysical accoutrements, handcrafted oddities, skulls, bones, and funeral collectibles. The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Longhorn Jubilee featuring Drive-By Truckers
To celebrate Longhorn Ballroom’s 75th anniversary, the venue is hosting a series of events to honor the iconic room's past, present, and future. Dubbed the Longhorn Jubilee, the all-genre-encompassing event will unfold both inside the Ballroom and outside in the Courtyard combining music with food trucks, local vendors, and more. This event will feature performances by Drive-By Truckers, Deer Tick, Thelma & The Sleaze, and J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed.

Alison Krauss & Union Station in concert
Almost from the start of her career, country/bluegrass singer Allison Krauss has split her time between putting out solo albums and ones with her group, Union Station. The group released six albums over 22 years between 1989 and 2011, becoming one of the most popular bluegrass groups in the process. After 14 years, they've finally released a new album, Arcadia. They'll play at The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory in Irving.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents STOMP
STOMP is explosive, inventive, provocative, witty, and utterly unique. The international percussion sensation features an eight-member troupe that uses everything but conventional percussion instruments - like matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps - to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. There will be performances on Saturday and Sunday at Winspear Opera House.

Sunday, June 1

Simple Minds in concert
After a bit of a slow start to their career, Scottish new wave band Simple Minds hit it big in 1985 when their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was used in the hit movie The Breakfast Club. While the band remained a big thing in their native United Kingdom, they were more of a one-hit wonder in the U.S., never reaching those heights again. They'll play at The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory in Irving as part of their biggest live run across the US and Canada in four decades.

OMD in concert
Speaking of cult bands from across the pond, English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (or, more simply, OMD) is celebrating the 45th anniversary of their recording career, having released their self-titled debut album in 1980. After a bit of a break in the late '90s/early 2000s, they've released four albums in the past 15 years, most recently Bauhaus Staircase in 2023. They'll play at Majestic Theatre.

Photo courtesy of STOMP

STOMP will be at Winspear Opera House on May 31 and June 1.

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