Need Dallas museum advice

[snickelfritz]

My sis and I are taking a day trip to Dallas and are planning to visit.... something. We will have a 4(almost 5) Year old girl, 7 girl, 11 boy, and 13 boy.

 

I guess there are several options that are close to each other but I can't really tell from the websites which ones would be best with the kids.

[Ferdie]

We have been to the Museum of Science and Nature in Dallas which are two separate buildings included in one fee. They also have an IMAX for a separate fee. I was underwhelmed with both museums, but this was after living in CA and frequenting the wonderful museums in Los Angeles. I loved the IMAX theatre though.

 

I heard that the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History are better and have been newly remodeled. Here is the link:

 

http://www.fwmuseum.org/

 

If you are on a tight budget then the Bureau of Engraving in Fort Worth is free. It doesn't have as many hands-on activities as the museums, but makes for a wonderful outing. The Fort Worth Bureau is one of two places in the nation where they print currency. They have a great video, wonderful tour, informative displays and excellent demonstrations. My kids were fasinated by the spider press where they demonstrate how money was printed in the mid-1800's. They also had a demonstation of how the replace destroyed money-so interesting. You will need reservations in the summer, but it is free. It takes about 4-5 hours to see everything. Here is a link:

 

http://www.bep.treas.gov/tours/fortworthtxtours.html

 

I have also heard great things about the Dallas Aquarium, but we haven't been yet since it is expensive. If money isn't an issue and you want to stay in the Dallas area, (as opposed to Fort Worth) than I think this would be a great option. The Dallas Aquarium is indoors which you want right now due to the heat.

 

http://www.dwazoo.com/d/

Edited July 26, 2010 by Ferdie

[Aggie]

We went to the FWMSH 2 weeks ago and were very disappointed. It is a thinly veiled children's museum, imo. I think your 5 and 7 yo would love it, the other 2 would like 1 or 2 exhibits. However....the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit they have right now is worth the cost of the visit. That is why we went and it's where we spent the majority of our time.

 

The Nat'l Cowgirl Hall of Fame is also included in the admission. My sisters and dds went and were, in the words of Ferdie, underwhelmed. My 14yo said it is geared toward younger kids, too.

 

If you want to see movies, the IMAX is showing a couple of great shows, but we didn't see any.

 

The FW zoo is *superb*, but as you know, it's so stinkin' hot right now.

 

gotta run...

[UnsinkableKristen]

The Dallas World Aquarium is AMAZING. It is expensive, but completely worth it for me. We had a wonderful time and will be going back again. Don't be turned off by it's not up to date website, the actual aquarium is incredible.

[GoVanGogh]

Personally, I think the Dallas and FW zoo are both 'blah,' but that is comparing them to the Omaha, Memphis and Kansas City zoos. We do keep season passes to the FW zoo, only because we go to FW often and will drop by for an hour or two.

 

We prefer the FW science/history museum over Dallas. FW is showing an IMAX on Van Gogh right now.

The National Cowgirl Museum has a Georgia O'Keefe exhibit right now. We haven't seen it yet, so don't know if it is worth viewing.

 

The Amon Carter Museum is currently hosting an Ansel Adams exhibit.

 

The Bureau of Engraving is very nice - and free. They have special exhibits this week.

 

I often use this website for field trips:

http://www.texaseducationvacation.com/

 

If the older children are interested in air transportation, there are three museums in the area -

Cavangaugh in Addison http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/'>http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/'>http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/'>http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/

Frontiers of Flight http://www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com/

C.R. Smith Museum http://www.crsmithmuseum.org/flashintro.htm