About 30,000 people are expected to pack the parks surrounding Joe Pool Lake in Grand Prairie over the Memorial Day weekend -- and some are getting there early to beat the rush.
On Friday morning, small crowds of beachgoers were already on the beach at Joe Pool Lake.
"We're taking our finals, so they let us out early. So yeah, that's why we came out here," said Yannet Salazar, from Dallas. "We just come out here to see the beach and enjoy the water."
Gary Partain, of Grand Prairie, said he enjoyed coming out with his grandchildren to Lynn Creek Park while it was still empty.
"It's awesome, where you just kind of have a little time to yourself and the kids can run around and just have a blast in the water," he said.
Parks superintendent Bob McGlothlin said the serene scene will become one of the most sought after spots for the long weekend.
"We consider it to be the jewel of the southern Metroplex, and we've got about 4.5 million people within 45 minutes from this lake," he said. "Especially when you add the George Bush Turnpike in there, it makes us very accessible to the rest of the Metroplex."
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McGlothlin said campsites at Lynn Creek and Lloyd Parks have been completely booked since April. He also said Memorial Day weekend is their third-busiest weekend of the year after the Fourth of July and Easter.
