Texas may be the Lone Star State, but these activities in Dallas-Forth Worth defy this brand with the best of the best reviews from Trekaroo parents. From the vast and fascinating Dallas World Aquarium to the unique Sixth Floor Museum, there are adventure to be had in Dallas and Trekaroo parents are pointing the way. Take a look at their top picks:
#1 Voted Activity and the Best Place for Kids to Explore the Aquatic World: Dallas World Aquarium
One step into the doors at Dallas World Aquarium and you will see why it’s a favorite of Trekaroo parents. ”The layout is fantastic and the exhibits are great,” says trekaroo parent startropics. It’s more than just good design, though; this aquarium knows how to capture a child’s interest: shark feedings! The aquarium also does a nice job showcasing the less sensational, but equally interesting diversity of aquatic life with manatees, crocodiles and otters; enough to intrigue any youngster for at least a few hours. Carmencrano is a repeat visitor who loves the interactive aspects of the aquarium. ”The last time we went my youngest to go feed some of the birds and we atually stood underneath a sloth hanging from the lowlying branch above,” she said. What more could a child ask for than a close encounter of the sloth kind?
Photo Credit: flickr/texas_mustang
The Best Area for Kids to Explore Nature: Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
The Arboretum may not be filled with play structures or Jedi knights, but parents will be surprised at how the complexities of nature captivate their child’s eager minds, at least for the first hour or two. Take startropic’s child: “My 3 year old especially loves trying to find little bugs among the plants.” This is one of those places that is enchanting to parents and children alike and will turn the imaginative engine that makes a kid’s world go ’round. The arboretum is like a giant canvas for fun. Trekaroo parent mistry enjoys taking the whole family to the Arboretum for family picnics among the flowers, while bob’s kids enjoy exploring the playhouses. The imagination is the only limit to fun at the Dallas Arboretum.
Photo Credit: thelees3
The Most Exciting Place for Kids to Investigate and Play: The Museum of Nature and Science
Aspiring paleontologists will demand their pocket vest to excavate fossils underneath a looming T-Rex. ”At the dinosaur exhibit there was a sandy area where the kids could dig for “fossils”. That lasted for almost an hour of fun!” said Trekaroo mom cdom. When your kids are done with the Jurassic era, they can move onto the molecular discoveries of Watson’s and Crick’s era and explore the genetic code in the DNA exhibit. Womanofsalt said this was her son’s favorite. When nucleic acids have lost their allure, move on to the planetarium and imagine the possibility of life on the exoplanets beyond our solar system. It’s all in a day’s play at the Museum of Nature and Science.
Photo Credit: Museum of Nature and Science
The Most Interesting Museum for [Older] Kids: Sixth Floor Museum
Dallas has the unfortunate legacy of being the site where John F. Kennedy was tragically assassinated. The Sixth Floor Museum catalogues the history surrounding this event in the area where Lee Harvey Oswald fired his shots. The material of this museum is not well-suited for the youngsters, but Trekaroo parent Alatkins recommends it as an educational and intriguing outing for the young student of US history. Carol assures us the museum was “obviously not fun” for her one year old, but found it very interesting and recommends it for an apt audience. The museum is not all gloom, it also focuses on the life and story of America’s most talked about political family.
Photo Credit: Sixth Floor Museum
The Best Place to Roll Through Train History: The Museum of the American Railroad
It’s a little known fact that the largest number of subscriptions to “Train Aficionados” comes from the 2-10 year-old demographic. Just take a visit to the Museum of the American Railroad and watch your youngsters dive into the old locomotives and hang on every word of the knowledgeable staff. Trekaroo parent adf attended a birthday party at this museum and found a jewel of the Dallas children’s scence. ”Very interesting to see the locomotives,” she says. It’s in a great downtown location so there are plenty of other adventures to be found nearby for your the steam engines in your family with a bottomless tender car.
Photo Credit: Museum of the American Railroad
Related Articles:
- Travel Guide to Vacationing in Dallas as a Family
- Activities for Kids in Dallas
- Kid-friendly hotels in Dallas
- Top Discounts and Coupons for the Texas State Fair
- Mother Daughter Bonding at Port Aransas, Texas
- 5 Fantastic San Antonio Day Trips for Families
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Stephen Wanta is a contributing author on 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
Portland, Oregon is a beautiful river city known for its aesthetics and culture. Its a great place to find outdoor adventure, a thriving arts & music scene, and access to all sorts of eco-friendly experiences. There is plenty of family fun to be had in the downtown area and the rest of the Willamette Valley. Trekaroo is proud to be launching Portland this week and looks forward to exploring the rest of the state of Oregon with all of you wonderful members of the Trekaroo community.
So, what have Trekaroo families shared thus far?
- 236 Activities listed in the Portland/Willamette Valley Region alone! Have you been to any of these kid-friendly places? If so, add your insight! Did you see something we missed? Be sure to share your experiences.
