With arts and entertainment districts, major sports venues and museums designed just for kids, Dallas is a fun-filled family vacation destination, no matter the age of your children. If you find yourself in the Uptown section of the city -- site of the Dallas World Aquarium, upscale hotels and high-rise buildings -- ride the restored trolley cars on the M-Line. The free trolleys run every day of the year and connect with the city’s DART rapid transit system.
Established in 1955, Junior Players stages theater for children, performed by children. The company presents free performances at various venues around Dallas. Dallas Children’s Theater, founded in 1984, presents kid-friendly plays at the Paul and Kitty Baker Theater and other venues in Dallas. Productions include children’s favorites like “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “Charlotte’s Web.” Teens can sign up for theater and video classes at the Teen Conservatory.
Free-form metal walls and a 54-foot escalator are the architectural highlights of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Inside, kids can race a T. rex, take a close-up look at a tornado and experience an earthquake. The Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo, part of the Dallas Zoo, has an interactive aviary, areas for kids to pet animals and pony rides. Older kids might enjoy a half- or full-day photo safari, where participants learn the best methods for photographing animals. The history of firefighting is on display at the Dallas Firefighters Museum. Housed in a historic 1907 firehouse, the museum has an 1884 horse-drawn pumper as well as modern equipment.
Dallas has a number of parks with attractions for kids who just need a day to run around and be kids. White Rock Lake, about 5 miles from downtown, has a long hiking and biking trail, kayak rentals and an arboretum. Within the arboretum is the 8-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, an area where kids can explore wetlands and discover what’s behind a waterfall. Toss a Frisbee around at the disc golf course at B.B. Owen Park. Bahama Beach water park welcomes families with a lazy river, an area for small children and two high-speed rides for older kids.
In 2013, "Dallas Child" magazine named Jumpstreet Indoor Trampoline Park one of the best places for family fun. The facility has 20,000 square feet of trampoline surface, a mechanical bull, a foam pit and a bouncy house area for little kids. Nickelmania is an arcade with games and rides, including boardwalk favorites like skee ball and contemporary video games. Everything glows at Lunar Mini Golf in the near-in suburb of Plano. The golf course is completely lit by black lights, and hazards and boundaries are painted in vivid colors. The city also operates Southern Skates Roller Rink where skaters pay a very reasonable fee to roll around the rink on the weekend.
