There is no better way to spend time with your kids than by making memories together, Dallas has tons of fun things to do for kids year-round, like the Fort Worth Zoo and free concerts in the summer. If you are looking for things to do with your kids in Dallas, whether you are a long-term resident or you are just planning a fun vacation, then keep reading.
I have included places and activities that are free and some you should splurge on. There is something for everyone, no matter how old your kids are.
Free Things To Do With Kids in Dallas:
You do not have to break your budget to have a good time on vacation. In fact some of your favorite memories could be done at one of these free places you can visit with your children in Dallas.
Dallas Museum of Art- FREE
The Dallas Museum of Art is free to the public. Planning a day at the museum?
Don’t forget to visit the Center of Creative Connections, where you can do all kinds of hands-on activities with your family. Art museums help children see all the different ways that art can be made and can help them find their inner artist.
See Eye to Eye with a 30-foot eyeball!
This is definitely a memory maker.
This eyeball was designed by Tony Tasset. It is located on Main Street and is, of course, free.
You can have fun with your kids by talking about how big the body would be if that eyeball belonged to a giant. Another talking point could be how this art makes you feel and why the artist created it with your older kids.
Belo Garden
Belo Garden is a botanical garden and park that is free for the whole family to enjoy.
It has native Texas plants and plenty of granite. Don’t forget to bring a change of clothes for the interactive water feature.
This is an excellent opportunity to get outside with your family and experience nature together.
Best parks in Dallas for kids
Traveling with kids means giving them plenty of opportunities to play and get their wiggles out. Playgrounds and parks are the perfect free place to add some more fun to your trip. You can even pack a picnic for a low-cost lunch or dinner.
Friendship Park in Frisco
Friendship Park is a spectacular park in Frisco for all ages. It has an amazing playground for children.
This park also has a marvelous climbing structure that your kids are going to love. It is almost like a town old Hollywood western town.
Fort Wildflower in Flower Mound
If you are a Flower Mound resident, or even a nearby neighbor, Fort Wilderness is the perfect place for your family to spend time together.
This park has a ton of fun things to do.
It has a little cottage-style playhouse and has many pieces that have been created by local artists over the years.
Dream Park Fort Worth
This is a beautiful park for small children and big kids alike.
It is a playground that is inclusive to children of all abilities and differences in mobility.
It has a beautiful playhouse that is handicap accessible. It is a fantastic place to spend time with the family outdoors.
With an area for smaller children, older children won’t constantly be bumping into little ones while playing.
The Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas
Klyde Warren Park is located in downtown Dallas and is a great place to bring your children to spend some time together or get the road trip wiggles out.
It has a small lake and is great for fishing, running around, and walking. There is also a beautiful sculpture in the park.
Must-see places in Dallas
I found some guaranteed fun places for many different ages in Dallas that you really should plan on visiting while you are there. These really are full-day activities so plan accordingly.
The Heard Museum
The Heard Museum is a Dallas Natural History Museum and wildlife sanctuary. It is a fantastic place to visit for kids.
The museum has a shell exhibit, Fossil Tortoise exhibit, and even Texas Nessie, a partial plesiosaur fossilized skeleton found in 1991 in Collin County.
All of the exhibits are interactive and enhance the educational experience. Kids can go outside and experience the wildlife sanctuary, including the native plant butterfly garden and animal ambassadors on the Animal Encounters Trail.
No matter how old your kids are, they will have a fun time at this museum and wildlife sanctuary.
Dinosaur Valley State Park- Glen Rose Texas
This park is a great place to visit with your family.
It is a state park and includes hiking trails, wildlife viewing areas, picnic facilities, and more.
The coolest thing about this park is you can walk in actual dinosaur footprints. The best area is called the Ballroom, with the most number of tracks.
The footprints are not always visible as they are in the river bed, but you can call ahead to check on visibility.
You should wear hiking shoes that can go in water easily and clothes that work well in water.
My own kids loved swimming in the river and pretending that the dinosaurs were coming to drink the river water all around them.
This is best for 3-year-olds up, but we went when our youngest was just a year old, and she had a lot of fun (but it was a lot of work for us as parents!)
This could take as little as 3 hours or as long as an entire weekend if you decide to camp there.
There is a lot to see and do, and the river’s cool waters will make you not want to leave.
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is located in Arlington. It has rides, roller coasters, water rides, and a lot more.
For a younger child, they have rides like a carousel, small roller coasters, a Ferris wheel, and other rides that are gentle enough for little kids in a friendly area full of fun Looney Tunes characters.
There are also thrilling rides for older kids, and it is a perfect destination for families.
There is a lot of walking for this park, so bring a stroller for little ones and plan on this being a whole day activity after breakfast.
Keep your breakfast light if you plan on jumping on any coasters first off.
Fort Worth Zoo
The Fort Worth Zoo is part of the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums). If you hold a zoo membership at an AZA zoo, you could get in at a 50% admission!
If you want to see everything Fort Worth Zoo offers, you will need a full day, but if you have littles who don’t have the attention span for that, then half a day would be perfect.
There are more than 540 species of animals at the Fort Worth Zoo.
You can spend the day learning about geography, habitats, animal names, and just being in wonder of the variety of life the world has to offer.
I hope this article has inspired you to take your family on an adventure to Dallas.
There are so many things to do with kids in Dallas that you likely will not be able to do them all in one trip.
It is a great city and a fun place for families of all ages.
If you are looking for more travel inspiration, take a look at more travel tips posts on our site.
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Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!