There's a ukelele jam session at Sweetwater this week. Read on to find out more!
Whoa! This time of year is often slow for family-friendly program, but this week is different. Check out all of the events that will keep you out of the harsh Texas weather in this week's edition of Seen and Heard below.
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Whoa! There's tons of great family-friendly activities for you and your young ones going on in Denton, TX this week. The Denton Public Library has outdone themselves with summer programming this year and they're just one of the entities putting on awesome entertainment. Check 'em all out in the post below!
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Summer's already here, y'all. You can tell because your car is that type of hot where you raise your butt off the seat so you don't melt into it. Also, if you've spawned, your wee ones are currently at home and probably going through your stuff or causing mischief. Don't worry, though. We've got plenty of family-friendly events throughout the week in today's Seen & Heard. A few of 'em involve cooling yourself off by way of air conditioning or water, too. So hop to it!
Read Moreby Naomi Wood and Will Milne
A kid dancing at the Mardi Gras Festival on Walnut St. last Friday. Photo by Paige Gibson.
Denton is currently in something of a bar renaissance. Some of our all-time favorite Denton bars have opened just within the past five years. This, plus the fact that seemingly everyone in Denton is now toting a wee-one (read: child), puts us at a moral quandary. When is it appropriate, if ever, to take your kid with you to some place with booze?
If you’ve walked into an early-evening show or bar with a kiddo in tote, and felt the peering eyes of strangers, we feel for ya. A few weeks ago, there was a Denton Creatives Mixer at Rubber Gloves, an often “all ages” venue. We went and lo and behold a few kiddos were there. Was it maybe a little strange to see a couple of kids at a space in which Peelander Z has played over a dozen times? Maybe. But also kind of awesome. There was absolutely nothing overly “adult” happening and the kids seemed to be having a good time. Last weekend at the Mardi Gras festival on Walnut St., there were plenty of adults drinking lots of beer and wearing lots of beads, but in addition to that, there were tons of children of all ages running around, dancing to music, and getting their faces painted. This was even deemed family-friendly. And why not? Sports games serve alcohol, and is it even possible to make it through the state fair without some sort of depressant or stimulant?
We have a few tips that may make any social family more at ease. We like to think that bars aren’t just places of drink and relaxation, but are a key way to connect to the community around us. While none of them approach the level of kid-friendliness that you’ll find at places such as The LOT or The Truck Yard in Dallas, we’re getting there. Here are a few places that we think are hot-spots for families to unwind - and by god - happen to serve alcohol.
Oak Street Draft House and East Side Social Club - OSDH is the big daddy of bringing your kid to The open-air beer garden attracts all kinds of folk, from the 2-legged to the 4-legged. For some reason it seems more kid friendly to us than ESSC, but we're not gonna write that out - especially with their forthcoming food truck park neighbor (which we hope has some kid-friendly components, too. It’s no secret that this is one of our favorite craft beer spots, and what kid doesn’t like a game of ping pong with Dad after a long day in the office? At this point, you may be wondering, "But what does management think of this habit? Surely, people don't want little kids running around their bars."
We reached out to the owner of Oak St. Draft House and East Side Social Club for comment. Williams said, "Oak St. Drafthouse and East Side Social Club are very kid-friendly environments. We have Saint Arnold's Root Beer on tap and sodas available for the kiddos. As long as you keep an eye on them and they are out by 8pm or sundown, feel free to enjoy our non smoking inside and wide-open patio." We think he's a pretty swell dude.
Dan’s Silverleaf - There are plenty of family-friendly shows where anyone from infancy to white hairs are welcomed. Most of the time, they start at 5pm and oftentimes the bands are of good quality - such as Mrs. Polly. The outdoor patio allows for a little more wiggle room for that squirmy toddler, but be careful - while the inside of Dan’s is smoke-free, the patio can get smoky pretty quickly. Plus, sometimes there's popcorn.
Denton Festivals - For a town that really knows how to throw a festival, we're surprised this trend hasn't really cropped up before. Denton has tons of festivals in which adults can lean back and enjoy a cold one while their kid dances around or plays. Jazz Fest seems like the obvious choice, but festivals such as the Blues Festival, or even the weekly Twilight Tunes jams on the courthouse lawn during the summers are great for both the young at heart and the young at everything.
Mulberry St. Cantina - Is doing a great job of creating a family-friendly environment. Once again, we have a non-smoking atmosphere complete with games nearby. You may have to wait your turn for cornhole, but there's plenty of cards and games such as Connect Four at the complimentary chip station. When the garage window goes up, the fresh air hits you while you're sipping a delicious margarita - all that's missing is some sort of kid-play area (maybe a splash park. Right, Mrs. Briggle?) nearby. Oh, and Lean Machine or The Waffle Wagon are normally outside, too, so you can grab some kid-friendly food, too (ours like Lean Machine's smoothies).
Misc. - There are plenty of other places you can catch some live music and a glass of wine without looking like a bad parent. The Whitehouse often has shows outside, Banter has a pretty consistent live music lineup and Last Drop Tavern has pizza so you can't really beat that.
Howsabout you? Have you ever felt weird taking your kid somewhere in town, or do you have a suggestion on a place you think is unassumingly kid-friendly? Let us know in the comments!
After you’ve done your Pinterest projects, paper mache solar systems and Twilight Tunes is over - you realize that eight weeks of summer is a long time to fill with activities.
Good lord, have you seen how many different kid-centric programs the Denton Public Library offers? Sure, they’re on an ongoing basis, but they seem to have really beefed things up for the summer season. Whether your kid is into Legos, art or photography, there is definitely a class that can hold their attention at one of the local libraries. Checkout this page to see a list of them all. The best part is that they’re all free. Some do require pre-registration, so make sure you call ahead to reserve your kiddo a spot beforehand.
Cool off with the city’s local man-made bodies of water. The Natatorium and waterpark are in north Denton right off of 288. Print out this coupon for $2 off admission before you head out there. If you’re smart and think you’ll head out there a lot, go with the family pack discount or go after 4pm on a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday to get $3 off your admission. Oh, and don’t forget about the civic center pool, crashing all of those apartment pools and the pool your elderly neighbors have.
The summer is a great time for your child to get knee deep in a book. Whether they are finishing up the latest adventures of Captain Underpants, or having their first foray into the world of Philip K. Dick, hopefully you’re encouraging your child’s reading. If you’re already doing it, why not have them be rewarded? Both Recycled Books and the Denton Public Library have summer reading programs that just started. Recycled gives kids $5 to spend in their store after they read for 30 minutes a day for 4 days a week. The library awards kids with various books and has a party at the waterpark at the end of the summer.
The Cinemark Theatre on Unicorn Lake has a summer movie special for kids this year. About once a week, they’ll be showing special movies for kids for only $1 per ticket. You can check out the dates and a list of which movies they will be showing here. All movies start at 9am. Plan to hit up the other Beth Marie’s afterwards because it will probably already be over 100 by the time your movie let’s out.
Enroll your son or daughter in one of the many awesome summer camps we highlighted a few weeks ago.