Sita Poduri and her husband Ratnakar live in the Castle Hills area of Lewisville with their two daughters, Akshata, 11 and Aditri, 6. With its central location, Poduri loves that her neighborhood gives them easy access to most destinations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area—and the entertainment options and great schools are definitely an added bonus.
Favorite family restaurant: We all love Olive Garden in Lewisville. The freshly baked bread sticks and the iconic garden salad are our favorites. Our kids love the amazing pastas and the variety of vegetarian options which makes us a frequent diners. 2418 S. Stemmons Fwy., Lewisville; 972/315-6202
Favorite local park: The park and the lake near Castle Hills Village Shops in our amazing neighborhood is a great fun for family picnics, shopping and dining. 2520 King Arthur Blvd., Lewisville; 972/410-6500
Favorite family outing: Grandscape in The Colony is a great outdoor place we frequently hangout. It has good restaurants like P.F. Chang’s, our family’s favorite ice cream shop Baked Bear, Galaxy Theatre and Andretti Indoor Karting & Games. It is a host for great concerts and its proximity to our home makes it our favorite. Grandscape, 5752 Grandscape Blvd., The Colony; 972/668-2222; P.F. Chang’s, 5752 Grandscape Blvd., Suite 105, The Colony; 469/270-6089; Baked Bear, 5752 Grandscape Blvd., Suite 110, The Colony; 469/200-0635; Galaxy Theatre, 5740 Grandscape Blvd., Suite 100, The Colony; 888/407-9874; Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, 5752 Grandscape Blvd., Suite 100, The Colony; 469/527-3278
Go-to girls’ night spot: I enjoy hanging out with my girlfriends on weekends, we often go to Studio Movie Grill in The Colony. I also enjoy having baking parties at my home. We cook, eat and watch TV shows with great conversations. 4800 TX-121, The Colony; 469/405-8530
For self-care: I go to Coco Nails and Spa in Castle Hills Village Shops. A massage will help me relax and get rid of muscle tension. Facial, body treatment, manicure and pedicure helps me rejuvenate and get ready for long hectic days during the week. 2560 King Arthur Blvd., Suite 110, Lewisville; 972/899-9238
Get active: OrangeTheory Castle Hills in Lewisville is a great fitness center that helps me recharge and get active. This fitness center conducts group activities and the trainers are quite inspiring. The group sessions are loads of fun especially mingling with participants of different age groups and cultures; it gives me a new perspective to life. 6201 N. Josey Lane, Suite 200, The Colony; 972/521-8404
Cool off: Hawaiian Falls in The Colony is a great water park in our area which engages and entertains people of all ages. Lake Lewisville is another popular stop we frequently visit with our friends. Hawaiian Falls, 4400 Paige Road, The Colony; 972/905-9925; Lake Lewisville
Give back: We buy Christmas gifts for the “give back drive” done at my daughter’s Montessori school every year. We donate clothes to Paralyzed Veterans of America, National Federation for the Blind and provide monitory support to cancer centers. My older daughter and I donate hair to Pantene for making wigs to cancer patients as well.
Why Lewisville is a great place to raise a family: Castle Hills in Lewisville is a great community to live in. It is centrally located in the DFW area and gives us access to any destination in a reasonable time. With great schools around, social and entertainment places for the whole family, our neighborhood makes it a great place to raise our young family. The diversity in our community makes it extra special.
Find your tribe: Moms in our community are amazing and very helpful. We have quite a few social groups for Castle Hills moms. We share great cooking ideas, organize moms’ outings and plan kids play dates. Most importantly, we help each other during emergencies.
Featured photo courtesy of Sita Poduri.
