Things to Do in Atascocita

Buckhorn's buckets of imminent to-doables fills this 50-acre spread with numerous attractions, including a swimming pool, a fort, a viewing zoo, a giant sandbox, a volleyball court, a barn, a moonwalk, and a game room stuffed to the ceiling with ping-pong and foosball tables, a climbing wall, a putt-putt course, and a trike raceway. Use the included 10 tokens to pay for concessions like funnel cakes and hot dogs, or use them toward special activities like catch-and-release fishing (20 tokens for all day), kiddie horse rides (5 tokens per ride), paddle-boat rides (3 tokens for all day), and more.

Crawling through sand dunes, diving into bunkers, charging over wooden bridges—this is what it takes to overthrow Normandy's two-story French house at Survival Game of Texas. This World War II-inspired expanse is one of the facility's many outdoor fields spread across their 47 acres of terrain. On courses designed for beginners, guests duel among wild west-style buildings, navigate a jungle maze, and duck into the huts scattered amid a realistic Vietnamese village. They can also ward off opponents from twin three-story castles featuring spiral staircases, a catwalk, and a napping ogre. Under the watchful eyes of referees, visitors 12 and over duke it out seven days a week, including during Survival Game of Texas's special events, which include seven-hour scenario games.

Darolyn Butler spent her childhood riding near her family’s farm and ranch, exploring the countryside and sharpening the skills that would later serve her well during horse shows and barrel-racing competitions. After winning the title of Miss Rodeo Oklahoma, she went on to become Miss Ford Country, the cowgirl featured in ad campaigns for Ford Motor Company. College graduation brought numerous opportunities, but Darolyn always filled her spare time with shows and rodeos. Then she discovered endurance riding, a cross-country competitive sport with races that cover 50 or more miles. Over the years, she’s won several national championships and when she became a mother, Darolyn trained her two daughters in endurance, and they are now competitive riders as well.

When she isn't competing, Darolyn offers riding instruction and consultation services at Cypress Trails Equestrian Center. The ranch is open seven days a week and adjoins scenic and challenging trails, where students of all ages and skill levels can go on adventure rides aboard beautiful arabian, spanish-mustang, and appaloosa horses. Darolyn also boards horses, giving them access to plenty of pastureland, where they can roam freely or stand still in one spot staring at the ground and counting blades of grass.

M2 Sports supplies adrenaline seekers the skills and gear to temper waves, powder, or concrete. M2's snowboarding division carries name-brand planks from brands such as Forum and Lib Tech, as well as all colors and styles of snow-ready gear. A Smith Holt men's snow helmet ($89.99) protects the brain’s ever-expanding library of memorized zip codes, and Volcom Believer men's snow gloves ($109.99) keep hands from making skin-to-snow contact. Skate enthusiasts can peruse an exhaustive array of decks, long boards, and protective gear, tuning out chatty crossing guards with Skullcandy’s iCon 2 on-ear headphones ($29.95), whose headbands are lined with rubber grips to prevent slips midride. M2 also equips wakeboarders with name-brand gear from Ronix and Hyperlite, and fosters future enthusiasts through lessons and summer wake camp held at a private lake.

As a child, potter and instructor Linda Munoz unearthed her passion for the arts during ballet, piano, guitar, and painting lessons. Motivated by her spiritual beliefs, she fleshed out her creative side into a career when she founded Lambda Pottery. Her studio showcases her original stoneware, largely crafted atop the potter's wheel, and houses pottery lessons designed to accommodate all ages. The classes take place once or twice a week for eight weeks and hone in on students' areas of interest. During each lesson, Linda incorporates basics such as molding clay into dishes, trimming and texturizing, and affixing handles or rubber ears onto vases.