Hurst is a Texas city in northeastern Tarrant County. Over 40,000 people call this place home in a densely populated portion of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. The local culture revolves a lot around the Artisan Center Theater. This community theater was built in 2003 and seats 150 patrons who come for plays and musicals. Community education and performing arts classes also happen here frequently.
Check out the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, less than half an hour away. Fort Worth is called the city where the West starts, and this district celebrates that. Originally an Army outpost 150 years ago, this is now a sophisticated place highlighting authentic Western heritage in 21st-century ways. The Fort Worth Herd cattle drive takes place twice a day, and the Cowtown Coliseum has a live rodeo every weekend. Billy Bob's Texas has a stage where top country artists play for the planet's biggest honky-tonk, and you can shop anytime for souvenirs alongside handcrafted cowboy clothing, hats, and boots.
Only 20 minutes away, you can visit Six Flags Over Texas. This 212-acre amusement park is in Arlington. It was the first Six Flags park in the chain. Themed attractions and areas await you for thrills and entertainment.
In Hurst, Cafe Medi lets you sample Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, such as kefta kebab, lamb shank, and baba ganoush. Everything German offers European comfort food and brews. Bacon’s Bistro and Cafe is on the Grapevine Highway and is a great place for breakfast, lunch, or brunch when you roll through.
Campgrounds Near Hurst, Texas
Sandy Lake MH & RV Resort has 80 RV pull-through and back-in sites with full hookups. Enjoy your time on the shore of Sandy Lake and easy access to Sandy Lake Amusement Park. Take advantage of the pool, hot tub, and showers, or get some exercise in the fitness center. Pets are allowed, and you'll get both Wi-Fi and cell reception.
Northlake Village RV Park has 190 back-in RV sites with full hookups where you can stay between the Texas Motor Speedway and the DFW Adventure Park. You can relax plenty in the park, however, given the gazebos, fire pits, and swimming pool. Relax in the hot tub, or play with your pets.
Destiny Dallas RV Resort is right off I-35E, but it has peaceful shade trees to block out the highway noise. Enjoy the banks of Lewisville Lake, or stroll nearby Willow Grove Park. On site, you can use the pool and playground while taking advantage of clean bathrooms and showers. Over 170 pull-through and back-in RV sites have full hookups and let you bring your pets.
State Parks Near Hurst, Texas
Cedar Hill State Park is less than an hour away from the metropolitan area that Hurst is a part of. Here, you can find 1,200 acres of scenic terrain to explore, with 100 miles of shoreline for activities on the lake. Enjoy watching more than 200 bird species, such as the roadrunner, eastern bluebird, yellow-billed cuckoo, and painted bunting. You can explore the nature of this park from trails that let you go hiking or biking, and the lake can cool you off when you go for a swim. Several boat ramps are available for you to go fishing.
Cleburne State Park is just over 70 miles to the southwest of the Hurst metropolitan area, and yet, it offers fields full of wildflower color and multiple waterfalls. Enjoy time on or around the lake, or spend some time exploring the white rock hills. You can visit any part of the year and witness coyotes, rabbits, bobcats, armadillos, turkeys, and ducks. Trails throughout the park let you witness all this via hiking or biking, and you can find geocaching spots too.
Ray Roberts Lake State Park has a marina for boat rentals for fishing and fun on the water, but you can also have fun on land. Bike or hike on 10 miles of dual-use trails, or mount up for 12 miles of horseback trails. Another 29 miles of hiking-only trails are available as well. The lake itself is nearly 46 square miles in size, but the park is also connected to the Greenbelt Corridor for more land activities.
National Sites Near Hurst, Texas
Chickasaw National Recreation Area is in the south-central part of Oklahoma. Measuring just under 10,000 acres, this space includes both the former Arbuckle Recreation Area and Platt National Park. Activities include sightseeing, picnicking, biking, fishing, and swimming as you enjoy scenic lakes, flowing streams, and natural springs nestled among the forested hills. For an easy one-mile hike, check out the Antelope Springs Trail for views of thick greenery and some of those natural springs.
The El Camino Real de Los Tejas National Historic Trail lets you learn about how cattle ranching thrived when this area was still part of Mexico. You can also deepen your knowledge about how Spain struggled with missionary work involving Native Americans and how Texas fought for and won its independence. For an easy way to do this, check out the Floresville Hike and Bike Trail specifically. You can see railroad growth from the 1800s and remnants of a Spanish settlement from the 1700s. The trail is easy, with 2.5 miles of gravel and grass over flat terrain.
Waco Mammoth National Monument has a 5-acre center point with 100 acres of surrounding parkland. Here, you can see the fossilized remains of many species, including dire wolves, an alligator, a camel, a saber-toothed tiger cub, and mammoths. Along the Bosque River, you can enjoy time among elm, spruce, and oak trees while you go biking or hiking. Virtual visits educate visitors about why this fossilization happened, and you can see the remains from a safe distance and even watch paleontologists work to find and preserve more.
National Forests Near Hurst, Texas
Angelina National Forest covers more than 150,000 acres across four counties. Several developed areas feature boat ramps so you can fish or play on the biggest manmade water body within the state, the Sam Rayburn Reservoir. You can also enjoy stretches of the North Neches River. Enjoy great scenery along hiking trails that go up and down gentle hills shaded by longleaf pines. The Sawmill Hiking Trails is dog-friendly for 4.5 miles of moderate exercise that goes takes you wading through creeks and by an old sawmill more than a century old.
Davy Crockett National Forest is easy to access through Lufkin or Crockett. Once you get there, explore over 160,000 acres of woodlands, wildlife habitat, and streams. Ratcliff Lake is a 4-acre body of water where you can go fishing, swimming, boating, and camping. The Four C National Recreational Trail has 20 miles of variable hiking through towering pines, boggy sloughs, and upland forests. The south and central sections are easy to hike, but the northern parts increase the difficulty, given the steeper terrain. Birdwatching here lets you see herons, kingfishers, woodpeckers, and cardinals.
Sam Houston National Forest is a great place for hiking, swimming, and camping. Launch your boat on Lake Conroe, or splash in the waters and relax on the beach at Double Lake Recreation Area. The Lone Star Hiking Trail features 128 miles of moderate hiking, and you can catch the trail at several different points. Fishing might be best at Lake Livingston, where its 90,000 acres of water include bluegill, catfish, and largemouth bass.
