Things to Do in Burleson

Brazos Carriage Company ferries sightseers about Sundance Square and Highland Park for enjoyable excursions behind its trusty team of equine engines. Riders can flag the carriage down on the curb for an impromptu spin or reserve it ahead of time for weddings, holiday rides, or romantic jaunts without the kids or digital pets.

The company also offers a romantic-proposal service, which involves an ambiance-filled ride to the Fort Worth Water Gardens. The lengthy trip affords any gentleman plenty of time to work up the nerve to ask a special someone for either her hand in marriage or a figurative hand with refurbishing his muscle car.

When the local skate park shut down, Jackie Andrews decided to ensure that her son, Beau, would still have a safe, legal place to practice his favorite sport. According to a recent profile in 360 West magazine, Jackie understood the challenges she faced from city officials but simply would not take “no” for an answer. The tenacious single mother of two was no stranger to entrepreneurial feats—nearly two decades ago, with no retail experience, she opened Chelsea's Tea Room, which gradually expanded from a tiny room to a 3,000-square-foot boutique.

Still, Jackie reflects, “opening a skate park is not the easiest thing to do,” and when the time came to build The Pier Skatepark she leaned on the design expertise of San Diego–based skate-park designer Brent Kronmueller. Housed inside a hangar-sized warehouse, his eventual layout would try to capture the sensation of skating outside with touches such as decorative palm trees interspersed among the park’s collection of rails, ramps, ledges, and exasperated high-school principals.

Since opening, the park has attracted not only local skaters but celebrities such as Lil Wayne, who recently paid a special late-night visit. When they aren’t celebrity spotting, guests can earn physical-education credit for school, enhance their skills during five-day summer camps, and hold contests to determine who has the coolest trick or the stickiest grip tape.

As a mother of three, Krystal Gray envisioned owning a studio where children and adults could explore their creative sides together. That vision materialized when she took over ownership of The Art Barn Studio, a place that lavishes visitors with all of the materials and inspiration required to create their own unique masterpieces. A cow-print storefront beckons creative minds into a colorful studio where friendly staffers—including seasoned artists and local high-school students—help guests to create and decorate custom works of art including pottery, mosaics, and jewelry. Artists who don't finish crafting their project or debating politics with their muse in The Art Barn Studio's regular operating hours—Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.—may pay a return-visit fee and finish it at a later time.

Though she’s clad in her finest tiara and dress, the princess does not, in all the excitement, notice that there is icing on her nose. However, this potential party faux-pas goes unnoticed by her fellow princesses, as they’re all occupied with contributing to the symphony of giggles and jubilant chatter reverberating off the tea room’s pale pink walls. Despite their attire, this royal crew is not based in a fairy tale but rather partaking in one of Chelsea's Tea Room & Boutique’s glamorous princess dress-up parties. Dedicated to fostering magical moments such as these, the tearoom’s staffers help youngsters let their imaginations run wild via well-planned parties and events.

Amid the elegant tearoom, staffers gild the faces of partygoers in makeup and festoon their nails in fairy dust before unleashing them upon the wardrobe of dress-up clothes. Wee guests hop into the finery of their choice, solidifying their official princess status during a regal strut across the stage and down the runway. Newly minted sovereigns then sip giggle tea and snack on treats such as scones, teapot cookies, and chocolate truffles. Trained in the art of make-believe, staffers remain on hand throughout parties to entertain crowds with riveting stories and etiquette sessions that teach skills, such as table manners and the importance of saying "please" and "thank you."

Along with glitzy parties, Chelsea's Tea Room & Boutique also hosts Princess Summer Glamour Camps designed to promote values such as self-respect, spoken and written communication skills, and confidence among its campers. Its shelves brimming with vibrant decor and sparkly togs, the on-site boutique enables guests to stock up on all things girly during pre- or post-party shopping sessions.

Bowlers have sent pins clattering for more than 30 years upon Pin Center Bowl's rows of gleaming lanes. The 16 alleys host bouts of friendly competition among families and friends, who hurtle balls toward the hapless pins and tally their points with Brunswick Vector scoring equipment, rather than committing each point to memory via complex riddles. To accommodate kiddies' games, forgiving bumpers rise to block gutter balls. Between frames, players can snag snacks and drinks from the concession stand and full bar, and billiards tables and an arcade keep hand-eye coordination in tip-top shape. Pin Center Bowl also offers the Dragon Bowling Ball Ramp to assist children in knocking down pins.

The studios at Bikram Yoga North Texas always stay a balmy 105 degrees. Their staff of 17 teachers leads the heated classes seven days a week, morning through evening. The heat serves to cleanse the body through sweat, and it helps limbs sink deeper into stretches, twists, and bends. Bikram’s series of 26 postures works every muscle in the body systematically, each pose building off the last throughout about 90 minutes.