Company’s Coming | Ideas to Keep Cool in Dallas-Fort Worth

Our first family of summer house guests arrive this weekend. The challenge? How to arrange a week’s worth of fun activities – taking into consideration the consummate Texas sunshine and without spending a fortune. Dallas friends, do you have company coming to visit this summer? Wondering what to do?  I did some research and here’s what I came up with.

Get excited.  You can visit top Dallas attractions (all but one is under air) at the fraction of their price. Have you heard about the Dallas CityPASS ticket booklet? It’s valid for nine consecutive days, beginning with the first day of use. Cost: $48, adults (a value of $81); $32, kids 3-12. It includes admission to:

• Perot Museum of Nature and Science
• Reunion Tower GeO-Deck (lovely at sunset).
• The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza OR Dallas Zoo
• George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum with the “Portraits of Courage” exhibition.

 

 

So CityPASS is a great start. But wait there’s lots more….

 

Trinity Audubon Center   $1 admission in August. Hiking trails, nature center and for $15 per person a guided Night Hike Owl Prowl Thursday, Aug 10th from 8-10 pm.

 

Dallas Arboretum Live local music at twilight on Thursdays July 14-28. And in August, $1 admission all month along with $2 hotdogs, root beer floats and pies and $4 ice cream sundaes.

 

Klyde Warren Park  has free concerts with local bands Thursday nights… and food trucks of course.  From July 13-August 10th the public is invited to build a Ninjago-theme giant mosaic with 79,320 Lego bricks.  We love this award winning urban space!

 

Dallas Museum of Art   General admission is free. The Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion exhibition goes through August 27th showcasing 45 of her exquisite outfits from 15 collections. 

 

Nasher Sculpture Center – considered one of the foremost collections of sculpture in the world.  Friday July 21st is the next ’til Midnight at the Nasher. A free evening with outdoor concerts by Sudie and Bryce and then a showing of one of my favorite movies  Sing Street.

 

Dallas World Aquarium A world truly class aquarium. $20.95 per person, $14.95 for children, and since it’s all indoors, it’s great no matter the weather.  

 

 

White Rock Lake Paddle Board & Canoe Hourly canoe, kayak & paddle board rentals on White Rock Lake. This is a popular activity so get reservations ahead of time for sure. 

Just outside of Dallas:

Dinosaur Valley State Park –  1.5 hours away in Glenrose, Texas – $7 per person over 13. Bring swimsuits & wade over actual dinosaur footprints in the Paluxy riverbed where the first sauropod trackways were discovered.

Burgers Lake   Bring a picnic for a fun day at a spring fed lake with lots of water slides etc. $15 per person 

Ft Worth Stockyards Touristy, but fun and free.  Watch long horn cattle run down  main street at 11:30 am and 4 pm. 

Kimbell Art Museum  Free and always inspiring. The exhibition A modern Vision: European Masterworks from the Phillips Collection is here through August 13th. 

Where else would you recommend taking visitors in DFW?  I’ve got 48 hours until the first guests come ya’ll.