Duba activities - help deciding
 

Hi,
Our Seattle-based family of four (kids will be 12 and 14) plan to stop over in Dubai both ways to/from Tanzania for a safari next June-July. We haven't booked flights yet as they aren't available yet but this is what I am thinking:
At the beginning, we plan to stop over for 2 nights and 1 day, to go to one of the water parks (probably Aquaventure), after the 14 hour flight before heading on to JRO.
On the way back it looks like we will have 2 days in Dubai before we fly home. I would really like to get the kids out in the desert - riding a camel, sandboarding and some type of culture sounds very appealing. However, I am a bit skeptical of a complete tourist trap where the animals are treated poorly, culture is "staged", etc. I know we are tourists in the end, but if it's over the top touristy then we won't enjoy it. Any suggestions on a good resource? We are willing to pay more for an ethical guide if appropriate. Also, any tips on the souk(s), dhow cruises or anything else we shouldn't miss? We definitely don't want to shop in the malls but would be very interested in more authentic shopping (like in the souk).
We are also big foodies so any tips on Middle Easter food would be great too, although I assume I can find that elsewhere online.
I have looked here in the forums and elsewhere but I am not finding a lot that is recent and covering what I am looking for, but please point me in the right direction if it has already been posted!
Thanks so much!

The Dubai TripAdvisor forum is very active and will give you all the information you need.

A warning: late June and July is very hot in Dubai with temperatures as high as 115 degrees. The water parks is a good plan as the water will be chilled. Wild Wadi is considered better than Aquaventure. A desert safari will be at night and very hot but still doable.

There is an old part of town with old covered souks along the creek. But don't rule out new Dubai either. The malls are genuinely impressive and worth a visit and something to do indoors during the day when it is so hot outside. There's an indoor ski slope at one of the big malls. Dubai is justifiably known for bling bling and futuristic architecture and skyline so I wouldn't skip it.

TripAdvisor is a right place for all your answers and you can also go through "http://blog.paylesser.com/must-desert-safari-famous-activity-uae/" this article to know about the attractions.

Thanks so much for the tips! I would have bypassed the malls so good to know, especially given the heat. I will check out more on Trip Advisor. Thank you!

Middle eastern food - Don't forget Shawarma and grilled chicken with salads. It's cheap eat but yummy.