Things to Do in Murphy

McKinney, Texas’s Chestnut Square Historic Village recreates life from 1850-1930 on a campus that features six historic houses, a one-room schoolhouse, a chapel, and a general store. The surrounding buildings also include a blacksmith shop, a smoke house, and a chapel, all filled with period artifacts from the 19th century. Visit during a Living History Day to see costumed actors farming, baking, embroidering cushions, or tending to the old-fashioned gardens. Visitors can even step inside the old schoolhouse for a lesson on the region’s history or argue in favor of putting James A. Garfield on every piece of U.S. currency.

For a more in-depth look at the square, follow a guide on a daytime tour, which delves into the buildings’ pasts. On the Village’s haunted tours, you can try to catch a glimpse of an apparition with a lantern light. Patrons can get an additional taste of the past at the weekly farmers market, which showcases fresh vegetables and is visited by Chester the Cat, the square’s resident feline who normally hangs out at Dixie’s Store.

Customization is the name of the game at Creative Events Photo and Video Booths. Before staffers show up to set up and man the booth, the Creative Events team teams up with customers to personalize each photo-booth package, choosing custom layouts or adding extras such as props or custom logos. On the day of the event, the portrait palace lets up to 10 guests at a time pose for unlimited black-and-white and color snapshots or attempt to break the record for most bunny ears on one bride. Other a la carte add-ons include video greetings from guests and keepsake photo guest books.

The clear water of Lake Ray Hubbard mirrors the big blue sky above it, inviting clouds to gaze at their reflection and people to come swim or lounge. Located on its eastern shore, Five Star Boat Club fuels up luxury ski boats to chaperon two-, four-, or six-hour cruises around the tranquil waters. Should renters wish to let someone else do the navigating, the company will happily thaw a seasoned captain from his cryogenic sleep and place him at the boat’s helm for the day. The boat, the Tahoe Q4SS, has a wide sundeck, stainless steel ski tow bar, and cushioned bucket seats to lounge in while music blares from the onboard CD player.

A 168,000-gallon pool shaped like the Lone Star State, The Texas Pool has been an oasis in the scorching Plano summer heat since 1961. For decades, aspiring members camped overnight outside its doors in the hopes of securing access to its cool, salt waters and abundance of recreational facilities. Today, families still flock to the pool, seeking refuge from the sun during open swim sessions, swimming camps, and swim lessons throughout the week. Against a backdrop of a Texas flag mural, swimmers of all ages shoot down water slides, leap off a diving board, and compete in recreational games of water volleyball, all the while enjoying a relatively low risk of a giant-squid attack. Instructors lead students of all abilities in swimming lessons, elucidating the art of the front crawl and butterfly stroke.

Meanwhile, smoke rises from barbecue grills that speckle the rows of picnic tables, and sunbathers stretch out on lawn chairs. On movie nights, audiences gather at the pool to soak up youngster-friendly films.

The staff at Kids-N-Art come from many backgrounds, but all share degrees in arts or education and buckets of enthusiasm. Summer camps introduce projects such as throwing clay on a pottery wheel or rehearsing a musical to be performed at the end of the session. Kids’ classes develop skills in painting, mixed media, and cartooning, and events such as Parents’ Night Out let kids take a break from nagging their moms and dads to clean their rooms and relax with some pizza and games.