Summer is the perfect time to create lasting memories for youngsters. Park Cities Lifestyle has collected a compendium of ideas to help fill any family’s experiential bucket list. See if a few of our creative offerings ring a bell or two for your family.
Omni PGA Frisco Resort
Golf is more popular than ever, and nowhere is it bigger than here in the heart of Texas. With 500 guestrooms and suites, as well as 10 exclusive ranch houses and more, accommodations at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort are top notch. There are a pair of 18-hole championship courses designed by internationally acclaimed golf course architects Gil Hanse and Beau Welling to make any fan take notice. The once-in-a-lifetime family staycation destination includes fitness, spa and wellness options, and a cool splash zone tailored for toddlers and small children. The splash pad is the perfect energy release and outdoor play space.
OmniHotels.com/Hotels/PGA-Frisco | 469.305.4500
Dive-In Movies Nights in University Park
When it comes to summertime sizzlers, the wetter the better, especially at Dive-In Movies Nights at the Holmes Aquatic Center in University Park. Presented on various Friday nights throughout the summer months, moviegoers can splash around then settle in and watch their favorite films, including “Finding Dory” on July 12 and “The Little Mermaid” on July 26, while keeping it cool in the pool. The staff lifeguards are on duty, and children under 13-years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Admission for Dive-In Movie Nights is free for members, and the pool's snack bar is open for each show.
UPTexas.org | 214.987.5611
KidZania
The Frisco entertainment park is cut from a different cloth. It’s a place where kids learn while having fun in the process. presenting useful knowledge, experiences, and a chance for kids to exercise their independence in an inventive, pint-size city built by kids, and run by kids. KidZania covers a diversity of activities ranging from building and construction to broadcast news, first responders, medicine, and more, all designed to help kids learn and invent. Each activity is created by professional educators targeting kids ages four to 14 with valuable outside-the-classroom learning experiences that may spark a new level of adventurism and creativity.
Dallas.KidzaniaUSA.com | 214.618.0248
Destination Dinosaurs at the Dallas Zoo
Welcome to one of the largest immersive dinosaur exhibitions in the United States. Step into a prehistoric park and come face-to-face with over 100 life-sized giants, as well as 40 stunningly lifelike animatronic dinosaurs to get the full impact of their enormous scale. Experience the dinosaurs’ distinctive roars and hisses, then meet their descendants who walk among us today. Kids will love the special dino sandboxes where they can dig up fossils. Plus, there are cool dino-themed arts and crafts, and a selfie-saurus station to take pictures. Uncover the secrets of these ancient creatures now through September 30 at the Dallas Zoo.
DallasZoo.com | 469.554.7500
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
Located in downtown Dallas near Victory Park, the historic West End, and Klyde Warren Park stands the spectacular Perot Museum of Nature and Science. If you haven’t quite had your fill of dinosaur tales this summer, there’s more to see in an exciting new exhibition that runs through September 22 called T. rex: The Ultimate Predator. Explore the latest research and jaw-dropping discoveries about tyrannosaurs, with an emphasis on the most famous and impressive member of the family that dominated its competition with special skills and sensory abilities, and unique social behaviors that made him such a powerful hunter.
PerotMuseum.org | 214.428.5555
PopStroke
It is considered among the hottest games around, where you’re invited to come for the golf, and stay for the fun. The new location of PopStroke in The Colony joins others around the country considered by some to be the next big thing in family sports. Created by golfing legend Tiger Woods and the TGR Design team in 2018, PopStroke is a technology-infused golf-entertainment concept that features two 18-hole putting courses, as well as a distinctive emphasis on exceptional refreshments. It’s been described as “a place for adults and kids … to play like pros,” while developing a family passion for the game of golf.
PopStroke.com/venues/dallas-the-colony/ | 469.262.0710
Texas Rangers Baseball
Take me out to the ballgame, y’all. With the team’s first-ever World Series title under its belt, the Texas Rangers are without question the current darlings of the local sports scene. The team’s super sophisticated domed stadium, Globe Life Field, is a breath of fresh, cool air, especially when it comes to oppressive summer temperatures in Dallas-Fort Worth. But it's the team on the field that makes the magic, and Rangers’ manager Bruce Bochy has done a magnificent turning the former MLB cellar-dwellers into proud champions. For kids there are camps, clinics, the Jr. Rangers kids club and much more.
MLB.com/Rangers | 817.533.1972
Dallas World Aquarium
It is a land far away, yet right under our noses in downtown’s historic West End District. Since opening in 1992, the facility, which now takes up about two city blocks, has been celebrated as place to observe rarities of earth, water, and sky. The focus is on exotic wildlife few would ever see -- from Saffron toucanets and Hawk-headed Parrots in one of the largest avian collections in the world, to wonderous sea creatures, such as river stingrays and sharks, plus a variety of colorful reptiles, curious primates and more, all housed in natural habitats researched and constructed with meticulous detail.
dwazoo.com | 214.720.2224
The Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field
With its vast collection of fascinating artifacts and vehicles, Dallas’s Frontiers of Flight Museum takes an exceptional focus on the colorful history of aviation and space exploration, as well as DFW’s critical connections. Portions of the exhibits include the Apollo 7 Command Module; an eye-catching replica of a World War I British Sopwith Pup biplane fighter; artifacts from the infamous German airship Hindenburg disaster; and hundreds of World War II aircraft models. There are all sorts of things to see and do in the one-of-a-kind Texas aviation museum that’s always a feast for the senses.
FlightMuseum.com | 214.350.3600