Things to Do in Lancaster

Just a 10-minute trip from downtown Dallas, Bahama Beach Waterpark draw visitors to its cooling oasis filled with soaking attractions. Lazing riders lounge in inner tubes as they bob on the serene current of the Calypso Cooler Lazy River, and children race through the nearby Coconut Cove, a rainforest-style playground with rope ladders, slides, and a 1,000-gallon dumping bucket. Two intertwined slides, the Riptide Slide and Bahama Bullet, descend from a 45-foot-high platform, and the nearby Bermuda Triangle's trio of open and closed slides deposits riders into a high-speed splashdown.

Bahama Bob's Island Eatery crafts a full menu of sandwiches, burgers, and snacks for diners, and the Island Traders store dispenses necessities such as sunscreen, locker rentals, and emergency rubber duckies. The park also offers party-sized seating, including group pavilions and private cabanas.

Though many anthropological museums focus on peoples who are long gone, the International Museum of Cultures displays more than 10 storied exhibits on contemporary indigenous populations from around the world, including Papua New Guinea, Mexico, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here, visitors glean insight into the respective cultures and the challenges they face. As guests peruse the displays, they can explore Lakota Sioux artifacts such as dream catchers and arrowheads, learn about the hunter-gatherer Agta from the Philippines, and listen to Drumbeats of the World, an interactive exhibit that pulsates with percussive heartbeats from Ecuador, Pakistan, and Korea.

For more than three decades, the Hudson family has fostered a fun, safe environment for exercise at Red Bird Skateland. The glossy roller rink welcomes the public during open skate hours, and hosts birthday parties as well. Bashes can be held during public skate hours, or birthday kids can opt for private celebrations, which lets partygoers skate unimpeded by strangers after feasting on cake.