This upscale center is typical Highland Park--trendy boutique shops and stores that offer exceptional services. Located minutes from downtown at Preston Road and Mockingbird Lane, Highland Park Village offers free valet parking and a variety of shops, including Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic, as well as boutiques by Chanel, Cole Haan, Escada and Hermes. All that shopping can work up an appetite, so stop by Café Pacific, Celebrity Restaurant and Bakery, or Mi Cocina.
Whether you are looking for work by established contemporary artists or for experimental exhibitions by emerging artists, you can find it at the Conduit Gallery. The main gallery is devoted to 22 of today's artistic luminaries. The annex has shown work by Denton's Good/Bad Art Cooperative, as well as Rod Northcutt and Haley Bates. Established in Deep Ellum in 1984, the gallery is located on the second floor of a renovated warehouse overlooking shops and restaurants.
Lone Star Park is a 36,000-square-foot pavilion featuring quarter horse racing annually from April through July. Off-season simulcast races are presented on over 175 television monitors and video walls. The facilities include a large, supervised playground, restaurant, abundant parking and an outdoor patio. Drive-through para mutual betting windows are available for those who don't want to leave their cars. Special family events are often held on weekends.
Grapevine Botanical Gardens is nestled in the Heritage Park and opened its doors in 2000. This lovely green enclosure features walking trails, a garden court, gazebo, performance stage, sitting areas, landscaped gardens with waterfalls and bridges, a fish pond and a butterfly sanctuary. It also has an educational pavilion on its east side. The beautiful blooms and lush trees add to the tranquility of this place.
While enjoying time in the Arts District, be sure to stop at the Craighead-Green Gallery. Founded in 1992 by Kenneth Craighead and Steven Green, the gallery is known for displaying quality art in a variety of media by both established artists and emerging talent. If you visit in the summer, you may be able to view the independently juried group show, 'New Texas Talent'.
Manmade river twists and turns through trees and flowers at this 17-acre water park, a perfect spot for children of all ages. One highlight is the green extreme, a water roller coaster measuring 65 feet tall and 1,161 feet long. With its myriad twists and turns, this ride,deemed the world's largest uphill water coaster, is everyone's favorite. The endless river offers the opportunity for a relaxing ride on a lazy summer day, while NRH2Ocean is a 12,000-square-foot wave pool. On Friday nights, "dive-in" movies are shown on a screen that is readily viewable from anywhere in this pool.