Truscifi Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 My bestie from high school is getting married in November in Denton, Tx. It is about 40 miles north of Dallas. We will most likely drive there, and are thinking about staying a few extra days somewhere in west Texas for a vacation. We can go down to Dallas, or even all the way to Houston/Galveston Bay area. We will have dh and I, ds8 (a week before his birthday, so doing something to make it into a birthday trip for him would be nice too) and Jacob should be about 2 months old then. Any suggestions? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 The Dallas World Aquarium in downtown Dallas is pretty cool. The Ft. Worth Zoo is pretty awesome too, esp if you don't have a zoo close to you that you visit frequently. Not far from the Ft. Worth Zoo is the Museum of Science and History that is pretty cool too, esp their domed IMAX theater. I used to work there in college, so I love the place. I live in Houston now, and I wouldn't come all the way down here just for Galveston. It's no where near the beaches you have in Florida. I would go more for Kemah if you came down here. It's on a bay, and they have a fun boardwalk and all sorts of activities, esp in the summer. Lots of good restaurants too. It's also very close to NASA, if that is something you are interested in seeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I agree with all these. There is also the stockyards in Fort Worth. They have a daily longhorn drive. And a steam engine railroad to take a short trip on. These are all things we love to do when we can't leave town for vacation. Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) You can stay in Grapevine, TX and be super close to Denton for the wedding. The Great Wolf Lodge is right near DFW Airport and has an incredible indoor waterpark for the kiddos during the summer. In Fall by November, the resort is changed into a WINTER ICE Wonderland that is amazing! Plus Grapevine Mall is nearby and offers LEGOLAND Discovery Center which is fun! You are also near Six Flags over Texas and Hurricane Harbor too. HTH!! Edited May 23, 2012 by tex-mex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 If you are up for water fun, Lake Conroe is a really nice lake. It is north of Houston. I was going to suggest San Antonio and the riverwalk and Alamo, but that might be too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Oh, and Glen Rose is a couple of hours south of Ft. Worth (maybe not even that far). You can go there and see dino tracks at Dinosaur Valley State Park. The Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is pretty neat as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 If you like window shopping and antiques, Denton has a lovely, quaint downtown square. You could easily while away an afternoon moseying through the shops. Do not fail to get ice cream at Beth Marie's! In the summer, you can take in a free concert at lunch time on the courtyard lawn. Google Denton Music on the Sqare. If you like old books, there's an awesome bookstore on the square called Recycled Books. I could spend a whole day there. From Denton, you can take the new A-Train all the way into Dallas, if you like. If you like fried chicken, there's a well-loved restaurant called Babes Chicken Dinner house. There's not one in Denton, but there are several close enough to drive to; and if you want to take the A-Train, there's one right at the depot in Carrollton. Another restaurant recommendation is Fuzzy's Tacos. Ravelin Bakery is two blocks off the square, and worth visiting. Also Candy Haven (several miles from the square). Denton has a pretty decent water park called Water Works. It is not expensive, and you could spend a day there. (No wave pool, though.) Great Wolf Lodge is very cool, and so is the Gaylord Texan, which is right across the street from the Great Wolf Lodge. Both are worth driving across town to see. But I would not stay there for an event in Denton. The traffic getting back and forth will drive you mad. Also, in Grapevine, Bass Pro Shop makes a pretty cool field trip if you have an outdoorsman in the group. Fry Street is where the cool people hang out for nightlife in Denton. I am not one of them, so you'll have to research that on your own. If you want to go to church on Sunday morning, I recommend Denton Bible Church. Some links: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g55732-Activities-Denton_Texas.html http://www.discoverdenton.com/play.cfm?bl=3 http://attractions.uptake.com/texas/denton/family/865672353.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhjmom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I just wanted to be sure you knew it was about a 5-6 hour drive from Denton to Houston/Galveston, and at least that in the opposite direction to anything much worth seeing in West Texas. I have known *many* people from other parts of the country who visited Texas and planned to sight-see around the state without realizing how far it really is between those places. Honestly, if you only have a few days, I would just plan on staying in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. There is plenty to do here without spending an extra day on the road. Oh, and we do have two really good homeschool bookstores here, too! ;) Grapevine is a great place to visit with a historical downtown, a steam train that runs to the Fort Worth stockyards, a blacksmith shop, glass blowers, historic farm, wineries, great shopping, and restaurants, in addition to GWL, Gaylord, Legoland, etc. mentioned above. The train has some runs that are "train robbery" set-ups which the kids often enjoy. Forth Worth has great museums, zoo, log cabin village, and a botanical garden. Dallas has the aquarium, arboretum, and museums, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Oh, and we do have two really good homeschool bookstores here, too! ;) Not to jump in here, but where are the bookstores????? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Not to jump in here, but where are the bookstores????? Watauga and Lewisville. (And - I shouldn't share this, but the Half Price Books in Watauga is awesome!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I agree with everyone else. Fort Worth is home for us and has so many wonderful things to do. Museum of Science and History that is pretty cool too, esp their domed IMAX theater. I used to work there in college, so I love the place. I used to work there in college too, from 1992-1995! What are the odds?! I worked in the education dept and did science demonstrations for the general public, served as a camp-in coordinator a few times, and taught science to field trip groups. DH and I took the kids fairly recently, to see the renovations. I was very disappointed that there were no science demonstrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Not to jump in here, but where are the bookstores????? Thanks! http://www.homeeducatorsresource.com/ You can also rent microscopes here for the day or week. Which is very nice on the $$ pocketbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnsinkableKristen Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Watauga and Lewisville.