Here’s a list of the best annual events in the Dallas area that are good for family fun. Are we missing something? Email us at editor@trekaroo.com and let us know.
Texas State Fair (September 24 – October 17, 2010)
An annual state fair held in Dallas, Texas (USA) that usually runs from the last Friday in September and ends 24 days later. The fair is held at the historic Fair Park where it has been held since 1886. Tons of activities, events and rides that kids of all ages will love. Photo courtesy of the Dallas CVB.
- Related article: Top Tips and Discounts for the Texas State Fair
The Great Pumpkin Festival at the Arboretum (Sept. 18 – Nov. 14, 2010)
Walk through the Storybook Pumpkin Village and discover four houses made completely out of pumpkins based on different children’s book. Visitors can also visit The Tom Thumb Pumpkin Patch and purchase pumpkins to bring home and carve. Be sure to check out Mommy & Me Mondays and Tiny Tot Tuesdays plus the Children’s Concert (10/11) and the Family Fun weekend (10/30-10/31). Photo courtesy of the Arboretum.
Howl – aween Nights at the Dallas Zoo (October 28-October 31, 2010 starting at 6pm)
The Zoo will close at 4 p.m. and reopen at 6 p.m. for a not-so-scary Halloween celebration. Dance the Monster Mash, work off that sugar rush with Witch-ercize, visit the colorful, themed candy stations to trick-or-treat, ride the Haunted Carousel and more.
Texas Stampede (November 12 and 13, 2010)
Take the kids to the Texas Stampede. Rodeos, roping contests, plus there’s a special section for your young cowboys and cowgirls called Rodeo U. It’s an interactive area with activities like Mutton Bustin, Goat Roping, pony rides, a petting zoos and more.
Photo courtesy of the Texas Stampede.
Holidays at the Arboretum (TBD)
Trains at Northpark Mall (November through early January)
Every year, an elaborate model train show is set-up for kids young and old to enjoy at the Northpark Mall. There’s often one or two Thomas ones too for fanatics.
Dallas Holiday Parade (December 4, 2010 starting at 10am)
The Children’s Medical Center Holiday Parade is a free event open to the public featuring marching bands, dancers, and celebrities. Kids especially love seeing the floats, balloons and characters like Clifford, Curious George, and of course Santa. Sidewalk seating is available along the Parade route. Tickets for reserved bleacher seating are available for purchase beginning in October.
Superbowl (February 6, 2011)
Easter Egg Hunts (TBD)
Scarborough Renaissance Faire (April 9 – May 30, 2011: Weekends and Memorial Day Monday)
Every spring, the Scarborough Faire comes to Waxahachie (xx miles south of Dallas). This Renaissance Festival is open Saturdays and Sundays from the first weekend in April until Memorial Day Monday. There are 21 stages with more than 200 performances. Three jousting shows take place each day. Photo courtesy of the Scarborough Renaissance Faire.
Trying to figure out how to get around Dallas and whether you need a car? Here’s some quick advice.
Texans love their cars and Dallas is no different. However, don’t be fooled. If you’re only in town for the weekend and primarily visiting the downtown attractions, don’t worry about renting a car. Public transportation will be adequate.
However, if you’re planning on being in town for more than 3 days, I would recommend renting a car and visiting some of the attractions that are on the outskirts like Six Flags or heading over to Fort Worth. Be sure to check what your hotel’s parking policy is because parking fees can get quite expensive.
All the major car rental agencies (Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, Budget, Dollar and Thrifty) have offices at DFW airport, Love airport and other locations around the city. Check for rates at priceline.com, they’re usually the best price in town.
If you’re planning on traveling mostly around the downtown Dallas area, ditch the car and use the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) buses and light rail which provides 45 miles of light rail and 120 bus routes. Visit www.dart.org for routes and schedules and fare information.
Whether you use it to get around or just want to take your little ones for a “ride,” the free M-Line Streetcar (aka McKinney Avenue Trolley) is worth using. Our family used it to get from our downtown hotel to the Dallas Arts District. A few of these trolleys date as far back as 1906. You can catch one year-round between 7am and 10pm weekdays, 10am and 10pm weekends (every 15 min. during peak and lunch hours, every half-hour off-peak hours and weekends).
Other Dallas articles
- What to Do in Dallas
For more ideas on things to do and where to stay with the family, check out these other destinations in Texas: Houston and the Gulf Coast, San Antonio, and Austin.
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Esther Lee is a contributing writer for Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Texas can get hot and Dallas is no different. To avoid melting in the summer heat, the best times to visit are in the spring (April/May) and in the fall (September/October).
Credit: Dallas CVB
There are also many family-friendly events in Dallas area that are worth keeping in mind like the Texas State Fair in the Fall (September 25-October 18, 2010) and the Holiday Parade on December 4, 2010. Here’s a list of all the major family-friendly events in Dallas.
Other Dallas articles
- What to Do in Dallas
For more ideas on things to do and where to stay with the family, check out these other destinations in Texas: Houston and the Gulf Coast, San Antonio, and Austin.
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Esther Lee is a contributing writer for Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | OR | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Thanks to everyone that participated. The winning comment chosen by Random.org was #75. Congratulations Paula Hafner!
We all know that the certain hotels roll-out the red carpet for babies and toddlers. Upon arrival, you get diapers, wipes, bottle warmers, bibs and more to ensure that your littlest travelers are comfortable. Most of those places, come with a hefty price-tag.
