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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Dallas. Written by Michael Mooney, Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi and Tasha Tsiaperas.

Axios Dallas Thought Bubble

Axios Dallas

Dallas hopes to create enough parks so every resident can be within a 10-minute walking radius of one.

The latest: The Trust for Public Land now has a list of city-owned properties that could potentially be turned into green space.

Why it matters: Public parks are an equalizer. Unlike arboretums, country clubs or gyms, anyone can enjoy them for free.

State of play: Dallas has opened several new parks in the past few years and has ambitious plans for new deck parks — like Klyde Warren — and dedicated green space at Fair Park.

Last year, the city opened downtown's largest park, and both West End Square and South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park opened in 2021.

Flashback: In November, the mayor requested an inventory of all city-owned land that is either vacant, unused or underused to determine whether any could be turned into parks or playgrounds.

The land identified could also possibly be used to develop affordable housing, the mayor said.

The big picture: Texas cities lag other major U.S. cities in the Trust for Public Land's annual ParkScore, which analyzes green space acreage, public investment, amenities and access.

Plano ranked as the top city in the state and 15th in the nation in last year's report.

Dallas landed in the 53rd spot, below Austin but above Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

Details: Currently, about 73% of Dallasites live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared with 77% of Plano residents and 61% of Fort Worth residents.

98% of residents in Chicago, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., are within a 10-minute walk of a park.

Reality check: It's not enough to just open a green space in a neighborhood. Parks departments and city leaders need to dedicate continuing resources to the maintenance of parks and ask residents what works for them.

"The ideal park is one that's first off responsive to community needs," TPL Texas state director Robert Kent tells Axios.

Dallas still doesn't have enough parks

Only 73% of Dallasites live within a 10-minute walk of a park.

We want more of this in Dallas. Photo: Cooper Neill/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Dallas hopes to create enough parks so every resident can be within a 10-minute walking radius of one.The latest: The Trust for Public Land now has a list of city-owned properties that could potentially be turned into green space.

News

Stumped on what to read next? Just ask your librarian.

Why it matters: Americans are reading fewer books than in the past — about 12 books a year as of 2021, about three fewer a year than during the early 2000s.

17% of U.S. adults didn't read a single tome in 2021, per Gallup.

What's happening: The Dallas Public Library offers newsletters with suggested reading lists and a service to ask a librarian what to check out.

How it works: Answer questions about your tastes and what you're looking for — even movies, comic books and audiobooks — and voila, in a week or so you'll get a list from a librarian.

What we found: We shared the titles of a few recently loved books, such as "Our Missing Hearts" and "This Is How You Lose The Time War."

Our personal librarian suggested "The Book of M," "Sea of Tranquility" and "Neverwhere" — fantasy-ish options we'd hoped for.

Dallas Public Library's personal librarian service

Answer questions about your taste, and get a personal reading list.

This librarian suggestion was already on our holds list. Photo: Tasha “Voracious” Tsiaperas/Axios

Libraries

Stumped on what to read next? Just ask your librarian.Why it matters: Americans are reading fewer books than in the past — about 12 books a year as of 2021, about three fewer a year than during the early 2000s.

Things to Do

It's springtime, that brief buffer season in North Texas when Mother Nature blesses us with a window of just-right temperatures and explosions of color (and, yes, pollen).

Here are some of the best ways to enjoy the season.

Dallas Heritage Village rebranded as Old City Park last year, but the springtime vibes remain. Photo: Sydney Abdo/Old City Park

Get out and absorb some fresh air, history and culture. Here are a few of our favorites:

The Nasher Sculpture Center, designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, is one of the best sculpture museums in the country. On any given day, you can walk the garden and see work from artists around the globe.

The Nasher is open 11am–5pm Wednesday–Sunday. Entrance is $10, with discounts for students, seniors, DART riders and first responders.

Pro tip: Entrance is free every first Saturday of the month.

Old City Park, just south of Downtown, is a repository for historic log cabins and restored buildings from across North Texas.

Formerly called Dallas Heritage Village, it includes an old-timey town square, general store and saloon.

It’s open 10am–4pm Thursday–Sunday and Thursday nights from 6–9. The best part? It’s free.

The Chisholm Trail Outdoor Museum and Big Bear Native American Museum — both in Cleburne — celebrate cattle-driving and Native American history in Texas.

The museums offer free docent-led tours that include teepees, a stagecoach station and a blacksmith’s shop.

Hours vary depending on staffing and weather, but it’s usually open 10am–5pm on Saturday and 1–5pm on Sunday.

Entrance is $8 for adults and $5 for kids and seniors.

2. 🧺 Plan a picnic at Klyde Warren Park 

Klyde Warren Park, named for the child of billionaires, is the closest thing Dallas has to a Central Park. And though it’s much smaller and built over a highway, Klyde Warren is a pleasant place for a spring afternoon.

Bring lunch and eat at one of the many tables.

Or buy food from a nearby restaurant or food truck.

There’s also a playground, a fountain, a stage and events and classes nearly every day.

Or: Try White Rock Lake. Enjoy waterfront views and people-watching from the comfort of your picnic blanket.

