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Tell me about Denton, TX...


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I went to college there, but commuted so don't know how helpful I am. The area has grown quite a bit since I graduated...

 

It is easy access to both Fort Worth and Dallas, so nice for museums, zoos, etc.

 

There are a lot of homeschoolers in North Texas. I am not too familiar with groups in the Denton area, though.

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DFW is awesome for families!!!

 

Art

The traditional art museum, the Kimbell, has free audiotours with special numbers for kids' versions. https://www.kimbellart.org/index.aspx

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth has great summer camps. Mine got to learn about Andy Warhol under one of his pieces in a homemade cape she'd just made there. http://themodern.org/

 

Science

The Fort Worth Science museum is absolutely kid-focused. There are tons of hands-on exhibits along with an IMAX and planetarium. They have star parties from time to time in their parking lot. http://www.fwmuseum.org/

 

Zoo

Our zoo is very parklike, so you only have to feel the full extent of the Texas heat in a few spots. http://www.fortworthzoo.org/

Fossil Rim, a drive-through zoo, is only 1 1/2 hours south of the city. You can feed giraffes sticking their heads into your sunroof. Amazing place! http://www.fossilrim.org/

 

Opera

The FW Opera does 3 children's operas each year. They're fabulous. They also have a translation screen over the regular opera. Some people think it's cheesy. I think that if it makes it more fun for more people, well, that's just great! http://www.fwopera.org/

 

Symphony/Botanical Gardens

The FW Symphony does concerts in the Botanical Garden in summer. Families are strewn across picnic blankets as far as the eye can see. The Star Wars laser show is really popular. The Japanese Gardens are amazing, too. http://www.fwsymphony.org/concerts/citg_main.asp

 

Ballet

The Texas Ballet theater does all the traditional ballets. What we really love is there annual Nutty Nutcracker, a PG-13 spin on the Nutcracker.

http://www.texasballettheater.org/

 

Children's Theater

https://www.casamanana.org/

 

Hiking

Dinosaur Valley is 1 1/2 hours south of the city. You can do a 3 mile hike across the river and up the big hill to some gorgeous overlooks, and cross back over to see actual dinosaur tracks preserved in teh river. It's a great spot to picnic, collect shells and work on your rock skipping. Camping, too. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/dinosaur-valley

 

Kayaking

You can rent kayaks on peaceful Grapevine Lake. Camping and hiking, too. http://www.lake-grapevine.com/kayak-paddle-boat-rentals/

 

Amusement Park

http://www.sixflags.com/overTexas/index.aspx

 

Sports

Cowboys, Rangers, Mavs and FC Dallas.

 

Ren Faire 1 1/2 hours south

 

Austin, the capitol, is only a 3 hour drive. There's cool caving there. There's also a bat bridge where you can go on a boat ride and watch the bats fly out each night.

 

San Antonio is 5 hours south. They've got The Riverwalk, The Alamo, Sea World, and Schlitterbahn (an incredible waterpark).

 

We moved here from NY 5 years ago and absolutely love it!

Edited by JenMama
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Dh and I went to school at UNT in Denton. It does get very hot there. We were in a pre-1900s farmhouse with no air conditioning and it was HOT! There was no insulation, so in the winter, we tacked up black plastic all around the outside of the house and hung blankets on the walls on the inside. All we had was space heaters.

 

If you have central heating and air, you'll be fine.

 

It's a really nice college town.

 

You MUST eat at Mazatlan. It's the very best place ever.

http://mazatlanmexicancuisinetx.com/

 

Get pechuga de pollo or chimichangas. You won't be disappointed.

 

And you simply must go to Recycled Books & Records on the square.

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DFW is awesome for families!!!

 

Art

The traditional art museum, the Kimbell, has free audiotours with special numbers for kids' versions. https://www.kimbellart.org/index.aspx

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth has great summer camps. Mine got to learn about Andy Warhol under one of his pieces in a homemade cape she'd just made there. http://themodern.org/

 

Science

The Fort Worth Science museum is absolutely kid-focused. There are tons of hands-on exhibits along with an IMAX and planetarium. They have star parties from time to time in their parking lot. http://www.fwmuseum.org/

 

Zoo

Our zoo is very parklike, so you only have to feel the full extent of the Texas heat in a few spots. http://www.fortworthzoo.org/

Fossil Rim, a drive-through zoo, is only 1 1/2 hours south of the city. You can feed giraffes sticking their heads into your sunroof. Amazing place! http://www.fossilrim.org/

 

Opera

The FW Opera does 3 children's operas each year. They're fabulous. They also have a translation screen over the regular opera. Some people think it's cheesy. I think that if it makes it more fun for more people, well, that's just great! http://www.fwopera.org/

 

Symphony/Botanical Gardens

The FW Symphony does concerts in the Botanical Garden in summer. Families are strewn across picnic blankets as far as the eye can see. The Star Wars laser show is really popular. The Japanese Gardens are amazing, too. http://www.fwsymphony.org/concerts/citg_main.asp

 

