Hi Everyone,
You gals are great at this so I'm trying another question. One I know many mom's need help with and other's have tons of advice for.
I have family visiting in a few weeks and I'm trying to put together a trip itinerary of fun things we can do for our 6, 6, 8, and 2 year olds! I was thinking of taking a few days off and driving down to San Antonio as well. I have information overload though and need some advice on where all the BEST attractions are. I know there is Six Flags, Sea World, Splashtown, Schlitterbahn (sp) etc...
Also need help about the DFW and collin county surrounding areas of fun things to do.
Thank you!!
Thanks for all the really great advice!! Looks like we might not make it to San Antonio during July as we planned BUT I have put together an itnerary so far of all the great info I received here. For the mom who was asking about the local stuff: Here are some activities that I plan on doing locally with the kids:
The Dallas World Aquarim, The Dallas Zoo, Dallas Arboretum (for a quaint picnic and to visit the storybook houses, plus they have face painting, and Kindermusik and a little petting zoo), Children's museum, Hawaiian Falls, The Aquatic Park in The Colony, Gatti's town, Boomerangs (bounce house place) and perhaps chucke e cheese since they go bonkers there!
If I missed any local goodies, please let me know. Thanks again for all the help!!
We have been to http://www.fossilrim.org/visiting/index.php last year. It was so much fun to drive through and see all the animals and feed them. They also have some picnic spots for food. It is about 1.5 hr drive from dallas.
My husband and I just took our 2 and 4 year olds to Sea World in San Antonio and had a great time. There is plenty to do and they have a lot of things for the younger kids as well as all the rides for the older ones. Plus feeding the animals and seeing all the shows was something really unique that the kids (and the parents) liked a lot.
Also, I don't know what your budget is, but the Hyatt Hill Country Resort is a fantastic place to stay. It's right by Sea World and we spent a day just at the resort. There are tons of pools, golf, spa, a lazy river and tubes for floating, a beach area, campfire at night to make s'mores, a kid camp during the day if the parents need some alone time, etc.... So much to do, it was great. It is little pricey but totally worth it. HTH good luck!
Sounds like a lot of fun!
I second the Dallas WORLD Aquarium (don't mistake it with the one in fair park, which isn't nearly as nice). It's a wondeful outing for kids your age, and adults.
I also love the Dallas Zoo for young kids. They've got a splash area in the kids section, so be sure to bring some dry shorts/underwear for afterwards. We usually check out the rest of the zoo first, and save this gem for last.
I also love the idea of Sea World. It's a unique attraction and all ages will enjoy it.
I would skip the "big ride" attractions like Schlitterban, Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. Your kids are just too young, and if one or two of them don't like the big rides, it's a long day for everyone.
If you're looking for a water park, Hawiian Falls might be a better fit for your group, and closer to home. There are also a lot of "Aquatic Parks" in various towns in the area. We've got a list on our website of those that are in or near Lewisville, Highland Village and Flower Mound (http://www.familyeguide.com/index5.php?id=13&sid=15). If they're too far, I'm sure you can find similar facilities in the Frisco/Plano/Allen area.
I would also recommend Gaylord Texan. You don't have to be a guest to enjoy their lush and elaborate atrium. They've got SummerFest going every Thursday through Sunday, with lots of cool activities and entertainers (stilt walkers, balloon artists, electric train displays, jugglers, etc.) On Thursdays they offer some Kids Eat Free options, and on Friday nights they have a fireworks display over Grapevine Lake. Parking is $12, which I believe is comped if you have a $25 receipt for food purchased at Gaylord. You can get details of all the special events here: http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-texan/special-events....
You should also check out our calendar of events (http://www.familyeguide.com/user_vcalendar/week.php?id=3). We add events daily, so as we get closer to their visit, check back again. Although we mostly feature activities on this side of town, we also have a "Worth the Drive?" section that includes events like the Celebrity Baseball Game in Frisco on the 13th and the Denton Air Show on the 20th. In addition, some of the activities we list might inspire you on where to look locally for other events in your area.
Finally, having had family visit us many times, I would also make a suggestion to have a lot of down time. If you plan special activities day after day, the kids might tend to become cranky (and the adults, too). Think of sharing some special activities that you remember from your childhood. When we grew up, we'd make dumplings and kolachkes. Now we do it as adults, and have our kids join us around the table, helping us roll out dough and add filling. We also play charades... Our kids get a kick out of playing this game we enjoyed 30 years ago! Think of other simple activities that your family might enjoy that only take a couple of hours (bowling, skating, etc.) Also let the kids have lots of down time so they can just be kids and the adults of the group can visit.
Good luck!
www.familyeguide.com Your guide to family activities in Flower Mound, Lewisville, Highland Village and the surrounding communitiies.
I just wanted to add that if you're in San Antonio and it happens to rain they have a great Childrens Museum downtown that you can visit to pass the time indoors. That happened to us when we vacationed there with our 3 year old a couple summers ago and she really enjoyed it.
In San Antonio definitely Sea World - don't miss the Shamu show or the Beluga whale show - excellent. Also fun is the drive through wild animal park, the kids can even feed ostriches, zebras from the car. Here is the link: http://www.wildliferanchtexas.com/
Just wanted to say that I totally recommend heading to Sea World with that age group, but dont recommend doing Schlitterbahn..they are kind of too young to really emjoy it..even the 8 year old may not quite love all of the big rides. I hope you guys find some fun things, and remember, sometimes it is nice to just hang out for some quiet time..play some board games or something and just chill. ~A.~
Austin: music at night everywhere and great eats
San Antonio:downtown: Riverwalk gondala dinner on the river, great restaurants, 3D movie right there and lots of great mexican iron and art shops on hwy. 281 leading into San Antonio.Ofcourse, mexican food everywhere.
Wimberly, Tx by Austin: great day to spend the day and on weekends they have a arts and crafts and junk sale that is really fun, tons of antique shops, restaurants and fun shops with fun stuff and it is a beautiful area.
Tubing down the River in San Antonio is also great fun(20 miles north of downtown on 281--you will see lots of signs)
LaCantera Mall-in San Antonio is fabulous upscale and fun.Golf too if you like-right by 6 Flags(across the street)
Bandera, TX has tons of dude ranches you can stay there or do a day, they have round ups and great chuck wagon style dining at night around a fire--fun fun fun.
And if you get things to do here in Dallas area, please let me know because we just moved here from SA and would like to have some advice. ____@____.com
HAVE FUN!!
I say go to Hyatt Hill Country, and stay put! So much fun with kids! They have an awesome lazy river, beach area, bikes, walking trail, hair braiding, smores, movie on the lawn, all sorts of activities. It's by far our favorite vacation with kids!
JG,
If you choose Schliterbahn make sure the park is open...in May it was closed because there was not enough water in river.
San Antonio Zoo is nice and not too big, as is the Dallas Zoo. There is the aquarium in Dallas in the historic area (http://www.dwazoo.com/d/); I took my parents there when they visited and they really liked it, as did my then 1 1/2 year old. In Collin County you have the Heard Wildlife Museum & Sanctuary (http://www.heardmuseum.org/).
When my family visited I also took a couple of days for San Antonio. You pretty much touched upon the main attractions, and obviously the Riverwalk is nice although little kids won't really go for it, except they would probably like the riverboat ride.
