The cities of Fort Worth and Dallas are located in the state of Texas and offer educational, recreational and cultural activities to visitors and local residents. Go hiking along trails, such as the Lake Tawakoni Nature Trail, visit the flea market and museums in Fair Park or the Zero Gravity Thrill amusement park to ride the Skycoaster, Blastoff and Skyscraper thrill rides.
The Botanic Garden in Fort Worth, Texas is situated on 109 acres of landscaped property, with more than 2,500 species of plants in ten gardens and an enclosed conservatory. Visitors can wander through the garden's pathways to waterfalls and quiet sitting areas; see thousands of roses, a Japanese garden and cactus garden; and dine at the garden’s restaurant. The Botanic Garden hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including artwork exhibits, botany classes, orchid shows, plant sales as well as the Fall Festival in the Japanese Garden, which features cultural music, dance, demonstrations and tea ceremonies.
Visit the Dallas World Aquarium on the weekend to see red-tailed boas, Morelet's crocodiles, pufferfish, jellyfish, manatees and penguins. Educational lectures are given throughout the day for children and adults. Visitors can also see weekly Orinoco crocodile feedings every Saturday. The Mayan Performance Troupe performs cultural song and dance each weekend as well.
The Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas offers exhibits for children and adults that range from DNA to dinosaurs. The Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibit is equipped with life-size animatronics dinosaurs, such as the Allosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Science exhibits include the Your Incredible Body and Putting DNA to Work exhibits that encourage both children and adults to acquire a greater understanding of the human body. Visitors will also find dioramas of the current and historic wildlife and wilderness of Texas. For family visitors, the museum offers a sleepover program full of interactive activities and private tours.
The Fort Worth Zoo is home to more than 5,000 animals in exhibits that include the World of Primates, Asian Falls, Great Barrier Reef, African Savannah and the Museum of Living Art. Animals at the zoo live in naturalistic habitat environments and include colobus monkeys, Asian elephants, Malayan tigers, Asian one-horned rhinos, black-tip reef sharks and cheetahs. The Museum of Living Art exhibit houses rare and endangered species from around the world, which include the Burmese python, golden lion tamarin, two-toed sloth and king cobra. The zoo also offers a variety of sleepover programs, such as the Safari Overnight, with animal presentations, nighttime hikes and interactive experiences.
