Dallas Activities with the Whole Family

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a 66-acre botanical garden located on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake. Established in 1984, the gardens were created by combining the 44-acre DeGolyer Estate and the 22-acre Alex Camp House, which today features 19 named and plant-specific gardens. Some of these gardens include the Trammell Crow Visitor Education Pavilion and Entry Plaza; the Margaret Elisabeth Jonsson Color Garden; A Woman’s Garden; and the Nancy Rutchik Red Maple Rill, which is home to over 80 varieties of signature Japanese Maples. A family-friendly feature of the gardens is the Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden, which was designed to connect children with nature and boasts over 150 individual kid-friendly activities, including The Texas Skywalk, The Moody Oasis, and a Walk in the Clouds.

8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218, Phone: 214-515-6615

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a natural history and science museum located in Victory Park in downtown Dallas to inspire children to be the future leaders of tomorrow. Called a ‘world of wonder’ by The Dallas Morning News, the museum has several interesting and exciting exhibitions, experiences and programs that inspire curiosity and encourage learning through science and technology. The park has two campuses, the main campus, which is located in Victory Park and a secondary campus in Fair Park, the latter of which features an IMAX-theater, a fully equipped and functioning planetarium, and an on-site paleontology lab. Visitors can explore the museum at the Fair Park campus, which features no less than 11 permanent exhibit halls, and a fantastic display of historical dioramas. They can also experience National Geographic-partnered educational films in the state-of-the-art theater.

2201 N Field St, Dallas, TX 75201, Phone: 214-428-5555

Spread out over five acres between Pearl and St. Paul Streets over the recessed Woodall Rodgers Freeway, which was once a barrier between the two neighborhoods, Klyde Warren Park is a beautifully manicured urban green space in the heart of Dallas’ urban hub. Designed by the Office of James Burnett and named after the young son of billionaire Kelcy Warren, the park offers a lovely space for city-goers to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and relax. Resting on the edge of the vibrant and eclectic Dallas Arts District, the park serves as a gateway downtown and the Arts District and offers a variety of activities to enjoy, including free daily programs such as boot camp, yoga, outdoor concerts and films, photography courses, drumming classes, and book signings. Trendy food trucks serve delicious food and drinks, and there are tables and chairs dotted around the park for the perfect picnic.

2012 Woodall Rodgers Fwy, Dallas, TX 75201, Phone: 214-716-4500

Dallas Children's Theater (DCT) offers fun for the whole family with a variety of productions, shows and other entertainment throughout the year. Based in Dallas, the professional theater organization hosts nine main stage productions, as well as acting and drama classes, education programs, and a national touring company that reaches an audience of 250,000 youth on an annual basis. Dallas Children's Theater is also home to the Kathy Burks Theater of Puppetry Arts, which was founded in 1973 and stages two original puppet plays per year, using all styles of puppetry, including hand puppets, traditional bridge, and cabaret marionettes, shadow puppets, and Black Theatre rod puppets.

5938 Skillman St, Dallas, TX 75231, Phone: 214-978-0110

The John F. Kennedy Memorialis a monument in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas that honors U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson and erected in 1970, the monument is located within the 623-acre John F. Kennedy Memorial Park near New Ross in County Wexford. The park is home to a small islet-studded lake which is home to a wealth of birdlife, as well as an arboretum with over 500 different azaleas and rhododendron. The botanical garden also boasts an outstanding collection of over 4,500 various shrubs and trees and families can enjoy a variety of fun features such as tree houses, a playground, a miniature train, and a pony and trap during the high season.

646 Main St, Dallas, TX 75202

The Kimbell Art Museum is a comprehensive art museum that houses a small, but high-quality collection of 350 artworks, as well as an extensive research library and various educational programs. Designed by renowned architect, Louis I. Kahn, the building is recognized as a significant work of architecture, particularly for the natural, silvery light that flows across the vaulted gallery ceilings. The museum’s collection consists of European works from the classical period, including Gainsborough, Fra Angelico, and Mantegna, as well as antiquities from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. An Asian collection features paintings, sculptures bronzes, and ceramics while famous works by Picasso, Monet, Matisse, and Mondrian add a special touch. The museum boasts a substantial research library with nearly 60,000 books, periodicals and auction catalogs that are readily available as a resource to faculty and graduate students, and art historians.

3333 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas 76107-2792, Phone: 817-332-8451

Located in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, The Dallas World Aquarium is a non-profit aquarium and zoo that conserves threatened or endangered animals through co-operative breeding programs with various other zoos from around the world. The aquarium is home to a superb collection of exhibits, including an artificial reproduction of the Orinoco Rainforest, which is home to a variety of exotic birds, and animals such as three-toed sloths, tamarins, poison-dart frogs, and vampire bats. Ten main aquatic tanks feature marine life from regions around the world, including Indonesia, Fiji, Southern Australia, Japan, British Colombia, and the Solomon Islands. An awe-inspiring, interactive 40-foot (12 m) tunnel displays fish that live on the continental shelf, while several smaller displays boast colorful corals, jellyfish, and vibrant sea anemones.

1801 N Griffin St, Dallas, TX 75202, Phone: 214-720-2224

The Moody Family Children's Museum is based in the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Victory Park in downtown Dallas and offers kids under the age of five the chance to learn through play. A shimmering blue pathway leads visitors to the museum’s pint-sized displays explicitly designed for kids, including a water play table, a tiny farmer's market, an indoor nature hike, and various objects for climbing, scrambling, crawling and squeezing through. Other fascinating exhibits include the Trinity River corridor and terrarium with displays of spiders, bugs, and insects; a scaled Margaret Hunt Hill bridge and the Dallas city skyline; and a massive sandbox where budding paleontologists can dig for dinosaur bones.

2201 N Field St, Dallas, TX 75201, Phone: 214-428-5555

Set in the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Victory Park in downtown Dallas, the Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall offers children the chance to discover the world of engineering, maths, and science and how to solve everyday problems. The exhibit features different areas relating to the engineering field ranging from architectural and electrical to mechanical and software engineering, including a 3D animation lab where children can design and build their robot. This fantastic display allows kids to explore the connection between bridges and robots and even has them racing robots through mazes, picking up objects and battling head to head in exciting challenges.

2201 N Field St, Dallas, TX 75201, Phone: 214-428-5555

Based in the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Victory Park in downtown Dallas, the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall offers visitors the opportunity to put their athletic prowess to the test and learn more about the work that goes into being a top athlete. The Sports Hall features all kinds of sporting facilities from track and field to ball courts, and a gymnasium with a hands-on science lab where guests can try their hand at pitching baseball, shooting a hockey puck, throwing a football, or doing handstands and cartwheels. All action is captured on a high-speed camera to be watched and analyzed afterward.

2201 N Field St, Dallas, TX 75201, Phone: 214-428-5555