Family Trip in Texas
Apr 27th, 2005, 06:22 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Family Trip in Texas
Hi,
We live in west Texas, but are planning on taking a 4-5 trip within Texas in Late May. We will have 3 boys with us - 6, 8, and 15 years old. I'm trying to decide where to take them. I know they'd like an amusement park, but I'd like a couple days of museums, trail rides, or something more memorable than Six Flags.
I'm leaning towards Hill Country (near Guadalupe River), but am also considering Dallas area.
Any suggestions?
We live in west Texas, but are planning on taking a 4-5 trip within Texas in Late May. We will have 3 boys with us - 6, 8, and 15 years old. I'm trying to decide where to take them. I know they'd like an amusement park, but I'd like a couple days of museums, trail rides, or something more memorable than Six Flags.
I'm leaning towards Hill Country (near Guadalupe River), but am also considering Dallas area.
Any suggestions?
Apr 27th, 2005, 06:46 AM
#2
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi, Texastraveler,
I think your boys would really like the Dallas World Aquarium. It's more than fish, actually an entire jungle ecosystem, with sections for a Venezuelan river with manatees in the river, a ruined temple in a Mayan jungle, penguins, colorful fish displays... it's always packed and full of kids.
Another thing boys would like is the Frontiers of Flight museum, an aircraft museum with airplanes hanging from the ceiling....
Six Flags Over Texas is really a lot of fun... I wouldn't discount it.
Dallas has a movie studio in the neighborhood of Las Colinas. You can take a studio tour and see how movies are made. It's nowhere as good as Universal Studios tour, but still interesting.
The complex of museums in the Dallas Arts District is arguably the best in Texas. The Nasher has some of the best contemporary sculpture in the world, the Crow has some beautiful pieces of East Asian and South Asian art, and the Dallas Museum of Art has a huge and comprehensive collection extending through the last 4 thousand years. Other Dallas art museums include the Meadows Spanish art museum, the African-American, the Biblical Arts museum, the MADI museum. Fort Worth has some good art museums also, for which they are very proud.
Your boys would be blown away by the IMAX show in the Dallas Science Place museum...
Cedar Hills State Park just southwest of downtown Dallas has a large farm, with many buildings you can wander around. It also has weekend tours and occasional festivals. The terrain is very hilly and forested, a sort of Dallas answer to the Central Texas Hill Country.
Fort Worth is accessible also. Try the Tarantula steam train ride from the FW Stockyards to the quaint downtown Grapevine depot.
I think your boys would really like the Dallas World Aquarium. It's more than fish, actually an entire jungle ecosystem, with sections for a Venezuelan river with manatees in the river, a ruined temple in a Mayan jungle, penguins, colorful fish displays... it's always packed and full of kids.
Another thing boys would like is the Frontiers of Flight museum, an aircraft museum with airplanes hanging from the ceiling....
Six Flags Over Texas is really a lot of fun... I wouldn't discount it.
Dallas has a movie studio in the neighborhood of Las Colinas. You can take a studio tour and see how movies are made. It's nowhere as good as Universal Studios tour, but still interesting.
The complex of museums in the Dallas Arts District is arguably the best in Texas. The Nasher has some of the best contemporary sculpture in the world, the Crow has some beautiful pieces of East Asian and South Asian art, and the Dallas Museum of Art has a huge and comprehensive collection extending through the last 4 thousand years. Other Dallas art museums include the Meadows Spanish art museum, the African-American, the Biblical Arts museum, the MADI museum. Fort Worth has some good art museums also, for which they are very proud.
Your boys would be blown away by the IMAX show in the Dallas Science Place museum...
Cedar Hills State Park just southwest of downtown Dallas has a large farm, with many buildings you can wander around. It also has weekend tours and occasional festivals. The terrain is very hilly and forested, a sort of Dallas answer to the Central Texas Hill Country.
Fort Worth is accessible also. Try the Tarantula steam train ride from the FW Stockyards to the quaint downtown Grapevine depot.
Apr 27th, 2005, 06:58 AM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,983
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The whole family will love Schlitterbahn, especially in late May.
Don't have time for a long reply now but if you have questions about Austin/San Antonio or Hill country to the West ask away & I'll chime later.
May 20th, 2005, 02:44 PM
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,566
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'll agree with XBT that the DFW area has lots to offer. Since he did such a good job covering Dallas, I'll suggest things in Fort Worth. I have 2 nephews close to your younger boys' ages, and these are the things they like.
The Fort Worth Museum of Science & History also has an IMAX theatre. It is very neat! The rest of the museum is good, too.
Fort Worth Botanical Garden has a Japanese garden with hundreds of HUGE koi fish that your boys will love to feed! Bring plenty of quarters and some hand wipes. This is fun for kids of ANY age!
Sundance square downtown has lots of fun places to eat, and they often have free concerts in the evenings.
The Grapevine Historic Railroad runs from Grapevine to the Stockyards twice a day. Once you're in the stockyards, there are lots of things to do, and there are twice daly cattle drives with real cowboys and longhorns!
For trail rides, the best pace is Wagon Wheel Ranch in Grapevine. Unfortunately, their minimum age is 7.
There are both Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor parks in Arlington. They often do promotions with soft drink cans, so watch for them!
And, the Texas Rangers will be playing baseball right next door.
Have a great trip!
The Fort Worth Museum of Science & History also has an IMAX theatre. It is very neat! The rest of the museum is good, too.
Fort Worth Botanical Garden has a Japanese garden with hundreds of HUGE koi fish that your boys will love to feed! Bring plenty of quarters and some hand wipes. This is fun for kids of ANY age!
Sundance square downtown has lots of fun places to eat, and they often have free concerts in the evenings.
The Grapevine Historic Railroad runs from Grapevine to the Stockyards twice a day. Once you're in the stockyards, there are lots of things to do, and there are twice daly cattle drives with real cowboys and longhorns!
For trail rides, the best pace is Wagon Wheel Ranch in Grapevine. Unfortunately, their minimum age is 7.
There are both Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor parks in Arlington. They often do promotions with soft drink cans, so watch for them!
And, the Texas Rangers will be playing baseball right next door.
Have a great trip!
May 20th, 2005, 05:51 PM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've taken school kids to Dallas and to New Braunfels (Schlitterbahn, Guadalupe River, Gruene, etc.). It's a great family place.
I'd highly recommend staying at the Schlitterbahn Resort IN the older section of the park. Most rooms have kitchens and living rooms and you can come and go during the day. You also have access to the pools in the evenings.
It's a lovely waterpark with lots of trees and landscaping--not like most waterparks which are all concrete and no shade.
The local area is also a destination with things to do for adults.
I'd highly recommend staying at the Schlitterbahn Resort IN the older section of the park. Most rooms have kitchens and living rooms and you can come and go during the day. You also have access to the pools in the evenings.
It's a lovely waterpark with lots of trees and landscaping--not like most waterparks which are all concrete and no shade.
The local area is also a destination with things to do for adults.
