We’d never really thought of Dallas as a “vacation” destination, but some local friends of ours used to live there and convinced us that there’s so much to do there. And after our visit – it’s true! We barely scratched the surface on our trip last month. We ate lots of good food, explored fun neighborhoods, and found more kid-friendly activities than we had time for. So here’s a quick recap of some of our favorite Dallas activities and adventures. Plus a few things that we want to return and see next time.
Why Dallas, you ask? It all started because we had 4 nights between summer camps & family visits that were perfect for a quick getaway. We had some credit card points to use, so we searched for a city that would be a short direct flight from the Florida Panhandle. After narrowing it down to 3 cities, we asked some friends (the aforementioned former Dallas residents) if it would be a fun trip. They gave us so many recommendations that choosing that as our destination became obvious.
5 Favorite Things In Dallas
So if you find yourself in Dallas, here are the 5 things our family enjoyed most:
- The Museums
- The Neighborhoods
- The Games
- The Food
- …You’ll Have To Wait For This One
Yeah, yeah – I know those are very broad. So let’s get into the specifics.
1. Museums We Loved In Dallas
Our friends gave us LOTS of museum recommendations, from The Sixth Floor Museum (history) to Meow Wolf (immersive art). And thanks to knowing what our kids like the most (their ages are 11 and 15 by the way), we ended up at the Dallas Museum of Art one day and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, another day. Both of these destinations are in downtown Dallas.
The DMA is huge and free, apart from a few special exhibits. So it was a great (air-conditioned) place to walk around after lunch while taking in art of all styles and eras. It reminded us a lot of the VMFA, which we used to frequent in Richmond, Virginia. We spent nearly 2 hours there and definitely didn’t see it all.
It’s probably because we got sucked into this activity room where they provided art materials and prompts for kids (and parents) to make their own creations. I think we were there for an hour!
The next morning we hit up the Perot Museum. We assumed our tween & teen had outgrown places like this, but after seeing the building from the highway they both requested that we go.
It was really nicely done, with lots of interactive exhibits and games that kept all four of us captivated. The gemstone room was a favorite, along with the Earthquake Simulator and Human Body room where you could do physical challenges. Also on the top floor you can “build your own bird” which both kids liked a lot.
2. Neighborhoods We Loved In Dallas
Our previous work trips to Dallas only took us downtown, so we enjoyed exploring some more unique and off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods nearby. This is definitely the activity we wish we’d had more time to do, since we barely scratched the surface of areas like Deep Ellum, Lower Greenville, and Highland Park.
The neighborhood we spent the most time in was the Bishop Arts District, just south of downtown. It had so many cool shops and restaurants that I’m kind of bummed our Airbnb wasn’t closer to it. Speaking of which, our rental was fine, but we wouldn’t stay there again, so we’re not going to link it. I think if we go back we’ll rent something right within Bishop Arts District.
There are lots of places in Bishop Arts District to shop, eat, grab a coffee, etc. In particular, our family loved browsing this stationary & art store called We Are 1976. Our son bought some art supplies and Sherry picked up an art print to hang at home.
Everyone also made a purchase at Taylor Kingston Mercantile. Our daughter got a shirt, our son a notebook, and Sherry got some glassware that (thankfully) survived the plane ride home!
We also loved poking around the Oasis Plant Shop and Dirt Flower Shop, but decided not to risk flying home with anything living!
I’m certain we could’ve spent waaaaay more time (and money!) in Bishop Arts and many other neighborhoods had we not had other things on the agenda, like…
3. Games We Loved In Dallas
We’re not a big video game family, but somehow they became a theme – and a highlight! – of our trip to Dallas. First of all, our friends recommended Cidercade. You pay a flat entry fee ($12/person) and get to play unlimited video games and pinball games for hours! Think Dave & Busters, but more retro/vintage games (and less paying-to-reload-a-game-card over and over again). Our family spent nearly an hour on the pinball machines. It was so liberating not having to feed quarters into them!
The next day, we played what you might call a series of real-life immersive video games at a place called Activate. They have locations all over the world, but this was our first time we were all in the same city as one. And it was SO. MUCH. FUN.
