4 Cool Educational Destinations in DFW

The Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area is a thriving metroplex that’s home to several Fortune 500 companies and serves as the economical and cultural hub of North Texas. In addition, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has a large concentration of colleges and universities, museums, and science centers. Help your family enhance their learning and curiosity by taking them to visit these four cool educational destinations in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Image via Flickr by rjhuttondfw

With over 66 acres to explore, you’ll want to spend the whole day at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Considered one of America’s greatest botanical gardens and featuring over 20 uniquely-themed garden designs, everyone can learn about local and exotic plants. Each garden is meticulously manicured and range in themes from the classic Rose Garden, the Lay Family Garden, the Martha Brooks Camellia Garden, and the very popular and photogenic A Woman’s Garden.

The vision of the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is for children to feel a connection to nature. With over eight acres to explore, the kids can play with 150 interactive science games, eat from the Incredible Edible Garden, and view the informational displays. Every day the staff of the Dallas Arboretum offers different educational programs such as the OmniGlobe Outlook, Plant Labs, and the Adventure Programs. Bring a picnic basket into the gardens or enjoy food from several snack shacks located throughout the arboretum grounds. Also available is a restaurant that offers sit-down dining with a farm-to-table-style menu.

Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Whether your kids and you are aspiring paleontologists, engineers, or astronomers, everyone will find something fascinating at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Located in the heart of Dallas, the museum features 11 permanent exhibit halls with rotating exhibits throughout the year.

One of the highlights of the museum is the T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall which features real dinosaur fossil skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and the Alamosaurus. See the skeleton of the Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, which was discovered by Perot Museum paleontologists in Alaska. Let the kid’s five years old and under dig for fossils and bones in the Moody Family Children’s Museum section.

Other popular exhibits include the Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall, the Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall, and the Expanding Universe Hall. Catch an educational film in the Holland Foundation Theater with its brilliant 4K digital projection and surround sound system. Special programs and events for kids include kids discovery camps, sleepovers, and art labs. Adults also have special programs and events such as social science camps, National Geographic speakers, architecture tours, and unique digital programs. After a busy day exploring the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, stop by Chef Wolfgang Puck’s The Cafe for lunch.

Recycled Books, Records, and CDs

If you or anyone in your family is a bookworm, an audiophile, and loves old historic buildings, check out Recycled Books, Records, and CDs in Denton. The building itself, the Wright Opera House, is gorgeous and has a rich history. William Crow Wright, a retired rancher built the building from the ground up so he could have his own opera house. Over the years, the building became home to several businesses and in 1990, Recycled Books, Records, and CDs moved in.

The used book collection is always changing and offers nearly a half-million books in great condition. Whether you want science, psychology, art, or children’s books, you’ll find a fascinating collection of fiction and non-fiction. You can even find rare and antique books from the vast collection. Stock up on vinyl records and CDs from the music section of the store. Find over 20,000 CDs and 15,000 vinyl records from a large variety of musical genres. Head over to the movie section to look for DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. You can find top-name Hollywood movies, independent films, and documentaries.

For kids 16 years and older, Recycled Books, Records, and CDs offers a summer reading program with an incentive to continue reading throughout the summer break. If they read for 30 minutes a day at least four days a week, they receive a $5 credit towards the purchase of any book.

The Dallas Zoo

Explore the fascinating world of animals, birds, reptiles, and aquatic creatures at the Dallas Zoo. You can see, interact with, and learn more about the 2,000 animals that represent 406 species while visiting the 106-acre zoo. One of the interesting things about the Dallas Zoo is that it is the oldest and largest zoo in Texas, and it has been delighting visitors since 1888.

Learn more about individual animals with Keeper Chats where the zookeepers give detailed talks about the animals they care for. Climb on top of the Diane and Hal Brierley Giraffe Ridge to feed the reticulated giraffes. Step inside the interactive aviary at Birds Landing to see birds of every color from around the world. See interesting animals up close at the Wild Encounters Stage, or visit the Animals in Action area to see special appearances of some of the zoo’s unique animals.

A fun way to see the zoo is by hopping aboard one of the animal-themed people movers. Get a birds-eye-view of the five African habitats riding the Adventure Safari Monorail. The train travels around the 106 acres of the zoo so you get a great view of the entire area. Take your little one aboard the T-Rex Express Mini-Train that has charming animal graphics on the cars, produces smoke, and sounds just like an old steam train. Kids always have fun riding a carousel, and they’ll especially enjoy riding on exotic creatures at the Endangered Species Carasoul.

Special programs held at the Dallas Zoo include half-day summer camps, private guided tours, educational animal lectures and demonstrations, and the Wild-Earth Preschool.

We hope you enjoy visiting these fascinating educational destinations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Do you have a favorite place to learn something about nature, history, arts, or science? Feel free to contact us and let us know. We would love to hear from you.