BLAST OFF FOR SUMMER FUN AT GRAPEVINE’S 8TH ANNUAL SUMMERBLAST THROUGH SEPTEMBER 5

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS    JUNE 9, 2016

Celebrate Grapevine’s 8^th Annual SummerBlast now through Labor Day! Grapevine’s SummerBlast features fun for the whole family including waterparks, interactive exhibits, outdoor activities, shopping and more. For great savings on hotels and ideas for your getaway, visit www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/SummerBlast to begin planning your Grapevine getaway now. Here are some of the top SummerBlast highlights your family can enjoy all season long.

Have Some “Dino”-Mite Fun and “Be The Dinosaur”: Travel 65 million years into the past with this ground-breaking cross between video games and traditional dinosaur exhibits.  Enjoy the full-sized dinosaur bones, a paleontology field station, as well as the largest and most complex restoration of an extinct ecosystem ever created.  Visitors will also be able to see artificially intelligent and scientifically accurate dinosaurs with muscle, nervous, sensory and digestive systems.  The interactive stations feature easy to use controls and activities designed specifically for younger visitors and a world-class advisory panel featuring some of the smartest paleontologists and experts in the field of dinosaurs.  Tickets are $4 per person.  Children 24 months and younger are free.  The exhibit will be in the Grand Gallery at 636 S., Main St. and will be open Monday – Friday    11 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Discover Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland at Gaylord Texan Resort’s 13^th Annual SummerFest – This summer, Gaylord Texan Resort features activities themed after Lewis Carroll’s famous story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Families will enjoy a 4D Wonderland Adventure Maze, the Hatter’s Tea Party, a “This Way and That Way” Scavenger Hunt, Cups & Canvases Crafting, and The Queen of Arts Local Art Tour. And every Friday and Saturday night, you won’t want to miss the Queen of Hearts “Light Up the Night” Party including strolling characters, balloon artists, music, and the brand-new “Breaking Through the Looking Glass” 3D Visual Light Show! Other SummerFest activities include Junior Chefs Camp, giant glow checkers and the Electric Lake Festival at Glass Cactus in addition to the SoBe Splash Party at the resort’s newly expanded 10-acre water park, Paradise Springs – now featuring a multi-level water play structure for kids including three additional winding waterslides!

Slide and Swim at Great Wolf Lodge:  Experience even more water fun at Great Wolf Lodge’s 80,000 square foot water park, the only indoor waterpark in North Texas. Enjoy the slides, rides, lazy river and more at this exciting family-friendly resort. Play MagiQuest or visit Scooops, the perfect spa for kids. With plenty of dining options to choose from, including the Loose Moose Cottage and the Lodge Wood Fired Grill, there’s something for everyone.

Sink Your “Claws” into SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium:  Crustaceans from around the world have converged on SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium!  The newest exhibit “Claws” features the land crabs, lobsters and even the Japanese spider crab.  SEA LIFE is also encouraging visitors to recycle.  Working with a local artist, the aquarium has built a hand-crafted crab sculpture made out of recycled soda cans.  See the larger-than-life recycled can crab sculpture out on the road this summer at popular Dallas/Forth Worth destinations. For more information about Claws and the summer road show, go to visitsealife.com/grapevine.

See “The LEGO® Movie™ 4D A New Adventure at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center – Emmet and Wyldstyle are back! The LEGO^® Movie™ 4D A New Adventure is now showing exclusively at LEGOLAND^® Discovery Center Dallas/Fort Worth.  Included in the price of admission, the short 3D film plays several times a day, with 4D effects such as wind, water, fog and more bringing the action bursting off the screen and into the audience.

Enter The World of LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS™ in an All-New 4D Movie Experience – Will the NEXO KNIGHTS™ be able to connect together with Merlok’s guidance and become the ultimate power to defeat Jestro and the Book of Monsters? Join the action as the battle unfolds in 4D, and then rise to the challenge and help the NEXO KNIGHTS™ by setting out on your own quest to find the six exclusive shields throughout LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Dallas/Fort Worth.

Hop Aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad’s T-Rex Express: Travel back to the age of the dinosaurs on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad T-Rex Express.  Dinosaur lovers of all ages will experience fun interactive activities and games, all while experiencing travel as it was during the expanding west.  Beginning every Friday, from June 3 through July 29, the T-Rex Express will depart the station. at 10 a.m. and will return at 11 a.m. Tickets are $8 for children and $10 for adults.  You can also bundle your T-Rex Express train ride with tickets to the “Be The Dinosaur” exhibit for $11 for children and $13 for adults. The Grapevine Vintage Railroad is located at     705 S. Main St.

Capture the Great Train Robbers on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad: Travel back in time on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. These 1920s Victorian-style coaches will transport riders of all ages on this celebrated railroad every Friday, Saturday and Sunday all summer long.  Beginning Saturday, May 28 through Labor Day weekend, don’t miss the Great Train Robberies on Saturdays and Sundays, as your little deputies can help capture the notorious outlaws that hold up the train. Buy your tickets now for the July 4^th Great Train Robberies excursion. The Grapevine to the Stockyards train departs Grapevine at 1 p.m. and returns at approximately 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $26 for first class and $18 for touring class. 705 S. Main St.