Find more cheap date ideas in North Texas

3. ⚾ Root for the Rangers... before we know if they stink

The Texas Rangers' Josh Smith during the 2022 season. Photo: Ben Ludeman/Texas Rangers/Getty Images

Look, we know our baseball team isn’t always great. Once in a while, the Rangers rocket into the playoffs, or even the World Series, but plenty of years the team is out of contention by August. Still, with every spring dawns a new opportunity.

Starting March 30, anything can happen. Check the schedule here.

Pro tip: Head to the ballpark during one of its promotional days like $1 hot dog day or ice cream Sunday.

Not into baseball? Try an FC Dallas match instead. Not only is Toyota Stadium in Frisco a wonderful place to see a game, the team — one of the original MLS franchises — is always competitive.

4. 🧳 Enjoy a staycation at these nearby Airbnbs

If you need a tiny getaway that isn’t that far away, head to one of these Airbnbs within driving distance of Dallas.

Our favorite: The Saved by the '90s house, the perfect blend of kitsch and nostalgia — with cereal and video games! 

5. 🌹 Smell the roses (and other flowers) at the Arboretum

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Photo: Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing via Getty Images

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is the jewel of North Texas. On the shores of White Rock Lake, the arboretum’s 66 acres are filled with sculptures, ponds and an incredible array of botanical life.

There are always amazing displays in the fall and winter, but spring is when the flowers really bloom.

On occasion, you might also see some famous Stones.

Admission ranges from $12–$20, and a yearly membership starts at $102.

6. 🥾 Strap on the boots made for walking 

Some of the trails less taken at Oak Cliff Nature Preserve. Photo: Courtesy of Cormac West

Lace up your shoes and hit the trails before the weather turns sweaty hot. Here are a few of our favorites:

Cedar Ridge Preserve: There are miles of trails to choose from at the preserve. Go from 6:30am to dusk Tuesday through Sunday.

Oak Cliff Nature Preserve: There are 8 miles of trails in the 121-acre preserve. Open from dawn until dusk.

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano: There are pedestrian-only trails and trails just for off-road cyclists at the 200-acre park. Open 5am to 11pm every day except Wednesday, when the park opens at 2pm.

River Legacy Park in Arlington: There are 8 miles of paved hike and bike trails and 10 miles of mountain bike trails. Open 5am to 10pm.

Read our full guide to walking trails in North Texas

The Water Gardens. Photo: Barbara Alper/Getty Images

On a nice spring day, Downtown Fort Worth can be downright delightful. You can eat, drink and shop at Sundance Square. You can contemplate life at the Water Gardens. And a few blocks away, you can watch humans wrestle giant animals at the Stockyards.

8. ⚔️ Garb up at Ye Olde Scarborough 

A beautiful maiden and some random peasant. Photo: Courtesy of Lady Nieuwesteeg of Kingdom Plano

Don your finest period threads and travel back in time at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie. There are live shows all day and shops featuring metalsmithing, woodworking and clothing from all eras. Oh, and there’s tons of options to eat and drink till you barely fit in your antiquated attire.

The festival runs every weekend starting April 8 through Memorial Day.

One-day tickets are $32 in advance (plus a $2 fee) or $37 at the gate for adults and $14 (plus that $2 fee) for children under 13.

New this year: Book a VIP wine or beer tasting package for $144.

The Pool at the Joule. Photo: Peter Larsen/WireImage

After springing forward, the late sundowns provide an incredible backdrop to any evening activities — so why not sit outside and drink with friends?

Here are a few of our favorite Dallas rooftops:

10. 🎸 Check out a local music festival

Photo: Courtesy of Wildflower Arts & Music Festival

No better time to dance for hours on end than spring. Your best and biggest options:

Ubbi Dubbi, Texas' premier springtime electronic and house music festival, is held at Panther Island Pavilion in Fort Worth April 22–23.

Wildflower Arts & Music Festival (May 19–21) is more than just a music festival. Enjoy acrobatic artists, treats, beer and more.

North Texas is full of places where you can purchase a new chlorophyll-based family member. A few of our favorites:

Ruibal’s Plants of Texas, which has several locations.

Editor's note: This guide is updated periodically to reflect new information.

11 cool things to do in Dallas this spring

Here are some of the best ways to enjoy the brief, beautiful season.

public park dallas with people sitting around tables

Klyde Warren Park's "Food Truck Lane." Photo: Courtesy of Klyde Warren Park

It&#x27;s springtime, that brief buffer season in North Texas when Mother Nature blesses us with a window of just-right temperatures and explosions of color (and, yes, pollen).<ul><li>Here are some of the best ways to enjoy the season.</li></ul>

Food and Drink

Reproduced from Eviction Lab; Chart: Axios Visuals

Evictions in Dallas and Fort Worth have steadily ticked up to pre-pandemic levels, according to Eviction Lab data.

Driving the news: Dallas is considering a permanent eviction policy that would give tenants seven days to respond to a proposed eviction and catch up on unpaid rent.

Democratic State Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth has proposed legislation to offer statewide tenant protections similar to what's being considered in Dallas and already offered in Austin, per the Texas Tribune.

