Forget the libraries and museums and playgrounds for a little while and have actual adult fun with the little people you made by visiting bar patios, record stores, a gnome-themed snow cone shop and more. It’s the least you can do for yourself after a long week of parenting, and you'll get to reconnect with your own inner child. Plus, the kids will have fun.
Below we list some of our favorite places to take our kids and not feel like we’re boring ourselves to death.
Free Play
101 W. Hickory St.
This newly reopened two-story, neon-lit arcade has more than 100 vintage and modern games, including Galaga, Pac-Man, Skee Ball and over a dozen pinball machines. The nostalgia goes down as smooth as the drinks at the arcade’s full bar — with a Dallas Observer Award-winning beer selection — and the kitchen serves flatbreads, sandwiches and appetizers. Toddlers 3 and under are admitted for free, and step stools are available so they can reach all the fun buttons and joysticks. Regular admission is $12 per person, but they do offer half-off admission from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Be advised: Nobody under 18 is allowed after 9 p.m.
Minifigs, Bricks and More
116 N. Locust St.
With thousands of mini figures, $10 grab bags to fill with any kind of Lego part you can think of, assembled Lego vehicles, collectible items, Duplos for the younger kids and more, this Lego resale shop is a great place to kill some time before heading off to lunch on the square. Take it from us: A few bucks to fill up a bag of Legos is worth every penny to be able to sit through a full meal with a happily occupied 4-year-old.
Recycled Books & Records
200 N. Locust St.
Recycled Books & Records is a Denton staple. But it’s got so much more, including vintage toys, comic books, CDs, graphic novels, buttons, movies, posters, novelties and a sizable section dedicated to children’s books and teen literature. Introduce your older kid to some of your favorite albums, or let your little one wander and explore the various cubbies, stairs and "secret" rooms.
Oak St. Drafthouse and Cocktail Parlor
The back patio at Oak St. Drafthouse and Cockail Parlor is like a giant playpen from which you can drink alcohol.
courtesy Oak St. Drafthouse and Cocktail Parlor
308 E. Oak St.
Here’s a great spot to enjoy a cold beer or cocktail with friends while the kids enjoy a large, enclosed back patio to play (and a pingpong table). And Feta’s, an on-site food truck with Greek cuisine, will feed the whole family on a budget. Inside, the bar feels like a home, with comfy couches and cushioned chairs for cozy seating.
Harvest House
331 E. Hickory St.
Another great hangout spot with a full bar, Harvest House also offers coffee, teas, a pool table, a food truck, sodas and snacks. They have live entertainment most nights of the week on a large, fenced-in patio, and outside food is welcome.
Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream & Soda Fountain
17 W. Hickory St.
The sweet smell that lingers on the sidewalk outside of Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream & Soda Fountain will draw you in immediately. This picture-perfect parlor located on the square smells like all the best parts of childhood and hand-makes more than a hundred ice cream flavors. Bonus: there's an old working jukebox in the back so you can explain to your kids how music used to be played before Spotify existed.
More Fun Toys
115 W. Hickory St.
After downing a cone at Beth Marie’s, step next door to More Fun Toys for a wide variety of toys, Funko Pop figures, puzzles, plushies, Legos, kites, action figures and more. (Fun fact: More Fun Toys recently took over the space that housed Mad World Records for nine years. Now, you can check out the online-only record store’s website to order a record and pick it up during your stop at More Fun Toys. Win-win.) Also check out More Fun Toys’ sister business, More Fun Comics and Games, also located on the square, for a wide array of comics, figurines and board games.
The Chairy Orchard
1426 Churchill Drive
If you’re looking for something truly unique to Denton, The Chairy Orchard, located on an otherwise empty lot between two houses in a quaint neighborhood, is a great place to take the kids and get some interesting photos of the whole family. The lot is filled with an eclectic assortment of chairs found in garage sales, thrift stores, dumpsters, flea markets and on sidewalks throughout town, and even has some screwed into trees.
Gnome Cones
205 N. Elm St.
This is a fun trip for little kids who will love hearing their names called out in a gnome voice over a speaker. Just order a snow cone (all house-made syrups with no artificial dyes, sweeteners or preservatives) and watch their ears perk up with excitement once it’s ready to guzzle down. After, head back to the front patio for a photo with the shop’s oversized garden gnome.
Armadillo Ale Works
221 S. Bell Ave.
Armadillo Ale Works is a brewery located steps from the train tracks. Aside from the tasty cold beers on tap (and to-go), they’ve got a coffee bar, sodas and locally made pastries. Entertain the kids with the taproom’s board games and arcade games, watch the trains as they periodically rumble by, snap a photo in front of its massive, cosmic mural or catch a live concert on the modest stage inside.
Atomic Candy
105 W. Hickory St.
With almost 200 bulk candy bins and over 150 flavors of soda (including a hefty root beer selection), Atomic Candy offers more than the average candy shop fare (and its storefront is enough to draw in any kid, with a giant pilot-like head and various bits of vintage memorabilia on display). Scoop up some sweets as well as novelties such as toy eyeballs, alien finger puppets and vintage-themed lunch boxes.
Denton County Brewing Co.
200 E. McKinney St.
Another brewery also offering beer to-go, Denton County Brewing Co. is a great place for kids young or older. Inside, you’ll find board games and fun nooks to grab a seat. Outside, two patios with food trucks only feet away.
LSA Burger Co.
113 W. Hickory St.
The best view of the square — overlooking the historical courthouse — is on the rooftop of LSA Burger Co. They have live music, gourmet burgers and lots of seating. Use the elevator if you’ve got car seats or strollers in tow.
Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios
411 E. Sycamore St.
If you spent some of your younger years going to punk shows at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios, you may wonder why we’re recommending you take your kids there. But since those days of beer-soaked floors and graffitied bathrooms, RGRS, like many of us these days, has become perhaps a better version of itself. It expanded its space to include three stages, and hosts zine swaps, bazaars, art markets, and, of course, concerts, some during the day — long before bedtime.
Norman Roscoe
109 W. Hickory St.
Norman Roscoe’s Ranger Ewing once told us that the screen printing shop attracts “a lot of kids and old guys,” and we agree that it’s a great place to take your kids. Along with a screen printing operation that takes place in the back of the shop (viewable near the cash register), Norman Roscoe sells gifts, Denton-centric clothing, stickers, vintage buttons and keychains and more. Kids will also love the old TV sets throughout the shop.