Ballet

The Texas Ballet theater does all the traditional ballets. What we really love is there annual Nutty Nutcracker, a PG-13 spin on the Nutcracker.

http://www.texasballettheater.org/

 

Children's Theater

https://www.casamanana.org/

 

Hiking

Dinosaur Valley is 1 1/2 hours south of the city. You can do a 3 mile hike across the river and up the big hill to some gorgeous overlooks, and cross back over to see actual dinosaur tracks preserved in teh river. It's a great spot to picnic, collect shells and work on your rock skipping. Camping, too. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/dinosaur-valley

 

Kayaking

You can rent kayaks on peaceful Grapevine Lake. Camping and hiking, too. http://www.lake-grapevine.com/kayak-paddle-boat-rentals/

 

Amusement Park

http://www.sixflags.com/overTexas/index.aspx

 

Sports

Cowboys, Rangers, Mavs and FC Dallas.

 

Ren Faire 1 1/2 hours south

 

Austin, the capitol, is only a 3 hour drive. There's cool caving there. There's also a bat bridge where you can go on a boat ride and watch the bats fly out each night.

 

San Antonio is 5 hours south. They've got The Riverwalk, The Alamo, Sea World, and Schlitterbahn (an incredible waterpark).

 

We moved here from NY 5 years ago and absolutely love it!

 

Thanks for all this information! It sounds like a great area.

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We might have to visit. I suppose August would be pretty hot there, right?

 

:lol: Yeah. Super hot. Denton is a nice sized city on its own. The Dallas area is huge. Denton has a bit more personality in my book compared to other areas of Dallas. It has two major university with UNT and TWU.

 

I highly recommend ice cream from Braums.

 

The only thing I really dislike about the entire Dallas area is it is just not pretty at all. No beach, no mountains, no forest. And it is a long drive from any of that.

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:lol: Yeah. Super hot. Denton is a nice sized city on its own. The Dallas area is huge. Denton has a bit more personality in my book compared to other areas of Dallas. It has two major university with UNT and TWU.

 

I highly recommend ice cream from Braums.

 

The only thing I really dislike about the entire Dallas area is it is just not pretty at all. No beach, no mountains, no forest. And it is a long drive from any of that.

 

Pshhh! You just gotta know where to look!

 

You are right, it isn't beautiful like, say the old forests in Virginia, after all Dallas is originally the end of the blackland prairie and Fort Worth is the beginning of the more arid land that continues through west Texas, but there are pockets of rolling hills and lovely old pecan and live oak trees, and many lakes, and, and...

 

You just gotta know where to look.

 

The biggest challenge here is that things get so sun-blasted in the summer that everything turns brown.

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Pshhh! You just gotta know where to look!

 

You are right, it isn't beautiful like, say the old forests in Virginia, after all Dallas is originally the end of the blackland prairie and Fort Worth is the beginning of the more arid land that continues through west Texas, but there are pockets of rolling hills and lovely old pecan and live oak trees, and many lakes, and, and...

 

You just gotta know where to look.

 

The biggest challenge here is that things get so sun-blasted in the summer that everything turns brown.

 

 

:iagree: Indeed! I actually think that one of my favorite parts of this area are the fun little pockets of pretty you can find :).

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I second Braum's ice cream, especially in July! We live about 30 miles away from Denton. Friends attend UNT and love it. I'm okay with the DWF area, but would really like to live somewhere with shorter summers.

It is a rule at my old church that when traveling home (Austin area) from DFW you must stop at Barum's. :D

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I attended TWU located in Denton- Because it houses two universities, Denton is a "young" town in many ways. There are always inexpensive dance, music, and theatrical opportunities! Because UNT is known for its School of Music, you will find A LOT of musicians around...

 

 

Denton, like much of North Texas, is very economical! The cost of living is considerably less than many, if not most areas.

Just north of town, there are rural areas which offer that "country" feel. There is also a large lake close by.

I second "Recycled Books" on the square, if it's still around.

The square is quaint and offers that "small town feel". At one time, local farmers would bring produce to the square on Sat. mornings-

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Guest bdsandmls

I went to UNT in Denton. I was a commuter student most of the time, and didn't really enjoy the experience. That being said - I second eating mexican food at Mazatlan (Claudia is a fabulous waitress); For a good burger DCIH (Denton County Independent Hamburger) can't be beat (the location on the square is best); For ice cream, Braum's is fair - but the best in town comes from Beth Marie's Ice Cream Parlor on the square. I miss the food from there . . .

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I attended TWU located in Denton- Because it houses two universities, Denton is a "young" town in many ways. There are always inexpensive dance, music, and theatrical opportunities! Because UNT is known for its School of Music, you will find A LOT of musicians around...

 

 

Denton, like much of North Texas, is very economical! The cost of living is considerably less than many, if not most areas.

Just north of town, there are rural areas which offer that "country" feel. There is also a large lake close by.

I second "Recycled Books" on the square, if it's still around.

The square is quaint and offers that "small town feel". At one time, local farmers would bring produce to the square on Sat. mornings-

 

We're looking at TWU. :)

 

Please share any info.:bigear:

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