Kids Korner

Dallas, TX Dallas Zoo State Fair of Texas Six Flags over Texas Have you ever eaten a tamale? Seen a prehistoric turtle? Watched a rodeo? Ridden a wooden rollercoaster? You can do all that and more in Dallas. Whether you like to shop till you drop, watch pro sports, visit museums or water parks, you’ll find plenty of fun in Dallas. Check out www.visitdallas.com to see what special activities might be going on for kids and their parents. Where are your cowboy boots?

Did You Know?

• You can learn to make cheese—in Dallas. Take a tour of the Dallas Mozzarella Company or sign on for a cheese making class (www.mozzco.com).

• You can get up and personal with a 90 million year old sea turtle—at the Dallas Museum of Natural History. Make sure to check out the tenontosaurus dino too (www.dallasdino.org).

• You can see 2,000 pound bulls, bucking broncos, daredevil clowns and more—all at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo (www.mesquiterodeo.com).

• There were lots of Cowgirls in the Old West as well as Cowboys. There still are! Visit the National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame (www.cowgirl.net).

• The biggest water park in the Southwest is in the Dallas suburb of Arlington—Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. You won’t want to miss the coasters at Six Flags over Texas (www.sixflags.com), with the legendary Texas Giant wooden roller coaster. Don’t miss Superman Tower of Power at Six Flags Over Texas is the tallest ride of its kind in the world, shooting riders up in the air and then turbo dropping them back to Earth.

• The Highland Park Village Shopping Center was the first in the entire country (www.hpvillage.com). You can also shop till you drop at NorthPark Center with the country’s busiest Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s (www.northparkcenter.com ) Don’t go home without bluebonnet seeds, a stuffed armadillo or a Dallas Cowboy’s cap.

• The State Fair of Texas is the biggest in the country. Don’t miss it if you are in Dallas the first week in October. (www.bigtex.com)

• President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Since that time, the city has turned the place of his death into a site to commemorate his life. You can visit The Sixth Floor Museum of the Texas Book Depository—the location from which Lee Harvey Oswald is believed to have shot and killed President Kennedy. (www.jfk.org)

• You can see a professional sports team play in Dallas no matter what time of year you visit: The Dallas Cowboys (www.dallascowboys.com) or the Dallas Desperados Arena Football Club (www.dallasdesperados.com). The Dallas Mavericks play basketball (www.dallasmavericks.com). The Dallas Stars play hockey (www.dallasstars.com). The Texas Rangers play baseball (www.texasrangers.com). If you love baseball, check out the Frisco RoughRiders, the AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers. (www.ridersbaseball.com)

• People call Dallas “Big D”. It’s 35 miles east of Fort Worth, 245 miles north/northwest of Houston and 300 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, near the headwaters of the Trinity River.

What Other Kids Say You Should Do While In Dallas . . .

Meet: Morgan and Cami, who live in the Dallas metroplex. They are the children of Dallas Ramp Agent, Marty, and Dallas Customer Service Supervisor, Cara What they say about Dallas: "It Rocks!" Don't Miss: Morgan says everyone should go to Six Flags in Arlington for the fun rides! Cami says everyone should visit the Fort Worth Zoo. Her favorite animal there was the Orangutan. Don't Go Home Without: “Your Shoes!” If you need more shoes to take home, visit the Grapevine Mills Mall where you’ll find as many shoes as you want. Best Places to Eat: Morgan’s favorite place restaurant is Pazzo and her favorite dish is the wood fired pepperoni pizza. She also recommends the chocolate pizza for dessert! Cami says you should try Weinberger’s Delicatessen. They have true Chicago style hotdogs, and they also serve a delicious PB & J. Best Places to Visit Outside of Dallas (but still within Texas): Morgan says everyone should check out Sea World in San Antonio. Her favorite thing there is the penguin exhibit! Cami says you should check out the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. They have an awesome indoor water park that is heated year round!

Kids, Tell Your Parents . . .

Dallas has more restaurants per capita than New York City and great margaritas (frozen margaritas were invented here, in fact. Take your pick of Tex-Mex, Asian, French, Steaks…just about anything you could want around every corner. Texas Monthly magazine (www.texasmonthly.com) offers plenty of options. Also check out www.dallascvb.com for where to go and what to do while in the Lone Star State’s most visited city.

For dinner, locals in-the-know suggest:

There are 160 museums in Dallas to suit every interest including:

See Past Editions of Kids Korner.

By: Eileen Ogintz, Author of Taking the Kids™