Botanical Gardens – Fort Worth
May 26, 2010 by Texasholly
Filed under To Do in DFW, activities, feature
The Fort Worth Botanical Gardens has an amazing boardwalk learning trail for children.
It is tucked inside the first Botanical Garden exit (the one closest to 30).
When you see the big log, you are close.
The “log” is actually made of concrete and large enough for a whole group of children to play.
Just beyond the log is the entrance to the boardwalk.
All along the raised trail are learning stations where kids can learn about plants, animals, insects, birds and whether trees poop.
Because the entire trail is high, children can peek through the wire rails at everything below.
Just beyond the boardwalk is a really pretty Lilly pond. I am happy to report that no one ended up in the middle of it on this trip.
We saved the water fun for this action-initiated fountain in one of the prettiest corners of the Botanical Gardens.
Everyone goes home wet, worn out and happy.
The amazing thing is that we have only scratched the surface of things to see at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, but that is all we needed today. We will save the rest for another adventure.
Day Trip on the Trinity Railway Express
March 24, 2010 by Stir Frequently
Filed under To Do in DFW, feature
Our schedule looked like this:tour Union Station and “Old Red” Dallas County Court House
arrive Medical Market at 12:03
tour train exhibit and have picnic lunch
depart Medical Market at 2:03
arrive CentrePort DFW at 2:25*Click here for ride and fare information*
We all have comfy seats with a view from the top deck.
Although time did not allow a full tour of the court house, this neon Pegasus was the first of several Pegasuses we saw.
Our stop at Children’s Medical Center was to see this train display. It is the nation’s largest permanent model train display features eight trains running simultaneously. It is free!
“All Aboard!”Family Activities and Things to Do in North Texas
September 1, 2009 by Katie
Filed under To Do in DFW, feature
Oh, the places we go!
Here at Burb Mom we wanted to make it easier to find all of our mom-written DFW adventures so we started this link list. These are links to stories we have written about family activities in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond. We were a little shocked that the list has over 70 articles.
Get the inside scoop, told by real Moms, so you can load up the kids in the minivan and have a fantastic adventure of your own…
Argyle Activities:
Arlington Activities:
Bartonville Activities:
Copper Canyon Activities:
Cypress Valley Activities:
Dallas Activities:
Denton Activities:
North Denton Activities:
Flower Mound Activities:
- Boomerangs
- Gaston Park
- Great Harvest Bread Company
- Latte Da Dairy
- