This summer our goal was to visit the local beaches in our area. We live about 45 minutes south of Fort Worth and Dallas, and there are five great swimming spots within an hour’s drive from our location.
So if you have kids and are looking for lakes and beaches south of DFW, here are our top five favorite places to go swimming as a family!
1. Cleburne State Park
About 45 minutes south of Fort Worth and 1 hour away from Dallas is Cleburne State Park. This is a gem of the park and has activities for people of all ages.
From their swimming area, you can rent kayaks, have a picnic, fish off a dock, or swim near a sandy beach that’s great for kids. You can also walk on a trail that follows the edge of the lake to some fishing spots.
Located near the swimming area is a wonderful playground, some BBQ pits, and restrooms with several showers.
Cleburne State Park is also a great place to camp. You can read about our camping trip here.
2. Lake Whitney State Park
Looking for a beach feel, but don’t want to drive 6-8 hours down to the coast? Take a trip to Lake Whitney State Park, which is only located about one hour south of Fort Worth and Dallas.
This is a wonderful beach for good swimmers and older kids, as there are small waves from the wind and wake. The swimming area is a long beach with scattered rocks and a sandy clay bottom — I recommend wearing water shoes!
There are a few shaded picnic tables, and a restroom with showers that is more of a driving distance away from the beach if you have small kids.
You can read about our trip to Lake Whitney State Park here.
3. Cedar Hill State Park
Don’t want to drive far? If you are in Fort Worth or Dallas, Cedar Hill State Park may be the closest state park as it is about 20 minutes from Dallas and 30 minutes from Fort Worth.
The park is beautiful and has a lot of shaded trails. The swimming area has a few shaded picnic tables and a small playground. The water gradually gets deeper and it all has a gravel bottom which is great if you are squeamish. There is a restroom within walking distance, but it only has outside showers.
I heard it gets busy, so always look into getting a day pass online.
You can read about our swimming trip at Cedar Hill State Park here.
4. Granbury City Beach
The Granbury City Beach Park is about an hour away from the DFW area. The best part is that it is free! You can swim off the Brazos River and then head downtown for ice cream or coffee.
This beach has lots of sand, a free splash pad, a shared shaded pavilion, and a restroom facility within walking distance.
5. Big Rocks City Park
Another free city park but with rocks instead of sand is the Big Rocks City Park. It is a further drive away, located on the Paluxy River in Glen Rose, but it has fun rocks, rapids, and several swimming areas.
Because it is free, it can get busy on the weekends and the park can be limited. It’s also important to note that the water levels will vary here depending on rainfall.
We hope you enjoy your time outdoors this summer! Check out my Amazon storefront below for items we recommend taking to the beach in the Texas summer. Stay cool!
Lauren Ducommun 
Leave a comment