- Activities and hotel reviews across the 4 main regions of Oregon: Willamette Valley (Portland), Southern Oregon, Central Oregon, and Mt. Hood / The Gorge
- A list of Kid-friendly hotels in Portland waiting to be rated by parents like you
- Lots of fun lists like:
- Top Kid Activities in Portland as voted by Trekaroo families
- 5 Family Activities for $5 or less in Portland
- Cheap and Fun Eats in Portland!
- Things to see and do around Portland with Children
- Favorite kid-friendly restaurants in the Portland Metro Area
- Favorite Rainy Day Activities in Portland
- Family-Friendly Ski Resorts in Oregon with Kid Programs
- Favorite places to walk or hike in Oregon
Have you experienced Portland or any other part of the beautiful state of Oregon with your kids? Tell us all about your experiences – good and bad. Join now and start writing reviews. New members get to take advantage of Welcome Rewards. A gift card to Amazon, Starbucks, or REI was enough to convince me to join way back when!
What location is next? Georgia! Be part of the founding team to help launch Georgia on Trekaroo by sharing about activities you like and the best places to stay.
Special thanks to the 47 families who have collaborated to build a list of fantastic kid-friendly recommendations with their reviews! In particular, special thanks are due to PDXBloss, pitstopsforkids, bayareababyblog, Beaverton Mama, Living Beaverton, Camillegrimshaw, thriftyportlandmom, Leigh Anne, fani*fam, McPippi, and naturalist who have gone above and beyond to inside scoop and create such helpful lists for Portland and Oregon.
And of course, thanks to team Trekaroo who sacrifice so much to pull it all together.
Put on those rain boots and get out there!
Esther Lee (thelees3) – CEO
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Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NY | OR | 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
My family loves to bowl. My son’s only 3 and he’s already been working on his game. If you love to bowl, you’ll have to check out this great program called KidsBowlFree.com. Just like it sounds, this amazing program means that your kids can bowl up to 2 games a day for FREE all summer long! Nothing. Zippo. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nothing!
This is our second year in the program and it’s great especially if you get your friends in on the fun too. You can register any child that you’re a parent/guardian of under the age of 18. The bowling centers win because they get traffic in the door during the day when the bowling league members are busy working their day jobs. This year, they even have a family pass that starts at $24.95 and allows 1, 2, 3, or 4 adults to play 2 free games daily this summer. What a steal.
So, go to KidsBowlFree.com and check out the 850+ participating bowling centers (keep in mind this list is constantly growing) and sign up. Let us know what you think too.
For more free fun in your neighborhood, check on Trekaroo for your city/region and set our cost filter on “free.” The Trekaroo system will magically pull out all the activities in your area that are easy on the pocketbook. Here are a few list of FREE activities in some major metro area. But you can do this for any destination or city on Trekaroo.
- Free Activities for Kids Around New York City
- Free Activities for Kids Around Washington DC
- Free Activities for Kids Around Boston, Massachusetts
- Free Activities for Kids Around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Free Activities for Kids Around Orlando, Florida
- Free Activities for Kids Around Charlotte, North Carolina
- Free Activities for Kids Around Chicago, Illinois
- Free Activities for Kids Around Los Angeles, CA
- Free Activities for Kids Around San Francisco Bay Area
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.
Photo licensed under Creative Commons from Jess2284.
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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
Are we there yet?
Are you packing and getting ready for a 4th of July long weekend roadtrip with the family? Whether you’re flying to France, traveling to relatives or heading for the beach, check out our newly assembled Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids.
These are all based on recommendations from Trekaroo’s community of travel-savvy parents over the last year. We’ve got games that can be played anytime, anywhere and no gameboards required. Some will make your kids think, some will make them laugh and some will turn them into detectives.
Here’s a sneak peak at Activities #24 through 35.
Guessing Games
24. 20 Questions (Ages 2+)
25. Treasure in a Bottle (Ages 2-4)
26. Name that Tune (Ages 3+)
27. Mother Goose’s Mixed Up Words (Ages 3-6)
28. How Far Away is That? (Ages 4+)
29. True or False (Ages 4-7)
Simple Activities with Just a Piece of Paper
30. Print out coloring or activity pages from websites like Education.com or Crayola.com
31. Print out a map of the US and check off each state that you find a license plate for
32. Free Roadtrip Bingo print-outs from MomsMinivan
33. Write a letter to grandma or a friend. Write a journal entry.
34. Travel Scavenger print-outs from Moms Minivan
35. Take a crayon, stick a coin underneath a sheet of paper and make a coin rubbing
The Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids also has our favorite toys for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age kids, tweens and teens that you can purchase ahead of time and throw in your Mary Poppins “entertainment” carpet bag. You’ll find books, puzzles, activity kits and more to choose from to keep the kids entertained and happy for your “family vacation”
Be sure to check-out Activity #68 in Trekaroo’s Activities and Games Guide for Traveling with Kids. It’s a great idea that I’d never heard of from happyonvacation.
Related articles:
Visit Trekaroo’s Travel Store for more of our favorite travel gear, toys, and books for babies to teens!
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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
