Things to Do in University Park, TX with Kids
In the heart of the Park Cities, family life runs on a 13-park grid, the Holmes pool, Snider Plaza, and the SMU campus, almost all of it walkable from home.
Part of the DFW Family Activities Hub covering all 67 DFW suburbs.
What University Park Families Actually Do Here
University Park is the residential half of the Park Cities, an affluent enclave wrapped entirely by Dallas. Family life here is unusually walkable: 13 city parks strung along Turtle Creek, the Holmes Aquatic Center, Snider Plaza's century-old shops, and the SMU campus with its museums are all within a few minutes of one another. It's one of the rare DFW addresses where kids bike to the pool and parents walk to dinner. See the full University Park relocation guide →
A Walkable Grid of Parks
Thirteen city parks, the Holmes pool, and tree-lined sidewalks make most of daily life reachable on foot or by bike.
SMU at the Doorstep
The Meadows Museum, the George W. Bush Center, and Mustangs game days sit right on the edge of the neighborhood.
Snider Plaza & the Village
A 1927 shopping plaza and the landmark Highland Park Village put shops, dining, and seasonal events steps away.
Parks, Trails & Green Space
University Park maintains 13 city parks across just 3.7 square miles, most of them threaded along the five-mile-long Turtle Creek green corridor. For a small city, the park density is remarkable, and the playgrounds and pool are the social center of summer.
Curtis Park
The summer hub: two lighted tennis courts, a baseball diamond and soccer field, half-mile walking paths, the Turtle Creek ponds, and a 2023 shaded playground, plus the Holmes Aquatic Center. Restrooms and shade on site. Best as your first stop as a new resident.
Holmes Aquatic Center
Inside Curtis Park at 3501 Lovers Lane: a 50-meter pool, a giant water slide, diving boards, and a zero-depth playground that distributes water to more than 25 spray and splash features for little ones. Lifeguards, a snack bar, and summer Dive-In Movies. Best for all ages on a hot day.
Caruth Park
At 6.8 acres on Hillcrest Avenue, the city's largest children's play area: dual playgrounds under massive solar shades, a stocked fishing pond that hosts the Children's Fishing Derby, and wide open lawns. Plenty of shade and benches. Best for families with toddlers and grade-schoolers.
Centennial Park (formerly Goar Park)
Open since 1947, with jogging and walking trails that feed into the tree-lined sidewalks, two practice soccer fields, a rentable gazebo, and a stretch of beautifully landscaped Turtle Creek. The post-parade hub for the July 4th celebration. Best for runs and weekend soccer.
Williams Park
A relaxed neighborhood green that hosts the spring Movie in the Park, with open lawn and play space. Easy parking and a low-key feel. Best for younger kids and casual evenings.
Germany Park
A quieter residential park with open green space and play areas, tucked into a tree-lined neighborhood. Best for a quick stop close to home with the little ones.
Elena's Children's Park
An intimate park at Boedeker and Hanover honoring children in the community, with a quiet, tree-lined setting and a meaningful holiday tree lighting each December. Best for a calm, reflective walk.
Trail System Highlight
The Turtle Creek green corridor runs five miles through University Park, and Centennial Park's jogging trails feed directly into the tree-lined sidewalks that make the whole city walkable. Great for stroller walks, morning runs, and bike rides to the pool.
Relocation Tip
Start at Curtis Park. It's the social center of University Park in summer, with the Holmes Aquatic Center, tennis courts, and the newest playground all in one place. Then walk or drive five minutes to Caruth Park for the city's biggest shaded play area and the fishing pond.
Youth Sports Leagues & Facilities
Organized youth sports in the Park Cities center on the Moody Family YMCA, which opened in 2016 right between University Park and Highland Park. It runs the bulk of the rec leagues, while Highland Park ISD handles middle and high school athletics and SMU offers summer camps on campus.
Soccer
League: Park Cities YMCA / Moody Family YMCA (fields at the YMCA, Centennial Park, and Curtis Park)
Ages: 3 and up
Season: Spring & fall
Basketball
League: Moody Family YMCA
Ages: Preschool (3 to 5) and Youth (Kinder to 6th grade)
Season: Summer & winter
Volleyball
League: Moody Family YMCA (YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas)
Ages: Beginners through teens, age-grouped
Season: Seasonal, drill-and-game format
Baseball & Tee Ball
League: Moody Family YMCA, with games at the Curtis Park diamond
Ages: 4 to 12
Season: Spring
Swimming
League: Moody Family YMCA (25-yard lap and instructional pools) and the Holmes Aquatic Center
Ages: All
Season: Year-round at the YMCA, summer at Holmes
Tennis
League: Curtis Park's two lighted courts, plus Park Cities and SMU programs
Ages: All
Season: Year-round lessons and open play
Featured Sports Complex
The Moody Family YMCA (Park Cities) is a 58,500-square-foot facility that opened in 2016 with a full gymnasium, a 25-yard lap pool, an instructional pool, group fitness studios, and outdoor soccer fields. It's the hub of organized youth sports for University Park and Highland Park families.
