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.
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
Portability and safety seem to be the features of choice. Congratulations to Comment #69, Brandi Westmoreland. You’re the new owner of a fabulous new Snazzy Baby Travel Chair.
One of the reasons I love Trekaroo is how I’ve got a community of thousands of parents keeping me up-to-date on what’s hot when traveling kids. One our newest Trekaroo members, Kailani (the mommy blogger behind An Island Life) tipped me off to the Snazzy Baby Travel Chair. Weighing in at less than 1 pound, the Snazzy Baby Travel Chair has been awarded the Most Portable Travel Chair by Trekaroo. It also fits into any diaper bag!!! Woo Woo! (Here’s the full article on Best Travel High Chairs).
The Steal – Win the Most Portable Travel High Chair
We knowing that eating outside the house is often difficult for kids who are more eager to play than eat.
Number of Winners: One (1)
Prize: 1 Snazzy Baby Travel Chair in Red for Valentine’s Day
To enter:
Tell us what feature(s) is important to you when shopping for a portable high chair. You can leave a comment below, tweet your thoughts to @trekaroo, or leave a comment on Facebook.
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.
- Subscribe to The Talking Trekaroo’s feed
- Follow Snazzy Baby on Twitter
- Follow Trekaroo on Twitter
- Tweet this giveaway
- Fan Snazzy Baby on Facebook
- Fan Trekaroo on Facebook
- Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back here and to Snazzy Baby
Rules and guidelines:
- 18 years of age or older
- US Residents only
- Multiple entries allowed per person
Deadline to enter: Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 11:59PM PST
A Sweet Valentine’s Deal
Purchase a Snazzy Baby travel chair for $34.99 and get a free pair of leg warmers (value: $7.99) for your special little Valentine. 
Just go to http://www.snazzybaby.us/shop and enter in the code: TREKAROO when you purchase a Snazzy Baby Travel Chair and a free pair of leg warmers will be added to your purchase. You just choose the color! (Available in for funky colors: Wild Blue , Pink Pizzaz, Jungle Green and Oceans Blue.) Jump on this deal before it expires at the end of the month on 2/28/2010.
Don’t need a pair of leg warmers. Purchase the chair on Amazon for $29.59 and it’s eligible for free shipping savings .
Related articles:
- Best Portable High Chairs for Travel
- Best Baby Travel Cribs
- Best Travel Toys for Babies and Toddlers
- Toys on the Fly
- Pack for Baby Without Bringing the Nursery
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 or Broadway 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 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 | PA | TX | VA | WA
I swear that I’m not Japanese, but I keep stumbling across these hilarious videos from Japan that are too good not to share.
Talent = Extraordinary
Lyrics = Unintelligible
Facial expressions = PRICELESS
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Esther Lee is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA and now IL and WA and DC
Moms know how scary it is to lose a child. That’s why Michele Walsh, mom of three invented SafetyTat. She was worried that she would become
separated from her children at a crowded amusement park. The solution? A temporary tattoo that gives parents peace of mind with fun and colorful
designs that kids love.
SafetyTat temporary id tattoos keep parents and children connected. It’s Safety that Sticks. When a lost child is too young or too upset to communicate a parent or a guardian’s phone number, this temporary child id tattoo does it for them. SafetyTat tattoos cannot be readily removed or smeared, and are waterproof.
There are two basic types of tattoos. The Original SafetyTat can be customized with your phone number or any other information on their website. They can be easily applied with water and will last for 1-5 days. The second type is the “Quick Stick Write-on!” series which are peel-and-stick tattoos.
SafetyTat child id tattoos are also useful for many situations — traveling, amusement parks, water parks, sporting events, site seeing, shopping malls and school field trips. The www.SafetyTat.com website also offers tattoos with special needs, emergency and allergy alerts.
I recently got a chance to test out SafetyTat’s Quick Stick, Write-On tattoos. Here’s my review of SafetyTat. A great stocking stuffer for moms with young kids. Use TrekAroo (case sensitive) during checkout and receive 10% off order of $15 or more before 12/23/09. We’ve also got some to give away!
SafetyTat Giveaway Details
Number of Winners: Four (4)
Prize: Quick Stick Write-On! multi-design 4-pack (Retail value: $7.99)
To enter: Let us know why you’d like to win some SafetyTats in the comment section.
For additional entries:
- Become a Facebook fan of Trekaroo
- Become a Facebook fan of Safety Tat.
- Twitter about the giveaway. Be sure to leave your link in the comments.
Rules and guidelines:
US Residents only
Deadline to enter: December 13th
Please leave an extra comment for each entry and your EMAIL address.
What is Monday Mad Steals?
Every Monday, Trekaroo announces on our blog, either an fantastic giveaway or a incredible deal that is only being offered on Trekaroo for a short time. It could be a green water bottle, but it could also be tickets to the hottest show on broad way. Return every Monday to the Talking Trekaroo Blog to find out what the steal of the week is. Get a reminder every Tuesday when our weekly digest goes out (you have to be a member of Trekaroo). Or be our fan on Facebook to be the first to know.
Thanks to Contest for Moms, Sweepstakes Advantage, and Online Sweepstakes.
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Esther Lee is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA and now IL and WA and DC
