Dallas has enough family attractions to fill several weekends, but the best choices depend on your kids’ ages, the weather and how much driving you want to do.
1. Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The Perot combines hands-on science exhibits with natural history and rotating experiences. It is a strong indoor option when Dallas weather is too hot, cold or wet for a long outdoor day.
2. Dallas Zoo
The zoo is one of the city’s best-known family attractions and works best when you arrive early and give yourself several hours.
3. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
The Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden gives younger visitors interactive science and nature experiences inside the larger garden.
4. Klyde Warren Park
This 5.2-acre deck park sits over Woodall Rodgers Freeway and regularly hosts food trucks, games, programming and family activities.
5. Reunion Tower GeO-Deck
The observation level provides a 360-degree city view and is an easy add-on to a downtown day.
6. Dallas Farmers Market
Combine lunch in The Market with a weekend stop at The Shed, where Texas farmers and producers sell directly to visitors.
7. Dallas Arts District
The district makes it possible to combine museums, architecture and Klyde Warren Park without driving between every stop.
8. McKinney Avenue Trolley
The M-Line is free and can be an attraction by itself for younger kids while also helping the family move between Uptown and central Dallas.
9. White Rock Lake
For a lower-cost outdoor day, the lake area gives families room to walk, ride and slow down away from the denser central city.
10. Dallas Streetcar to Bishop Arts
Use the streetcar as part of the outing and finish with food or dessert in Bishop Arts.
11. Downtown parks
Dallas has added several central-city parks that make useful breaks between museums, restaurants and other attractions.
12. A DART rail adventure
DART Rail has four lines and serves destinations across Dallas and neighboring cities. For kids who enjoy trains, the transportation can become part of the day.
Sources
Visit Dallas family itinerary · Visit Dallas attractions · DART
Hero image: John P Salvatore, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