Thinking About University Park for Highland Park ISD & Youth Sports?
Start with the full University Park relocation guide, schools, neighborhoods, market data, and what life here actually looks like for families.
Family Entertainment & Attractions
Few DFW neighborhoods put this much culture within walking or a five-minute drive. The SMU campus alone gives families two world-class museums.
George W. Bush Presidential Center
Museum · On the SMU campus, with interactive exhibits, a full-size Oval Office replica, and rotating special exhibitions families can spend a half-day exploring.
SMU Meadows Museum
Art Museum · One of the largest collections of Spanish art outside Spain, nicknamed the Prado on the Prairie, with free family programming throughout the year.
SMU Mustangs Athletics
College Sports · Walkable game days at Gerald J. Ford Stadium for football and Moody Coliseum for basketball, a fun, affordable family outing in the fall and winter.
NorthPark Center
Shopping & Art · About 5 minutes away, a top-rated mall with a museum-quality art collection and a children's play garden, great any time of year.
Klyde Warren Park
Urban Park · About 12 minutes south, a deck park over the freeway with food trucks, a children's area, and free programming, paired easily with the nearby Arts District.
Day Trip from University Park
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science (about 12 minutes south) packs five floors of hands-on science exhibits, from dinosaurs to an indoor earthquake simulator, a reliable favorite for a hot or rainy day.
Family-Friendly Dining
Snider Plaza is the everyday dining heart of University Park, with Highland Park Village adding a cluster of higher-end favorites a few minutes south.
A Snider Plaza German institution since 1961, house-made sausages and a diner-style breakfast.
Fried chicken and cheese fries at Hillcrest and Lovers, a longtime Park Cities kid favorite.
Affordable gyros, shawarma, and falafel in the middle of Snider Plaza.
Build-your-own Mediterranean bowls at 6800 Snider Plaza, easy for picky eaters.
A Mexico City-inspired restaurant in the heart of Snider Plaza.
The Highland Park Village mainstay, a dependable Park Cities Tex-Mex favorite.
Italian dining with a family-friendly patio in Highland Park Village.
A Highland Park Village seafood favorite since 1980, for a grown-up evening out.
Most of these sit in Snider Plaza at Hillcrest and Lovers Lane, with Highland Park Village a few minutes south near Preston Road and Mockingbird.
Shopping & Retail Districts
University Park is bracketed by two historic shopping districts and a few minutes from one of the country's best malls.
Snider Plaza
Open since 1927 next to SMU, with more than 100 independently owned shops and restaurants, from children's stores to boutiques.
Best for: a walkable afternoon of browsing, lunch, and the holiday tree lighting.
Highland Park Village
A short drive south, the first self-contained shopping center in America, a Spanish-style national landmark with luxury brands, dining, and family events.
Best for: a special outing, window-shopping, and seasonal events.
Preston Center
A compact district just north with grocery, services, restaurants, and boutiques.
Best for: quick errands and casual meals close to home.
NorthPark Center
About 5 minutes away, one of the country's top malls, with a museum-grade art collection and a children's play garden.
Best for: a full rainy-day outing of shopping, dining, and art.
Annual Events & Community Calendar
University Park's Parks and Recreation Department runs a packed calendar of free, family-first events, most of them in the city's parks and at Snider Plaza.
Feb & June
Children's Fishing Derby
For ages 6 to 12 at the Caruth Park pond, which the city stocks beforehand. Awards go to the biggest and smallest fish. Bring your own pole and bait.
Typically March
Eggstravaganza
A spring egg hunt with inflatables, carnival games, music, and a visit from the Easter Bunny, recently held at Caruth Park.
Typically May
Movie in the Park
A free family movie under the stars in Williams Park each spring, with food trucks on site.
Typically July
Park Cities 4th of July Parade
A decades-long tradition sponsored by the Park Cities Rotary Club, winding through Highland Park and University Park, with bounce houses, a petting zoo, and face painting afterward at Centennial Park.
Summer
Dive-In Movies
Free Friday-night movies shown poolside at the Holmes Aquatic Center, with the snack bar open and lifeguards on duty.