The big picture: Sweeping local and national eviction moratoriums helped many families stay in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nationwide, tenants are spending record shares of their paychecks on monthly housing bills.

Zoom in: Evictions in Dallas and Fort Worth continued after May 2020 — even while a nationwide moratorium was in place, per data compiled by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, which says it has built the first nationwide database on evictions.

Dallas now averages nearly 700 weekly evictions, more than double what occurred during the ban, per an analysis by Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj.

The Eviction Lab notes that its data doesn't capture illegal evictions or cases where renters are effectively forced out by large rent hikes, and it may be undercounting recent evictions due to processing delays.

By the numbers: Tarrant County renters spent just over the recommended amount of 30% of their income on housing costs.

In Dallas County, the median housing cost ratio hovers just below 30%, per U.S. Census data.

The median rent in Dallas-Fort Worth is $2,124 — up nearly 1% this year compared to last, according to Rent.com.

Yes, but: Among city of Dallas families earning less than $50,000 annually, 78% are spending more than 30% of their income on housing, per a recent committee briefing.

Evictions in North Texas reach pre-pandemic levels

Dallas now averages nearly 700 weekly evictions.

Affordable housing

Line chart steadily moving higher from 2021 to 2023, showing the number of evictions in Dallas.

Evictions in Dallas and Fort Worth have steadily ticked up to pre-pandemic levels, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Eviction Lab" data-vars-click-url="https://evictionlab.org/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://evictionlab.org/" target="_blank">Eviction Lab</a> data.Driving the news: Dallas is considering a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="permanent eviction policy" data-vars-click-url="https://dallascityhall.com/government/citymanager/Documents/FY%2022-23%20Memos/17.%20Friday%20Memo%20-%20Draft%20Permanent%20Eviction%20Ordinance%20120922.pdf" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://dallascityhall.com/government/citymanager/Documents/FY%2022-23%20Memos/17.%20Friday%20Memo%20-%20Draft%20Permanent%20Eviction%20Ordinance%20120922.pdf" target="_blank">permanent eviction policy</a> that would give tenants seven days to respond to a proposed eviction and catch up on unpaid rent.

Real Estate

A proposed state bill calls for the creation of the Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund, which would use excess money to expand public parks and preserve water resources.

Driving the news: Republican State Rep. Justin Holland of Rockwall filed House Bill 3165 this month to take $2 billion from Texas' rainy day fund, which is expected to reach $27.1 billion in the next budget, to create the fund.

Why it matters: Texas ranks 35th in the nation for state park acreage per capita and is predicted to be unable to keep up with water demands for a growing population in the coming decades.

By the numbers: Less than 3% of Texas land is protected as parks and forests, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The state's water supply is projected to drop 18% by 2070 while population growth is expected to increase demand 9% in the same time period, per a report from Texas 2036, a nonpartisan think tank.

Details: Administrators of the new fund would be able to award grants for the creation of new parks, projects that would restore wildlife habitats and efforts to improve water quality or enhance river flow.

If the bill passes, a constitutional amendment creating the fund would be on the November ballot.

Local groups, such as Klyde Warren Park and Trinity Park Conservancy, and the Trust for Public Land are among the organizations supporting the legislation.

What they're saying: Holland says state leaders must preserve the "wide-open spaces definitive of the Texas character."

"We must take bold steps to preserve the landscape and culture that makes Texas a great place to live," he wrote in a DMN opinion piece.

Zoom in: A Dallas developer plans to turn Fairfield Lake State Park south of the city into an exclusive gated neighborhood and plans to sell water from the lake there to North Texas cities.

The park temporarily reopened this week while the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tries to work with developers to preserve the space for public use.

What we're watching: What happens in the state House committee on natural resources. The bill was referred there this week.

Texas rainy day fund could preserve parks, water

Texas is predicted to be unable to keep up with water demands.

Martin Dies Jr. State Park outside Jasper. Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Texas

A proposed state bill calls for the creation of the Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund, which would use excess money to expand public parks and preserve water resources.Driving the news: Republican State Rep. Justin Holland of Rockwall <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="filed House Bill 3165" data-vars-click-url="https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB3165/2023" data-vars-content-id="ff8ba417-0c02-4021-ab83-09226fa79054" data-vars-headline="Texas rainy day fund could preserve parks, water" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://legiscan.com/TX/bill/HB3165/2023" target="_blank">filed House Bill 3165</a> this month to take $2 billion from Texas&#x27; rainy day fund, which is expected to reach <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$27.1 billion in the next budget" data-vars-click-url="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/01/09/texas-budget-revenue-estimate/" data-vars-content-id="ff8ba417-0c02-4021-ab83-09226fa79054" data-vars-headline="Texas rainy day fund could preserve parks, water" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/01/09/texas-budget-revenue-estimate/" target="_blank">$27.1 billion in the next budget</a>, to create the fund.

Tasha Tsiaperas

Featured stories

11 cool things to do in Dallas this spring

Texas rainy day fund could preserve parks, water

Evictions in North Texas reach pre-pandemic levels

Dallas Public Library's personal librarian service

Dallas still doesn't have enough parks