Watch the 33^rd Annual July 4^th Fireworks Extravaganza and Labor Day Weekend Fireworks Show: Celebrate America’s birthday at the 33^rd Annual July 4^th Fireworks show. This exciting, extended show is set to patriotic music and is the perfect way to celebrate America’s birthday. Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, July 4.  This year’s SummerBlast season will close with a Labor Day Weekend Fireworks Show at Lake Grapevine if conditions allow. Additional information about these shows will be available 10 days prior to the events.

Save Big at Grapevine Mills: Shop til you drop at the 1.7 million square feet of shopping fun known as Grapevine Mills! With more than 180 store to explore, you’ll find favorites such as Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, Michael Kors, Abercrombie & Fitch Outlet, Coach, Vera Bradley, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic Outlet, Bed Bath and Beyond, Under Armour, Francesca’s, Puma, Luggage Factory, O’Neill, NIKE Factory Store, Converse and The Limited Outlet. Also at Grapevine Mills, enjoy the AMC Grapevine Mills 30 Dine-In Theatres, LEGOLAND^® Discovery Center, SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium, Round 1 Bowling and Entertainment and Rainforest Café. Pick up your free coupon book at Guest Services, worth hundreds of dollars in savings. Enjoy sizzling summer savings during the Grapevine Mills 4th of July Super Sale Weekend July 2-4. Grapevine Mills is located off State Highway 121 and Grapevine Mills Parkway, just two miles north of DFW International Airport.

Solve the Mystery at the Texas Star Dinner Theater: Take a lighthearted trip back to the Wild West for a murder mystery filled with comedy.  The town’s tolerable business investor and oil tycoon, Derrick Von Spindletop, was found dead in his study two days ago.  Could his wife, Francine, have cashed in early on his life insurance?  Or it may have been Seth Poole, who has plodded here all the way from the piney woods of East Texas.  Did Wally sink Spindletop’s ship into the depths of Davy Jones’ locker?  Send an urgent telegram to the Marshal, County Sheriff, and Texas Ranger as dinner guests try to figure out this hilarious whodunit. 816 S. Main St.

Celebrate Picturing Wonderland: Sir John Tenniel’s Illustrations for the Alice Books: Follow the White Rabbit straight to Grapevine’s Tower Gallery at 636 S. Main St. Visitors will be able to view several of Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations that brilliantly complemented Lewis Carroll’s text for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (1871). The exhibit will be open June 10 – September 28. Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, noon – 5 p.m. 636 S. Main St.

Make it a Historic Summer at Grapevine’s Nash Farm: Experience life on the 19^th century farm just like Grapevine’s earliest settlers. Purchased by Thomas Jefferson Nash in 1859, Grapevine’s Nash Farm brings history to life through a series of interpretive programs. First Fridays at the Farm highlights different aspects of farm life. Summer First Fridays events include June 3: Crops; July 1: Keeping Cool and August 5: Cotton. All First Fridays at the Farm events are 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. The Frugal Farm Wife series offers programs focusing on the domestic chores of a farm family. Summer dates for the Frugal Farm Wife series are June 17, July 15 and August 19 and sessions are from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Farmhouse on the Grape Vine Prairie follows the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie.” Make sure to enjoy the session on July 23 on how to make mosquito repellent. This quarterly series is designed for 3^rd – 7^th grade students, but all ages are welcome. On June 25, enjoy Dairy Day at Nash Farm and learn where milk comes from, make hand cranked ice cream and churn butter. Admission for Dairy Day is free. The First Friday, Frugal Farm Wife and Farmhouse on the Grape Vine Prairie Program require a $3 per person participation fee. 626 Ball St.

Find Flavorful Fun at the Grapevine Market and Grapevine Farmers Market:  Make healthy choices this summer with produce and locally-grown products at the Grapevine Farmers Market, 520 S. Main St., open Mondays through Saturdays 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. or at the Town Square Gazebo, Thursdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Check out the Grapevine Market, Thursdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., located in Liberty Park, across from City Hall, for unique gifts, accessories and more.

Enjoy the Legendary Would-Be Train Robbers Nat Barrett and Willy Majors: This summer, discover Western lore right in the heart of Grapevine! While you’re here, come see Grapevine’s Glockenspiel Clock Tower featuring two, larger-than-life, 9-foot tall Glockenspiel characters, known as the Would-Be Train Robbers, Nat Barrett and Willy Majors.  Approximately 75 feet above ground, these figures emerge from the Tower at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. daily to attempt a lucrative train heist. 636 S. Main St.

Cash In on Savings with a Variety of Grapevine Hotel Packages: We’ve made it easy for you to find someplace to stay while you’re exploring Grapevine.  There are more than 20 hotels throughout the city and many of them offer package deals.  To find the perfect hotel option to complete your SummerBlast getaway, visit www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/Getaways.

For more information about Grapevine’s 8^th Annual SummerBlast, call the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-457-6338 or 817-410-3185 or visit www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/Summer.