Typically October
Eggtober
The Parks Department fills a dozen Halloween eggs per child with allergy-friendly candy and hides them in your front yard, a uniquely University Park tradition.
Typically November
Arbor Day Celebration
Held annually since 1982, the city plants a tree with help from Highland Park ISD elementary students, part of the Trees for Town program.
Nov & Dec
Holiday Tree Lightings
The main tree lighting returns to Snider Plaza with live carols and dances, followed by a quieter remembrance tree lighting at Elena's Children's Park.
Full calendar: University Park Parks & Recreation events page
Upcoming Events in University Park
What's happening in the next 60 days, updated weekly.
Of Virtue, Savage Hands, Set For Tomorrow, Sorry X
Event details →Daniel Caesar - Son Of Spergy Tour
Event details →Tomahawk w/ The Melvins
Event details →Not For Radio - A Summer In The Forest: North America Tour
Event details →Comedy Allstars
Event details →Not For Radio - A Summer In The Forest: North America Tour
Event details →Not for Radio
Event details →Comedy Allstars
Event details →The Black Keys (16 and Under with Parent or Legal Guardian)
Event details →Motionless In White: The Sweat and Blood Tour
Event details →FOX BD
Event details →Stone Buffalo, CroTex
Event details →Last updated: 2026-07-20 · Source: Eventbrite
Indoor Activities for Kids
When Dallas summers hit triple digits, University Park has an unusually rich set of indoor options, several of them within walking distance.
George W. Bush Presidential Museum
Type: Museum · Ages: All
Interactive exhibits and an Oval Office replica on the SMU campus, an easy half-day even in the heat.
SMU Meadows Museum
Type: Art Museum · Ages: All
Spanish masters and free family programming, air-conditioned and minutes from home.
University Park Public Library
Type: Library · Ages: All
Children's story times and reading programs at the city's own public library.
Moody Family YMCA
Type: Rec Center · Ages: All
Indoor lap and instructional pools, a full gym, and open play right between UP and Highland Park.
NorthPark Center
Type: Mall & Art · Ages: All
Indoor shopping, dining, museum-grade art, and a children's garden about 5 minutes away.
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Type: Science Museum · Ages: 3+
Five floors of hands-on exhibits about 12 minutes south in downtown Dallas.
Summer Heat Pro Tip
When Dallas summers hit triple digits, University Park families split time between the Holmes Aquatic Center's zero-depth playground and the air-conditioned galleries at the Meadows Museum and the Bush Center, both on the SMU campus minutes from home. The Friday-night Dive-In Movies at Holmes are the local summer ritual.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions from families considering University Park.
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Yes, it's one of the most sought-after family addresses in Dallas. As the residential heart of the Park Cities, University Park pairs top-ranked Highland Park ISD schools with 13 city parks, the Holmes Aquatic Center, and a famously walkable, tree-lined layout right next to SMU. Kids bike to the pool and parents walk to dinner.
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Most organized youth sports run through the Moody Family YMCA in the Park Cities: soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and swim for ages 3 and up. Park Cities YMCA soccer is played on the fields at Centennial Park and Curtis Park, and Highland Park ISD covers middle and high school athletics. SMU also offers summer sports camps on campus.
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Plenty, and much of it is close. The George W. Bush Presidential Museum and the SMU Meadows Museum are minutes away on campus, the University Park Public Library runs children's programs, and NorthPark Center and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science are a short drive.
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The Holmes Aquatic Center in Curtis Park, at 3501 Lovers Lane, has a zero-depth playground that distributes water to more than 25 spray and splash features for younger kids, alongside a 50-meter pool, diving boards, and a giant water slide.
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University Park and Highland Park together form the Park Cities and share Highland Park ISD, so families often use both: UP's Curtis and Caruth parks and the Holmes pool, plus Highland Park Village's shops and events. Surrounding Dallas adds NorthPark Center, the Perot Museum, and the Arts District just minutes away.
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University Park is known as one of the Park Cities, famous for top-ranked Highland Park ISD schools, Southern Methodist University with its Meadows Museum and George W. Bush Center, the historic Snider Plaza, and pristine, tree-lined parks.
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The Holmes Aquatic Center's zero-depth splash playground, Caruth Park's dual shaded playgrounds and stocked fishing pond, the spring Movie in the Park at Williams Park, and the library's story times are all built with younger children in mind.
Ready to Find Your Family's Home in University Park?
Kristen Carpentier is a DFW family relocation specialist and Highland Park ISD area expert, TREC #760457.
Kristen Carpentier · Kristen@whymovetodallas.com · (602) 405-4115 · eXp Realty · TREC #760457