Dreams are made to be fulfilled, so for those who have dreamed of operating a bulldozer, an excavator or boom lift, that dream can now be realized.

In Grapevine, Texas, there’s Dig World, which will open this summer, an amusement park where the rides are actual full-size construction equipment.

Take a turn in a skid steer, dig with an excavator or raise the roof with a boom lift. It’s all real, and it’s all there for almost anyone to use. It’s the ultimate dad (or mom) park. They can even get a couple of beers to quench that big thirst after the “work” is done.

Of course, most park visitors have never had a hand on the controls of a piece of heavy equipment so for them there’s the Dig Academy, which is exactly what it sounds like.

After that, play an operator game like Putts & Bolts (golf with an excavator) and Barrel Ball (boom lift basketball).

Keep age and height requirements in mind.

But that is just one great attraction in the surprising town of Grapevine.

Never heard of it? Anyone who has been routed through the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has been to Grapevine.

Although it seems like a pass-through town with nothing more than an airport to recommend it, Grapevine is actually worth your time and dollars. From the charming historic Main Street to the family-fun Great Wolf Lodge or the sophisticated Gaylord Texan Resort to the bizarre Meow Wolf experience, the town is so much more than meets the eye. If visitors are flying in, they don’t even need a car to get there as a commuter train, part of the Trinity Metro TEXRail, stops at Terminal B at the airport and runs smack into Grapevine’s historic downtown.

With a growing population of a bit more than 50,000, the surprise is there’s so much to see and do, beginning with lunch.

A lot can be said about Mexican food, especially by Arizona residents who know Sonoran-style Mexican food very well. This, however, is Texas, so for a real taste of Tex-Mex begin a Grapevine sojourn at Esparza’s Restaurante Mexicano. What’s the difference between Tex-Mex and Sonoran? Ask ChatGPT.

Esparza’s occupies a house built in the late 19th-century but the restaurant itself came into existence a few years later, in 1985. The restaurant is a popular one in town and for good reason. The food is good, the service friendly and, best of all, every member of the dining party gets their own salsa.

This particular restaurant is just steps off of Grapevine’s main drag, where many of the town’s amusements — namely shopping and eating — are located. Other fun stuff is a little further out of the historic district but there’s a free visitor shuttle that makes a lot of stops on its loop. Get shuttle information at Harvest Hall, which is across the tracks from the train stop. 

Shopping

The first stop could be the Warhammer Store and Cafe. 

Warhammer is an old-school board game that uses figures, dice and a board (really a table or someplace where players can build a world). A roll of the dice determines the moves. Do not mistake this for a child’s game. People of all ages play Warhammer and collect the figures, which are not cheap. One little unpainted plastic figure kit ran more than $50; it wasn’t even put together. They go up from there.

Still, for the game’s devoted followers, a trip to this shop is the ultimate sojourn. The front part of the shop is a spacious store with knowledgeable staff who can and will talk about all things Warhammer. This is where a fan will find figures that are ready to use for play and kits of figures that need to be built and painted. There are magazines, novels, paint pots and backgrounds. There are dioramas using those figures. It’s a place where fans can spend all day and all their paychecks.

It’s in the back, however, where the action takes place. With 20 gaming tables — all of them with the accoutrements of different worlds — this shop is the largest Warhammer store in the U.S.

Note: The cafe part is really only a counter with a few tables and chairs to get small snacks and drinks.

Look up and down Grapevine’s Main Street and visitors will find an assortment of galleries with first-class art for sale, shops that sell foodstuffs such as olive oils and imported pastas, clothing and high-end soaps, interesting tidbits, Texas stuff, used cowboy boots and plenty of Texas-produced wine. You don’t have to look too hard for a tasting room as there are a few here.

Of note is what was once a bank but is now a jewelry store, Bermuda Gold and Silver. There’s a cutout of Elvis in the front window who greets all who wander by. Go around the corner to the downstairs part of the building to Talking Animals Books. This privately owned bookstore features books for both adults and children. There is quite the selection, from best sellers to classics. 

Look for the remnants of the building’s past including a barred window where money changed hands and now, instead of a clerk, features the latest books.

What really makes the place stand out is the fact that when it was the Grapevine Home Bank, Bonnie and Clyde reportedly stopped here. They locked the employees in the vault and got away with $2,500. The jewelry store has a few original newspaper clippings that talk about the event. Although no one was killed during the robbery a deputy met his end later when the law caught up with the notorious robbers at their hideout in Dallas and a shootout broke out. 

Eats

It would be fair to say that visitors cannot find a bad meal in Grapevine. 