Not any more. Marriott International recently launched Tots Travel Too, a program to make more than 2,500 Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites hotels in the US and Canada tot-friendly. Praises to them for being the first chain of suite hotels and inns to make their properties nice for babies and toddlers free of charge!
So, what’s the big deal? Everyone provides a portable crib for babies and toddlers. The complimentary Tots Travel Too not only provides provides with a travel crib, but a fresh COVERPLAY crib cover to make sure that baby’s bed is not only safe, but clean. Knowing how dirty my son’s portable crib gets, it’s nice to know that they’ve taken the extra step to make it clean for the next guest.
In addition, the Tots Travel Too provides an animal squirtie toy for the bath time, outlet covers to help baby-proof the hotel room, nightlights, Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo and baby lotion. Adorable disposable bibs will be available upon request in the breakfast areas which is great since I never seem to pack enough clean bibs for the road.
The Steal: Win a Tots Travel Too Welcome Pack
Trekaroo is giving away a Marriott Tots Travel Too welcome pack.
Number of Winners: One (1) winner
Prize: One Tots Travel Too welcome pack which includes a COVERPLAY removable crib cover, portable crib sheet, squirtie toy, outlet covers, nightlight, baby shampoo, baby lotion and disposable bib. (Value $70)
How to enter:
Leave a comment telling us how hotel’s can make your “traveler(s)-in training” comfortable beyond portable cribs.
For additional entries, feel free to do any or all of the following. Each one counts as an extra entry but be sure to LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ONE.
- Write a review on Trekaroo and post a link to it in the comments (include your Trekaroo username) one entry per review. (each review gets you 5 entries)
- Subscribe to the Trekaroo Blog
- Tweet a link to this Monday Mad Steal via @Trekaroo
- Post this on your Facebook Wall using the Facebook Share link above
- Fan Trekaroo on Facebook
- Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
- Post this giveaway on your blog
- Subscribe to Trekaroo in your reader
Rules and guidelines:
- 18 years of age or older
- US Residents only
Deadline to enter: Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 11:59PM PST
Want to buy it now? Get your own COVERPLAY crib coversheet or play yard sheets in a variety of stylish patterns from Amazon.
What is Monday Madness?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either a fantastic giveaway or an incredible deal. It could be a green water bottle, a hotel stay on Maui or theme park tickets. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog for the details. Want a reminder? Become a Trekaroo member or follow us on facebook or twitter.
Thanks to Contest for Moms, Online Sweepstakes, CashNet Sweepstakes, and Sweepstakes Advantage.
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Esther Lee is co-founder of Trekaroo - a website dedicated to traveling with kids
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
My husband grew up in Toronto and I’ve been amazed by the endless number of activities he comes up with to entertain our 3-year old toddler son and his 3, 5 and 8-year old nephews. Here are our favorites when visiting Toronto with kids under the age of 8.
Canada’s Largest Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum has 4 floors and 70+ galleries where kids can learn about natural history and world cultures. You can easily spend a full day here, but the stuff your kids care about is primarily located on Level 2. There you can find some Jurassic friends in the Age of Dinosaurs gallery, excavate a dino bone in the Interactive Discovery Gallery, and touch a skull in the Hands-On Biodiversity Gallery.
Got a toddler? Head over to Franklin’s World for games and activities that are perfect for busy toddlers.
For the Fearless
Towering 1815 ft in the air, the CN Tower is the first and only landmark my 3-year old son can recognize in Toronto. Although the view from anywhere is fairly impressive, the view from the inside is certainly memorable.
Don’t forget your camera because you’ll want a similar shot of the kids standing, jumping or sleeping on the Glass Floor Observation Deck as they watch the city buzz busily below.
Photo by Flickr user shadowarmy75.
Best Hands-on Fun
The Ontario Science Centre is an enormous institution filled with 9 large exhibition halls for kids to learn about different eco-systems, insects, physics, technology and more.
Kids under 8 will love the specially designed Kidspark zone where little hands and feet make music, build a house and more. Be sure to check their regularly schedules programs where OSC staff help to teach kids can learn about electricity and more.
Best Day Trip
Visiting Toronto Island Park is one of my favorite excursions with the kids. Where else do you get a ferry ride with an amazing view of the Toronto skyline, Centreville Amusement Park (30 rides that are perfect for the 8 and under crowd), beaches, and signs that say “Please walk on the grass.”
Kid-friendly? You bet.
Best Amusement Park
Located right on the shore of Lake Ontario, Ontario Place is guaranteed fun for the family. All the rides and attractions are geared for kids aged 2-10. My 3-year old son had such a blast with the bumper boats, driving his own car and riding the mini Ferris wheel. The flume and water park are great for those torrid summer days. My personal favorite, the Atom Blaster arena where you can shot foam balls at your loved ones.
Best Farm for Kids
The Riverdale Farm is smack-dab in the middle of the city with 7.5 acres of paths, gardens and barns for the kids to explore. Highlights are the butterfly-herb-flower-vegetable gardens and all of Old McDonald’s farm animals that your little ones love to sing about.
Best Annual Event for Families
If you’re here in March or early April, bring the kids to the Kortright Centre for Conservation for the Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival. Activities include pony rides, a petting zoo, horse-drawn wagon rides, sap samplings and maple syrup demonstrations. On the weekends and during March break, check the schedule for special performances and events for the kids like animal shows and live music. Of course, there will be plenty of pancakes and maple syrup to sample.
Related articles on traveling to Toronto:
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Esther Lee is co-founder and CEO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
