Springfield, MO, and the surrounding areas are known as the gateway to the Ozarks: a stunning region in the heart of America filled with caves, springs, forests, and vast limestone formations. It’s also home to Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro, and one of the country’s most important conservationists.

His foundation has created nature parks and important educational institutions that put the spotlight on his home state far more than a certain Netflix show could ever hope to do. And while I loved watching Jason Bateman captain his boat among the fingers of the Lakes of the Ozarks, it was by exploring the land preserved by Mr. Morris’s that I was able to truly understand the historical and natural impact and wild beauty of the Ozarks.

Springfield, along with the nature preserves that fall under the Johnny Morris Foundation umbrella, is just an eight-hour drive northeast of Dallas, near Branson, one of the most popular Ozark tourist attractions for North Texans. If you’re planning on exploring this beautiful part of the country on your next vacation, include the gateway to the Ozarks in your itinerary.

It's not too soon to start thinking about next year! School calendars for the largest school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for the 2025-2026 school year are below, and you'll want to bookmark the page now for reference—especially when planning family vacations or booking summer camps (you know they'll fill up quickly!). Follow the links for each district below for details on school holidays and semester breaks, as well as to stay up-to-date on any last-minute changes from your local district.

If there’s one thing all parents can agree on, it’s that having kids means you’ll be doing lots and lots of laundry. From the moment you bring them home until they’re tossing their socks on the floor of their rooms as teens, the piles of clothes, whether they’re dirty or clean, never go away. What if there was a way to (literally) lighten the load? A new on-demand laundry service has just come to North Texas, and if getting your laundry done is something you’d love to check off your to-do list permanently, NoScrubs could be the perfect fit.

Co-founder and CEO, Matt O’Connor, launched Instacart in Austin, so he’s no stranger to helping people make their busy lives easier. "Unfortunately, the laundry burden usually falls on moms. I grew up with a working mom who didn't have time to do the family's laundry. When people would come over, we would make sure to shut the laundry room door because the floor was covered in laundry waiting to be done," he says.