Most of the restaurants are fairly casual although dress-up places can be found. 

For newcomers to the renowned Texas chili or Frito pie (which isn’t really a pie), try Tolbert’s Restaurant and Chili Parlor. Besides the aforementioned chili and pie, look for steak, burgers, salads and fried chicken. There are some unusual stuff too, like donkey tails (two franks wrapped in a tortilla with cheese and deep fried) and torpedoes (spicy chicken and cheese-stuffed, breaded and fried jalapeno peppers).

Every night there is live music.

A few steps down is Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, where they make their own creamy concoctions with a 1927 ice cream maker. The ice cream here is regarded as premium because it’s made with 14% butterfat. The best part is that they hand out samples. Just ask.

It’s also worth stopping at Farina’s Winery and Cafe if only to see the beautiful, antique light fixture that dominates the ceiling. It’s like a giant, colorful, glass grape cluster.

A specialty of the house is the unexpected spaghetti pizza. It’s a flatbread pizza with marinara, cheese and spaghetti. It is surprisingly delicious.

Farina’s menu is inspired by northern Italian cuisine so look for lots of pasta dishes, some with seafood and wagyu burgers. If the weather is fine, dine al fresco and watch Main Street go by.

Of course, this doesn’t even begin  to touch the variety in Grapevine. For breakfast there’s Chez Fabien, a town favorite. Go next door to the bakery for any number of luscious, mouth-watering sweet treats, each more beautiful than the last. Get coffee and sourdough bread and treats at Howdy Honey but get there early as the treats can run out.

Experiences

Even if the food and the shopping don’t appeal, Grapevine boasts some fabulous experiences beginning with Dig World, but there is so much more. 

Take a ride back in time on the beautiful Grapevine Vintage Railroad. For people who know, the coaches are pulled by 1 1953 GP-7 Diesel locomotive or one of two EMD FL9 locomotives. For the rest of us, it is simply a lovely ride. Throughout the year there are specialty rides such as the Disco Wine Train, Easter Bunny Express, a Thomas the Tank Engine experience, the North Pole Express and some holiday rides. That just names a few.

After that wander down Main Street, where you will discover Grapevine Mills, an indoor outlet mall with some high-end shops such as Michael Kors, Coach and Kate Spade and some less expensive stuff too. Browse through the Japanese store Daiso with its myriad of interesting but not necessarily needed merchandise and if a trip to Disneyland is out of the question there’s the Disney Store Outlet with its iconic goods.

But that’s only the shopping.

The mall has a working carousel in the spacious food court. 

Visit Bubble Planet, an immersive experience for kids with rooms filled with ball pits, balloons and bubbles. There’s also a VR component.

Keep walking and find the interactive LEGOLAND Discovery Center DFW. It’s a real life LEGO fantasy come to life. There are themed worlds and plenty of LEGO bricks to play with. This is for families with children ages 2 to 12. It is not free so prepare to open your wallet. They also feature LEGO kits and figures that are for sale.

Across the hall is a mall surprise: the Sea Life Aquarium at Grapevine Mills. It’s an explanation of the sealife and water life you might find in and around the Gulf of Mexico. This is an authentic aquarium and the animals there are well cared for. The best part about it is the 360-degree Ocean Tunnel. You rarely get to see the undercarriage of sharks.

Do not leave the Mills without visiting Meow Wolf, The Real Unreal. Although the space is meant to look like an ordinary two-story home, it’s been built inside a mall so you have to use your imagination. That’s the real part. Look closely at the flower bed in the front yard, however, and the unreal part starts to reveal itself. As visitors make their way through the house it becomes more and more unreal. It’s like a maze, a crazy interactive “artscape” maze, made by a collaboration between Texas and Santa Fe artists. 

Last, we’ve all seen the commercials for the Great Wolf Lodge. The Grapevine location is the original and what is seen on TV cannot compare to the real thing. Children of a certain age, younger than about 12, will love the place. The pool area is huge — 80,000 square feet huge — with a huge tubular water slide to match. They call it an indoor water park. Then there are storytellers, arts and crafts corner, interactive puppets and stuff like that. Restaurants, too. Kids love it judging by the chaos and noise level. Adults will not get a rest.

Finally, for golfers, the Dallas Cowboys have a golf club where the public may book tee times. It’s a championship, 18-hole course consisting of green rolling hills with a driving range and restaurant. It is the only NFL-themed golf club in the world.

Sleep

After all that shopping and fun, take a break in your comfortable room in the Embassy Suites. Surprisingly, although you can almost see the airport from the grounds, it’s not noisy. Breakfast and late afternoon drinks and snacks are part of the deal.