Family Things To Do In Dallas, A Long Weekend
This past weekend we went on a family trip to and spent a long weekend exploring things to do in Dallas, TX. Bill and I lived there for a short time, very early in our marriage. We decided it wasn't our favorite place which is when we moved to Houston (where I'm from) and started laying down roots here. We really hadn't been back in over 15 years and we felt it was time to do a little exploring.
So if you're looking to do a quick Texas road trip to Dallas, or if you're flying in for a few days, might I suggest our itinerary and the pretty incredible places we visited.
Where to Stay in Dallas
One of the weirdest things when visiting a new city is trying to find a hotel. I'm always asking myself, "is this a good part of town, will we be safe walking at night?". For this trip I tried to find a hotel central to all the places we wanted to visit. We ended up staying in the Hilton Lincoln Center, which is in the Galleria area of town. This ended up being perfect as nothing was more than a 15 minute drive. There are a lot of hotels in this area, so definitely do some digging to find the right place for you.
Dallas, Day 1
George W. Bush Presidential Library
Nestled in the SMU campus is the George W. Bush Presidential Library. If you're not familiar, presidential libraries are museums exhibiting the chunk of time a president was in office. It's like a microscope on that period of our country's history. Every gift given to a president during their time in office does not belong to that president, it belongs to the people. The presidential libraries are where these gifts end up, along with artifacts and stories about the presidents and their lives. They have quickly become must see spots for our family travels.
The George W. Bush Presidential Library did not disappoint. It is a deep dive into W's life, his time in office, and the things that happened while he was in office. It did an excellent job telling a story that both kids and adults can enjoy. There were loads of interactive pieces; stations where kids can lift a panel and a quote is projected on the wall and a screen you add little sculptures to and interactive things happen on the screen.
We knew there would probably be a large area dedicated to 9/11. What I didn't know was how I would react to seeing all that footage again for the first time since that day. When I walked in the room it was like all the air was knocked out of by body and quiet tears immediately streamed down my face. While I lived it, there was still more to learn.
It also gave us the opportunity to share it with our daughter. Everyone has a story of where they were when it happened. This was so much more than just telling her that story.
Lunch/Dinner at Jimmy's Food Store
Jimmy's Food Store is everything I wanted it to be and more. It's Italian imports meets small market meets Italian deli of New York...except it's in Dallas.
Once you make your way past the local produce counter, through the tall metal aisles of pastas and wine to the back of the store you can order deli sandwiches. Everything is to go, there's no seating in the store because it's backed with delicious crackers and candies and wine and treats from all over.
Definitely take the time to walk the aisles, taste some wine and pick up a few imported goods (we grabbed pasta, some of Bill's favorite Italian crackers, and a great bottle of wine).
It's family owned and operated since 1966 and they're doing it right.
Flagship Half Price Books
If you live in Texas you are probably familiar with Half Price Books. It's our family's favorite book store and the flagship store, happens to be in Dallas, so we HAD to go.
This store was HUGE, largest I've ever seen. There was an author event happening in the back and there were rows upon rows of books. There's also a delightful little cafe attached to the store where we had cappuccino and a croissant au chocolat.
If you're a book lover, definitely stop in.
Dallas, Day 2
The 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
The 6th Floor Museum is a deep dive into JFK, his life, his presidency and his assassination...all from the room where it happened, the 6th floor of the book depot building. This is definitely more of an adult and older kid museum as there is quite a bit of reading. However, it was certainly the most comprehensive collection and timeline of the JFK assassination. It's certainly one thing to hear about it in a classroom, is a whole other thing to stand where it all transpired.
In the wake of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, filmmaker and writer Richard Snodgrass embarked on a unique project to document how young children perceived and processed the historic event. He worked with 1st graders and had them describe and draw pictures of what happened through their eyes. Original drawings and the short film were in display as a special exhibit on the 7th floor.
Lunch at Maple Leaf Diner
We have a travel rule where if we're in a new place, we have to try a new, local restaurant. Maple Leaf Diner was a total last minute whim after Issa said she wanted diner food. But boy did it turn out to be glorious!
Maple Leaf Diner is all scratch made favorites. We were THRILLED to try Poutine (fries, cheese curds, and gravy) a Canadian staple. They also had incredible perogies. Everything we ate was so good, large portions and just made us warm inside. The service was also amazing, and it wasn't just because our server and I shared a name.
Turns out this place has won tons of awards and different dishes have been featured on a variety of Food Network shows. Seriously, if you're in Dallas ever, GO eat here.
Lazy River Seats at Frisco RoughRiders Baseball Park
This was my bucket list item. You read that description correctly. The Frisco RoughRiders (a AA feeder team for the Rangers) have a LAZY RIVER in their baseball park. I don't know who's idea this was, but they deserve a hug for putting two of my absolute favorite things in one.
I've had a lot of friends ask how this works so here it goes. When you purchase tickets you buy Lazy River Tickets. This gets you access to the lazy river and the tables with umbrellas around the river. We just followed what everyone else was doing and claimed a table with our towels and clothes and jumped in. The park provides tubes but you can bring your own. Family nights are Sunday night and Thursday nights are adults only. Other game nights the lazy river is rented out for private events.
After the game everyone was invited to go out onto the field for a fireworks show. The whole experience was as amazing as it sounds and I highly recommend going.
Dallas, Day 3
Dallas World Aquarium
I'd heard good things about this Aquarium, but it far exceeded any expectations I may have had. This isn't your typical look at this tank, now look at this tank aquarium. It's actually incredibly immersive. If you've ever been to Moody Gardens or a butterfly garden at a science museum it was similar to that experience but bigger, and with way more animals.
While my family looked at the birds I was amazed by the gardens and the tropical plants growing and blooming all around us. I mean, they have a two stories high monstera.
Animals are ALL around you. Some are behind glass or netting and some are just hanging out in the open like this sloth. Even the animals behind glass or netting feel like they're just there, not like they're caged. The most wonderful moment for Issa and I was seeing their resident manatee, which honestly made me want to see them in the wild all the more (Florida is on our short list for this).
Of all the aquariums we've visited, The Dallas World Aquarium is definitely in our top 3.
Dallas in A Weekend
From there we headed home back to Houston. It was a packed weekend with so much history and nature and fun. We ate good food, saw amazing things, and spent quality time together. This short trip was proof that you don't need to travel far to find adventure.
The Texas State Park Journal is the perfect log book for any explorer wanting to keep a record of their Texas State Park adventures.
"I just received my copy as a gift from my mom. Looking forward to using it when the weather cools at the local State Parks. The build quality seems good with a thick paper cover that should hold up in my hiking bag. I like the addition of an activities checklist as well as a park stamp spot. I could see this being really useful with kids as a way for them to document their adventures. Quality product that is making me excited for hiking once the weather cools!"
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazon Review, Jacob S.