North Texas, home to Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Gainesville and Addison, is similar to other parts of Texas in that it features a range of indoor attractions for locals and tourists. Many of the history museums and historical sites in northern Texas present the region’s and the state’s history as a home for Mexican and Spanish settlers and an oil-mining region. North Texas also features art galleries and museums, theaters, landmarks, animal centers, shopping complexes and other attractions that are appropriate for people of different ages.
The award-winning Water Tower Theatre offers professional-level plays and musicals from well-known and up-and-coming playwrights. The theater has featured performances of “Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings,” “Black Pearl Sings,” “The Full Monty,” “The Glass Menagerie,” “As You Like It,” “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” and “The Santaland Diaries.” The theater also offers summer camps, where children can learn to act, sing, dance or write plays.
Water Tower Theatre
15650 Addison Rd.
Addison, TX 75001
972-450-6244
watertowertheatre.org
Found at the Addison Airport, the Cavanaugh Flight Museum has displays of airplanes from World War I and II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War. It also features collections of military equipment and armor, airplane engines and aviation artwork. At different times of the year, the museum has flight demonstrations and air shows.
Cavanaugh Flight Museum
4572 Claire Channault
Addison, TX 75001
972-380-8800
cavanaughflightmuseum.com
The Historic Fielder House is one of the oldest houses in the Arlington area. James Park Fielder, a banker and farmer, built the house in 1914. The brick house is also home to one of the oldest orchards in the United States, according to the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau. The house features a museum with artifacts and photographs from Arlington’s early history. Arlington’s fall festival and annual Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony are held every year at the historic home.
Historic Fielder House
1616 W. Abram St.
Arlington, TX 76013
817-460-4001
arlingtontxhistoricalsociety.org
In the center of the Galleria Dallas shopping mall, people can go ice skating at the facility’s ice-skating rink. The mall also has a variety of shops, including high-end ones, for children and adults. Stores at the mall include Nordstrom, the American Girl Boutique and Bistro, the Body Shop, BabyGap, Foot Locker, Gucci, Hollister Co., Guess and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Galleria Dallas
13350 Dallas Parkway Suite 3080
Dallas, TX 75240
972-702-7100
galleriadallas.com
Located at Southern Methodist University, the Meadows Museum has one of the most extensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain, according to the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau. Most of the permanent pieces of artwork at the museum are from the 16th through the 18th century. Artists that are presented in the museum include Francisco de Goya, Diego Velázquez, Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris. The museum features special family days, where children and adults can learn about the culture and art of Spain through hands-on activities. It also has lectures and demonstrations from artists, curators, art and history professors, students and others.
Meadows Museum
5900 Bishop Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75275
214-768-2516
smu.edu
Found in a warehouse that was constructed in 1924 and used to store rubber, the Dallas World Aquarium and Zoological Garden has animals from five different continents. The “Orinocco-Secrets of the River” exhibit, which features a 40-foot-tall waterfall, includes Antillean manatees, Peruvian squirrel monkeys and vampire bats. The zoo also features sharks, hummingbirds, sea turtles, jaguars and Orinoco crocodiles. The aquarium offers talks and animal feedings as well as performances from a Mayan musical group.
Dallas World Aquarium and Zoological Garden
1801 N. Griffin St.
Dallas, TX 75202
214-720-224
dwazoo.com
