Last year, we shared with you some of the tips, hints and secrets that make living in Denton easier for us. Many of you enjoyed them. Very few of you were able to find the secret passageway from Recycled to Rubber Gloves, though. Anyway, school is back in session and with it, a whole new crew of Dentonites have arrived. We’ve gone ahead and compiled a new list for 2012. Before reading it, make sure you’ve familiarized yourself with last year’s list.
The following list of secrets is written for the uninitiated, those new to Denton who might not be familiar with the niche that the rest of us have already readily carved and devoured. It’s written for those who need help. Know something that we missed? Tell us in the comments.
- Is your toilet broken? Is that bench at the park kinda sticky? Or are you just upset that your dietary specifications aren’t being met at Thai Ocha? If you live in Denton and have an issue WITH ANYTHING tweet your problem to @KevinRoden and he’ll take care of it. He’s on the city council, after all.
- Paradise Spirits and Wine, the liquor store we recommended last year, also offers a student discount of 10% off their hooch if you’ve got a student ID.
- While UNT’s football team may have a new stadium, watching them play can still leave you feeling a little...asleep. Thankfully, this year saw the opening of the North Texas Derby Revolution inside of the House of Quad. Go there and watch some fierce roller derby action. Better yet -- join a league and play, yourself. There are the de facto women’s teams, but also teams for men and children. Abnormally large dentist bills for all! Unfortunately, it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with the schedule of games, but follow the House of Quad and the North Texas Derby Revolution on Facebook and you can be sure to catch the best games.
- Aside from various free events, the city also provides citizens with tons of free stuff if you’re on the ball enough to get ‘em. From time to time you can pick up coupons at events or in the mail to score free Dyno Dirt at the landfill. Also, Keep Denton Beautiful has an annual fall tree giveaway. Sign up in advance, show up at your designated time and -- BOOM -- free tree. In addition, the City of Denton's ReUse store is a spot where Denton residents can drop by and score up to six free cleaning items. It's open the first and third Saturday of every month from 7am to noon and Wednesdays from noon until 6pm. The ReUse store is located at 1527 S. Mayhill Rd.
- If you’re a LARPer or enjoy some pretty excellent people watching, keep an eye on the Shire of the Arlac Woods Facebook group. They meet up every once in a while in different wooded areas in south Denton by Wiggly Field. We’ve also witnessed LARPing at McKenna park over off of Bonnie Brae, as well.
- If you want coffee that is definitely freshly brewed and locally roasted at Jupiter House, order a French press of Bookish Coffee. You won’t be disappointed and you can rest assured that it will make some guys named Clay and Wade smile.
- Did you know that Denton has a small water park? Unfortunately, it’s only open for a few more weeks before it closes for the season, but you’ve got one last weekend to go and take a dip in the lazy river. By the way, show up after about 5:30 or 6 and sometimes you get a free entry. When the waterpark does close up shop, the Natatorium next door remains open year round and is a lovely alternative to the city pool or the UNT Rec center pool.
- Never exit Pennsylvania.
- Need an events website to figure out live music in town? Check out one of the following: Dentr0n, Showli.st, or DentonLiveMusic.com.
- Having a hard day and need to leave your car in one of the two hour spots on the square (during the week) for an extended amount of time so you can day drink at the Oak St. Drafthouse? Simple enough. Just wait for the first Parking Enforcement Officer to come by and mark one of the back tires of your car with a piece of chalk. After they’re gone, walk over and brush it off and you’re good for the rest of the day (this has worked in our experience).
- If you like being screwed by your landlord, rent property (commercial or residential) from Scott Brown.
- Stuck driving north to Denton from Dallas during rush hour? 288 will almost always steal your soul (unless you’re on the A-Train!). You can avoid some of the traffic by exiting State School/Mayhill and turning right at Mayhill. Cut through the area of town inhabited by white walkers and wildlings and eventually you’ll get back to civilization. Visual learner? Click here.
- Are you trying to get into audiobooks, but you’re also really cheap and/or antisocial? The Denton Public Library offers you a way to rent audiobooks online without ever having to speak to another human being. Just download the Overdrive Media app to your phone and go to the DPL’s website and rent a few books or put some on hold to download when they’re available.
- The mustachioed fellow at Paschall who used to work at Banter is an excellent bartender. He’s worth waiting in line for. Just don’t ask him for a bloody mary. Actually, on second thought, they’re all great bartenders. Just remember to bring a change of clothes if you don’t want to smell like smoke the rest of the evening.
- There are free shows at the basement of J & J’s Pizza all the time. Look for flyers while you’re enjoying a slice of pizza and attend a bunch of ‘em.
- You can golf for $15/round (public price on week days) at the TWU golf course. You know, if you like golfing and stuff.
- Kroger is the least crowded early in the morning. We’re talking like 8 or 9am, sometimes even 10 or 11am. You might think that if you show up at 10pm that no one will be there, but YOU’D BE WRONG. It’ll still be crowded.
- Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at about 9pm, you can catch a great haunted tour of the square. The tour starts at 9pm and they meet at the steps on the east side of the courthouse. For $10, you get a pretty good amount of information and entertainment. Go here for more information.
- Next time you’ve got an open night and there’s little to nothing going on, check out a show at the UNT Sky theater in the Astronomy building. It’s open to the public and often has cheap shows that are great family fun.
- Denton does have a nicer hotel than the Holiday Inn. The Wildwood Inn is over on Lillian Miller Parkway. They even have an excellent restaurant that’s open to the public Thursday - Saturday evenings, too. Heck, you can even get married there, if you want. You might want to read the Texas Marriage License Application and Report of Divorce Records first, though.
- Ladies (both granola and non) seem to dig Juliet’s Jewels over on Sycamore. Get some eggs and a banh mi at the Community Market one Saturday morning and follow that up by walking across the street to the jewelry store.
- Did you know that Denton has a skate park that is free to enter and is open from 6am until 10pm. It’s in north Denton by the aforementioned waterpark. They even sometimes host classes and clinics every once in awhile. You can view their schedule here.
- After you get hit by a jerky UNT student whilst riding your bike, hop on over to the Querencia Community Bike Shop over on Oak St. They’ve got the tools and know-how to help you get your bike back in tip-top shape.
- Denton Wiki is a great resource for various and sundry things around town. They even have a page dedicated to eating and drinking cheaply around town and weekly drink specials, too.
- If you fancy yourself a photog, do yourself a favor and start taking pictures somewhere other than the square. The personified version of the courthouse asked us personally to let you know that it’s tired of being a backdrop and that there are plenty of other beautiful/interesting places in town. Don’t shoot the messenger!