It’s hard to describe, but there are a dozen-ish rooms with different high-tech challenges that you can play collaboratively together or competitively against one another. Our favorite rooms were “Grid” (shown above), where you run around trying to step on or avoid certain color-changing squares on the ground (think: a real life version of the floor is lava), and “Strike” (shown below) where you test your aim by throwing foam balls at a wall of TV screens in rapid succession.
Each room has several different game modes and levels of difficulty, so it’s fun & challenging for various ages and skill levels. It was actually a great workout too. We were sweaty and tired afterward! And our kids are crossing their fingers that one opens near us soon. (By the way, we loved playing every room collaboratively – it was fun to all be against the clock and we laughed a ton while trying to conquer each challenge together).
4. The Food We Loved In Dallas
Dallas is said to have a great restaurant scene, but when we’re on a family trip we’re less of a foodie family and mostly just into finding something easy that we all like (bonus points if it has a novel or kid-friendly atmosphere). So I’m sure we missed lots of Dallas “hot spots” and true Texans will probably be disappointed we didn’t eat more BBQ. But have no fear, our bellies had a great time!
Katy Trail Ice House
The Katy Trail Ice House is a sprawling beer garden-esque spot right on the Katy Trail, which is a 3.5 mile multi-use path that runs through Dallas. It was a great casual spot with good people watching. Plus, with plenty of shade, fans, and misters, it was comfortable even on a hot & humid afternoon in June!
Snooze A.M. Eatery
Snooze is a national breakfast & brunch chain, but they’re not in Florida or Virginia, so we’d never been to one. Call us basic, but it was our favorite meal of the trip. Probably because we’re suckers for a big warm breakfast. The portions were generous, the menu had a ton of variety, and the restaurant itself had a fun ’50s Jetsons vibe.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
Yes, Hopdoddy is another new-to-us chain, but our friends from Dallas said they miss it a lot now that they live in Florida. Burgers are always a crowd pleaser for us, and Hopdoddy had so many fun options that my only regret is that we didn’t go twice. Sherry especially loved being able to get her burger in a big bowl of crispy brussel sprouts.
Halycon
Halycon was another cool breakfast & lunch spot with fun coffees and huge pastry options. It had a very chill warehouse vibe and our kids loved the board games they had available to play at your table. We got in a rousing game of Uno over a breakfast of burritos, acai bowls, and omelettes.
We also had a great dinner at the Mi Cocina located in Klye Warren Park downtown. Somehow we took no pictures, but the restaurant is all glass so you get great views of the park (pictured at the top of this post) as you eat.
I know that doesn’t seem like a very complete list for a 4-night trip, but we ate a few meals at home and also grabbed some random stuff on our way to and from the airport.
5. The Places in Dallas We Didn’t Have Time For
I made you wait for this 5th one because, in a sense, we’re having to wait on it too. Like I said, there’s lots we didn’t get a chance to do to on our short trip, so I wanted to include some of the things we’re excited to go back for next time.
The Bishop Arts District had lots of cool restaurants we didn’t have a chance to try. We were there between meals, so we only treated ourselves to popsicles at Picole Pop and coffee at Village Baking Co. In particular, places like Paradiso (above) and Casablanca (below) certainly looked like beautiful spots to eat. So we’d love to go back and try them!
I’m also eager to grab a pie – like pie pie, not pizza pie – at Emporium Pies. I count as a “Fine Folk,” right?
And of course, besides food there are plenty of other sights and attractions we’d like to see:
- Visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards
- Riding the free M-Line Trolley
- Learning more at the Sixth Floor Museum
- Braving the heights to enjoy views from Reunion Tower
- Exploring the immersive Meow Wolf art museum
- Checking out the longhorn statues at Pioneer Plaza
Again, we were so impressed by how many fun activities and eating options there were in Dallas that we definitely won’t second-guess it as a family vacation spot.
More Family Trips We’ve Taken
If you’re interested in our take on other destinations or are in search of family-friendly trips, you might also enjoy these posts:
