Dallas is a perfect destination for a family vacation! The city fully accommodates families with local attractions and a welcoming attitude.
Families love the genuine taste of Texas and southern culture represented in Dallas. Both young and older children are ecstatic to visit the big city. Featured in movies and TV shows, Dallas is an exciting city for children to see with their own eyes!
Families can enjoy the cowboy culture, elaborate entertainment, world-class museums, and many more attractions together. Parents will have no problem finding fun activities that everyone can participate in. More than likely, parents will have trouble fitting in everything they want to do! All over the Metroplex are a great many attractions.
To help maximize the fun and steer families in the best direction, seven favorite family tourist attractions are described below. By visiting these attractions, the vacation will be an instant favorite for the entire family!
1. See All Types of Critters
Any list of family favorites would be sorely lacking if it didn’t include zoos and aquariums! Both add adventure and excitement to any family vacation. People of all ages love to see different creatures. People can spend hours wandering through the exhibits, and examining the exotic animals that inhabit the land and water. By exploring the exhibits of animals from all over the world, families feel like they traveled far across the globe in less than a day.
In Dallas tourists can explore some of the best zoos and aquariums in the country. The Dallas Zoo has several fascinating exhibits, such as the Giants of the Savannah. For a rare experience, families can go onto the observation deck and feed the giraffes out of their hand! At the Dallas World Aquarium visitors will be amazed as well. In addition to exploring rain forests, ancient civilizations, and distant continents, visitors can watch the aquarium’s residents in action during feedings and performances.
2. Play Cowboy Games Again!
Texas is the home of the cowboys. As such, all tourists love to explore the traditional state culture. Dallas has much to offer to any lovers of the old West. Several dude ranches surround Dallas where tourists can learn about what life was like for real cowboys.
Some of the best dude ranches, like Austin Ranch, offer horseback trail rides and in-character Western entertainers. Tourists may be surprised by some of the fun, like armadillo races, cow milking contests, and goat dressing. If tourists make it out to Southfork Ranch they may find it strangely familiar. It was one of the filming sites for the popular 80s TV show Dallas!
If travel permits, families should head to Fort Worth to get the full cowboy experience. At the Stockyards or Cowboy’s Coliseum, families can live a day in the cowboy era. Whether a family catches a rodeo on Friday night or gazes at the livestock, everyone is sure to soak up the Western spirit.
3. Walk Through the Garden
The Dallas Arboretum is a perfect place for a rejuvenating afternoon. The entire family will enjoy the soft green grass and artistic assortment of flowers. As an attestation to its beauty, the Arboretum is a common site for weddings and photo shoots.
Quite often the Dallas Arboretum hosts seasonal and special exhibitions. If the weather is warm, families may come upon a concert or small play at the amphitheater.
Nature lovers flock to the Arboretum to see the spring flowers festival, Dallas Blooms, or the autumnal celebration, the Great Pumpkin Patch.
Over the years, several amazing exhibits have covered the Arboretum. A tourist favorite was the 2009 Storybook Playhouse, a collection of fourteen houses inspired by children’s stories.
Either walking through the gardens or studying an exhibition, the entire family can find peace and joy at the Arboretum.
4. Learn in the Local Museums
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is packed with interesting and one-of-a-kind museums. Young children are crazy about the Children’s Museum at the Museum of Nature and Science! Their curiosity will take on a life of its own as they learn about dinosaurs, ice ages, urban farms, and much more.
Any history buff in the family will adore the Sixth Floor Museum, detailing the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Other awesome museums to check out are the Firefighters Museum, Women’s Museum, and Museum of the American Railroad.
If families are able to venture outside of Dallas, then they should definitely check out the museums in Fort Worth. People love to learn about the Wild West, and there is no place better to do so than in Fort Worth.
Families can brush up on their cowboy knowledge by spending an afternoon at the Cowgirl and Sid Richardson Museums. Another exciting attraction is the Museum of Science and History, where families can head to the IMAX theatre and take a thrilling airplane ride over Arlington and downtown Fort Worth.
5. Appreciate a Family-Friendly Live Performance
For years the Dallas Children’s Theatre (DCT) has entertained families by showing quality plays created with a young audience in mind. In fact, TIME Magazine asserted that the DCT is one of the top five theatres for youths in the United States. The theatre offers a variety of plays, including adaptations of popular stories and original productions.
The DCT is the only theatre in Dallas that produces every show for families and kids, thus a show is guaranteed to grasp all family members. On the DCT website, parents can evaluate if their children would be interested in the show by reading the description and considering the suggested minimum age. Exposing children to theatre at a young age is a gift. Parents should definitely take their whole family to a DCT and experience the magic of a live performance.
6. Go to a Theme Park
Vacations are exciting, and sometimes it’s necessary to work off some of that extra energy. Located in Arlington, Six Flags Over Texas is a memorable theme park that is guaranteed to please everyone. The park boasts over 50 rides, dozens of which are specifically designed for families and kids. Everyone can enjoy white water rafting, tea cup rides, and many more attractions.
For adults, the park offers several Texas-sized roller coasters and a free fall. In the young ones section, Looney Tunes USA, kids can hop on a pint-sized roller coast or be swept up high on a Ferris wheel. Also children should be on the lookout for some of their favorite cartoon characters roaming the park.
If the weather happens to be hot, families can head across the highway to the sister water park, Hurricane Harbor. Loaded with slides, rivers, and wave pools, kids and adults can cool off together.
7. Check Out the Seasonal Festivities
Every month lively festivals take part in Dallas. Any family fortunate enough to be in Dallas during one should definitely check it out! Each festival is chocked full of fancy exhibits and enticing treats. Most even include a carnival!
Hands down, the State Fair of Texas is the best festival in Dallas. Renowned for its enormous size, college football games, and creative fried foods, the State Fair celebrates the glory of Texas. The whole family can peruse the unconventional petting zoo, elaborate car shows, and southern craft shows. Several events, such as light shows and livestock races, take place each day. The State Fair of Texas runs every year from late-September to mid-October, and satisfies millions in that time.
Other exciting festivals to check out are Prairie Dog Chili Cook-off, Kids Film Festival, Dickens of a Christmas, Taste of Dallas, and the Western Swing Festival. Nearly always a special event is taking place. To get an extra special Dallas experience, families should make it out to the festivals and see what excites the locals!
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