A trip to the beach is always a must for Texans during summer. But if you’re one of the unfortunate ones that reside further North, the lake is a decent substitution.  For Dallas, there’s a plethora of options: Lake Ray Hubbard, Grapevine Lake, Lewisville, and even Lavon if you’re desperate.

We made a trip out to Lewisville last weekend, Westlake Park to be specific. In the same manner as all the parks in the area, there was an entrance fee per vehicle for a whole day. The pleasant surprise is it was only $3-4 each, as compared to $7-10 the other parks charged. The picnic areas were clean, and there were quite a few to choose from. The water wasn’t as crystal clear as I’d hoped for, but the weather was a perfect combination of Texas heat and coastal wind. It would’ve been ideal to be one of the folks on a $700/hr yacht, but cooling off in the water and jumping back out to grab some delicious Southern BBQ and a cold drink in between isn’t too bad. Just don’t go overboard. Not everyone has friends that’ll wake you up before the sun gets well acquainted with your pigmentation.