Twenty minutes from downtown, Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve will make you feel like you're in a whole different part of the state. With rolling terrain dotted with native trees, the 600-acre preserve looks more like a piece of the Hill Country than North Texas. The park's nine miles of trails lead hikers through woods and grassland, past wildflowers and butterfly gardens. Most of the trails are less than a half-mile long, perfect for short strolls. Those looking for longer hikes can try the 1.9-mile Cedar Brake Trail or the mile-long Cattail Pond Trail.

Luke's locker is a sporting goods store by athletes and for athletes. The benefit of the employees being seasoned athletes sounds like a gimmick until one of them finds you the best pair of running shoes you've ever worn. Even if that isn't your experience, you'll still find knowledgeable sales associates with the common goal of taking you to the next level. If you add the Luke's Locker event schedule to the equation (found online and in the store), the institution you thought just sold sports attire becomes a gym of sorts. In short, Texans looking to get serious about recreational athletics will find much to love about Luke's Locker.

Tie your shoes tight, and don’t forget the colorful hat! If that sounds hokey to you, consider the cause. The Wipe Out Kids’ Cancer Warrior Run really is for the kids, whose names are all over the place — on the T-shirt you get when you sign up for the race, on signs as you run. WOKC is a Dallas-based charity, and the Warrior Run provides hope to lots of kids. Competitive runners can compete, competitive donors can give, and since the run falls during Addison’s Oktoberfest, competitive drinkers can … drink? Well, you get the point.