Dallas: Free-dom and Fun in Klyde Warren Park

What says fun more than a day in the park? A LITERAL day in the park.

Not only is Klyde Warren Park perfectly nestled between Uptown and Downtown (on top of the highway), the park is also host to a plethora of weekly [free] events

Some Klyde Warren Park gems? Yoga, Zumba, the City Surf Fitness Bootcamp Workout, and Music Road Third Thursdays.

Bikram Yoga Dallas hosts a free yoga class every Thursday, 5:30PM – 6:30PM, on the great lawn in the park. I know, you’re thinking “How can it be Bikram yoga if it’s outside?” Well, it’s Dallas. Let’s be real. There’s a “cold front” coming through this weekend that’ll take the temperature from the high 90s way down to the high 80s. You’ll completely forget that you’re not in a blistering hot temperature controlled room. Oh, and don’t fret if you forget that yoga mat because the park has extra yoga mats on-site and – even if they’re out of mats – the grass is cut so perfectly that you wouldn’t even notice that you’re lacking a mat.

YMCA of Dallas also presents Zumba every Wednesday evening, 6:00PM – 7:00PM, on the great lawn in the park. The class incorporates everything you love about Zumba, plus a few things that’ll make it difficult for you to ever go back to breaking it down indoors! I particularly love the fact that the restaurants looking out on the park have a perfect view of the great lawn. It’s kinda fun to be working up a sweat and being just a thin glass wall away from fashionable people eating a sophisticated dinner and not dancing their tushes off  AKA falling awkwardly in the middle of a dance move.

Next up: City Surf Fitness Bootcamp Workout, also known as the current bane of my existence since just about every muscle in my body is throbbing right now after doing the class last night. The class takes place every Wednesday, 7:00PM – 8:00PM, on the great lawn and is hosted by City Surf Fitness. And it will kick. Your. Bum. The class incorporates yoga, surfing techniques, and Tabata workout methodology. When at City Surf Fitness, the classes all take place on a surfboard simulator (called the Ripsurfer X), while the classes at the park all take place on yoga mats. The classes at the park are fun (and free, compared to the usual $15 classes at the City Surf Fitness facilities) and a fantastic workout.

Music Road Records’ Music Road Third Thursdays performances take place at the pavilion on the great lawn, showcasing singer-songwriters. Running all summer long (as in Texas summer, so June – October), the performances occur 8:00PM – 10:00PM on the third Thursday of each month. The next (and last for 2013) Third Thursday will be on October 17 – hope to see you there!

Have you ever been to Klyde Warren Park? What’s your favorite free thing to do there?

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