Things to Do in Forney

At Legends Batting Cages, a full roster of outdoor pitching machines fires practice balls at various speeds to help Little Leaguers and advanced batters hone their skills. The machines’ weapons of choice are hollow-core MacGregor balls, which fly further than regular baseballs and help prevent broken bats and embarrassing off-key clinks. Pitch speeds range from 30 to 55 miles per hour for ages 5–9 and from to 40 to 90 miles per hour for ages 10 and older, topping out at 90 miles per hour in a cage suited for professional-level players. The facility also hosts an auxiliary batting cage, which up to 12 players may rent to get ready for the fall season's playoffs and applesauce harvest.

The trusty team of quarter horses at Broken Bow Ranch escorts visitors over the sprawling pastures and winding trails that grace the 1,200-acre working cattle ranch. Their owner, Gay Leigh Bingham, draws upon 25 years of experience when teaching new riders the subtleties of proper horsemanship. During private and group riding lessons, she aims to teach riders the proper way to confidently command a horse so they can ride comfortably on trails or help equine companions practice self-control when trotting through apple orchards. Not content to stop at the saddle, Ms. Bingham also invites visitors to enjoy her land for such pastimes as duck hunting and paintball.

The melodic clopping of hooves hitting the dirt is a familiar one to Chisholm Trail Rides' instructors, who command their noble animals over the surrounding network of trails during rides and lessons. Under the watchful eye of a guide, students lead their steeds into bouts of walking, trotting, or cantering. As instructors tailor instruction to the skills of each rider, the stable's assortment of breeds includes arabians, half arabians, and quarter horses that accommodate all styles. Though rides and lessons are designed for the trails, riders may remain inside the arena or horse's belly pouch until they feel comfortable emerging into the open expanse.

At The Gentle Zoo, youngsters feed pigs, pat ducklings, and interact with the other fuzzy residents. Elsewhere on the zoo’s 10 acres, guests can leap about on the bounce house, blast corn from the corn cannon, navigate the maze, or enjoy a leisurely ride on the tractor train. Such attractions enthrall kids at onsite birthday parties, while the mobile petting zoo’s 12–15 staff-supervised animals offer nuzzles and create memories in children's minds. The creatures also hit the road for the animal-encounters program, which combines hands-on animal contact with educational 45-minute presentations. The Gentle Zoo donates its proceeds from the program to its Creature Connection, Inc. nonprofit, which rehabilitates rescue animals before they participate in outreach programs for foster children and at-risk youth.

The sun melts into the horizon, leaving a bright-orange band of sky in its wake that gives way to a deep-blue Texas night. Twinkling lights wrapped around the windmill flicker on as ebullient music fills Fish Camp's outdoor patio, to the delight of diners savoring their desserts in the open air. Such evenings are hardly a rarity at the restaurant, which beckons guests to its quiet countryside location with a menu of seafood and traditional Southern comfort food.

Inside the buzzing kitchen, chefs whip up mouthwatering dishes featuring aquatic ingredients such as clear-water, farm-raised catfish and gulf prawns. The chefs also assemble platefuls of comfort food using traditional recipes from across the South, ranging from Texas toothpicks and Cajun-style blackened tilapia to Kentucky-bourbon pecan pie. Young diners can frolic on the deck and partake in casual fishing to retrieve lost contact lenses, and local musicians assemble on Friday and Saturday nights to delight patrons with live performances.