(And - I shouldn't share this, but the Half Price Books in Watauga is awesome!) SHHHHHHH!!!!!! We like to keep that a secret!! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandymom Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I agree with everyone else. Fort Worth is home for us and has so many wonderful things to do. I used to work there in college too, from 1992-1995! What are the odds?! I worked in the education dept and did science demonstrations for the general public, served as a camp-in coordinator a few times, and taught science to field trip groups. DH and I took the kids fairly recently, to see the renovations. I was very disappointed that there were no science demonstrations. I worked the Soviet Space special exhibit as a camp-in counselor too in '91-'92. My coolest job! My high school history teacher got me the job :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 I worked the Soviet Space special exhibit as a camp-in counselor too in '91-'92. My coolest job! My high school history teacher got me the job :) It was the coolest job! My most memorable exhibit was Jurassic Park. The exhibit was so huge that it was attached to the side of the museum in a large tent. There was a terrible thunderstorm on the night of camp-in. It made for some extremely frightened grade school kids. The "lucky" kids got the spot near the T-Rex but extreme wind accompanied by thunder and lightning that lit the dinos through the tent from above made that coveted spot not so enjoyable in the middle of the night. :tongue_smilie: It was an experience they will never forget, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Thanks for the feedback! It definitely sounds like Dallas/Ft Worth area will have enough to keep us busy. Ds loves aquariums, and is totally obsessed with dinosaurs, so a Dinosaur Valley side trip will probably be his "special day" for his birthday. We will probably spend 2 days in Denton, which will hopefully give us time to explore the downtown area. And definitely hit that ice cream place - several people have recommended it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 You can stay in Grapevine, TX and be super close to Denton for the wedding. The Great Wolf Lodge is right near DFW Airport and has an incredible indoor waterpark for the kiddos during the summer. In Fall by November, the resort is changed into a WINTER ICE Wonderland that is amazing! Plus Grapevine Mall is nearby and offers LEGOLAND Discovery Center which is fun! You are also near Six Flags over Texas and Hurricane Harbor too. HTH!! Totally agree with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Thanks for the feedback! It definitely sounds like Dallas/Ft Worth area will have enough to keep us busy. Ds loves aquariums, and is totally obsessed with dinosaurs, so a Dinosaur Valley side trip will probably be his "special day" for his birthday. We will probably spend 2 days in Denton, which will hopefully give us time to explore the downtown area. And definitely hit that ice cream place - several people have recommended it! Just off the square in Denton is a Love Shack. Great burgers and onion rings. :D And, YES, on Beth Marie's. Too bad you aren't going to be here early enough to catch a Texas Rangers game. By November we should be the World Series Champs... :D By the way...WELCOME to Texas. Hope you have a good time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jandamommy Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Are you a Rangers fan? I live in Houston, but my brother is DAVID MURPHY so I have become a huge Rangers fan. We're hoping third time's the charm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett_ashley Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Are you a Rangers fan? I live in Houston, but my brother is DAVID MURPHY so I have become a huge Rangers fan. We're hoping third time's the charm! No way!!! We are Astros fans too but have to cheer for our favorite Baylor Bear. His in-the-park homer last week was awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Lifelong Texan here, currently relocated for DH's job to New Orleans. :iagree: with the ladies above. Stick to the DFW area. There is more than enough for you to do there. I don't think Austin, Houston, or San Antonio will be worth the drive for you unless you want to spend WEEKS in Texas. It's a big state! I grew up in Arlington (where Six Flags and the Rangers and Cowboys are), and my brother/SIL/their kids live in FW. This thread has made me ready for a visit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 The Dallas Arboretum is my favorite place in the whole world. They do amazing exhibits and it is just absolutely beautiful. The Aquarium is also amazing as well as the Ft. Worth Zoo. If you're up for history you could go to the 6th Floor Museum in downtown Dallas. I didn't realize how spoiled we were living there until we moved. There is so much to see and do - just be ready for terrible, awful, no-good traffic. Especially on 35 between Dallas and Denton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Yes, I have heard about the traffic. My friend who is getting married rails about it regularly. She eventually gave up trying to drive it and takes the train to commute to work every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggie96 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 If you'll be here after Thanksgiving in November, be sure to take in the Christmas lights at the library in Frisco (hop, skip, and jump from Denton). Babe's Chicken is in the same area. Huge lights display set to music and very, very, very cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talltexan Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 ...and if you do come to Frisco in late November, they'll probably put up the outdoor ice rink again. It's small, but cute and right there on the square where the cool lights are. Babe's is good. I agree with a lot of the suggestions you've gotten! I've lived in DFW all my life. The Ft Worth Zoo ranks among the best in the nation. Grapevine is full of fun stuff for kids--Great Wolf Lodge or the Gaylord Texan would be pricey, but enjoyable! It might be a little cold for Dinosaur Valley, but it's so hard to say what our Texas weather will be like in November. Sometimes it's icy, sometimes it's 80 degrees! Ha! Denton is a super cool town in and of itself. I definitely agree with the suggestion of going to Beth Marie's and Recycled Books. Just walk around the square one afternoon and enjoy. Of course in downtown Dallas you can see the JFK 6th floor museum, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Just to let you know I just got back from Babe's and they're still doing it right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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