How to Have the Best Spring Break in Dallas, TX

If you’re planning to stay close to home for spring break this year, have no fear: the Dallas-Fort Worth area offers plenty of fun and interactive activities for all ages. While your kids are out of school, you can enjoy spending time together, whether you have one day or the whole week. From educational experiences at area museums to outdoor excursions in the spring weather, there’s no shortage of spring break options in Dallas-Fort Worth. Here’s a list of ideas for how to have the best spring break in DFW.

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

When you want to get outside and enjoy a gorgeous spring day, make plans to see the Dallas Blooms at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. This annual festival, which runs through mid-April, offers the opportunity to view 500,000 spring blooming bulbs, thousands of azaleas, and hundreds of cherry trees. You and your family will love walking through the gardens to view the colors and textures of springtime. You can even bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the grounds.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden also offers child-friendly activities during the week, making it the perfect place to stop during spring break. In early April, you can bring your kids to Tiny Tot Tuesdays. This event includes story time, children’s songs, bubbles, and other fun activities. There’s even a petting zoo with goats, sheep, bunnies, and a pony. This family-friendly event is included with the cost of your admission or membership.

Location: 8525 Garland Road, Dallas.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Fort Worth Zoo

What’s better than a day at the zoo? This spring break, make plans to visit the Fort Worth Zoo, where you can view over 540 animal species. The zoo houses a variety of animals, birds, and reptiles, including threatened and endangered species like the harpy eagle and Jamaican iguana. Other kid-friendly activities at the zoo include giraffe feeding, train and carousel rides, a climbing wall, and interactive laser tag.

During spring break, the Fort Worth Zoo also offers a special camp for children ages 5 to 10 years old. You can sign your child up for a one-day or weeklong day camp. At camp, kids will participate in educational activities and outdoor playtime to connect with nature and learn about wildlife conservation. You can register your child for the spring break camp through the zoo’s website.

Location: 1989 Colonial Parkway, Fort Worth.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Katy Trail

For some fresh air and exercise, head out on the Katy Trail. This 3.5-mile trail, built along a former Union Pacific rail line, provides a path for jogging, walking, skating, and biking. Located in Dallas, the trail begins at the American Airlines Center north of downtown and winds through a variety of neighborhoods before ending south of Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway.

At the north end of the trail, you can park in the lot near Knox Street. This area also features many restaurants and cafes, where you can stop to have some lunch or enjoy a snack at the end of your hike or bike ride. The Katy Trail Ice House, directly on the trail, is a popular spot to grab some small bites or burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. If you start at the south end of the trail, you can park at Reverchon Park, where you’ll also find restrooms, picnic tables, a playground, and other recreational amenities.

Location: Multiple parking locations; check website for details.

Hours: 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Fort Worth Stockyards

Bring the kids to the Fort Worth Stockyards and get your giddyup on at this historic Old West attraction. Twice a day, you can watch genuine Texas cowhands drive a herd of longhorns down East Exchange Avenue. The tradition, a nod to the cattle drives of the late 19th century, provides a fun way to learn more about the history of the Texas livestock industry and Fort Worth’s official “Cowtown” status.

In addition to the daily herd, the Fort Worth Stockyards offer other family-friendly activities, including horseback riding and a mechanical bull. On the weekends, your family can attend the Herd Experience, a live show with interactive activities, including horse grooming and saddling, roping, and branding. In the Barnyard Petting Corral, the kids will enjoy petting goat, sheep, camels, and even exotic animals like kangaroos. On Friday and Saturday evenings, you can end your trip at the Stockyards Championship Rodeo in the Fort Worth Cowtown Coliseum, where you can watch bull riding, team roping, barrel racing, and other events.

Location: 131 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth.

Hours: Walkable space open 24 hours a day; check individual attractions and establishments for their specific hours.

Perot Museum of Nature and Science

At the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, your kids will have so much fun, they won’t even realize they’re still learning on spring break. Located in Victory Park, the five-level Perot Museum offers various exhibits for you and your family to explore, from dinosaurs to robotics to outer space. You can also see a 3D film in the museum’s Hoglund Foundation Theater, featuring 4K digital projection and surround sound.

The Perot Museum offers a spring break camp for children in kindergarten through fourth grades. This year’s theme is pirates, and kids will explore the science behind how ships float, how to navigate using the stars and constellations, and more. The five-day camp also allows children to visit museum exhibits, including a new traveling exhibit, “The Science Behind Pixar.”

Location: 2201 N. Field St., Dallas.

Regular hours:

• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Spring break hours: Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for spring break in March.

Now you know more about five attractions you can visit to have the best spring break with your family in DFW. If you’re preparing to spend spring break in DFW this year, what’s on your staycation list? Did we miss an event or attraction in the area? You can send a message to The Hand and Wrist Institute and let us know. We’ll gladly add your suggestion to our list to let others know about it. As industry-leading orthopedic care specialists in Dallas-Fort Worth, we strive to be a source of knowledge for our patients in health care and beyond.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden by Sharon Hahn Darlin is licensed with CC BY 2.0

Dr. John Knight

Dr. Knight is a renowned hand, wrist and upper extremity surgeon with over 25 years of experience. Dr. Knight is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Fellowship trained. Dr Knight has appeared on CNN, The Doctors TV, Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Oxygen network and more.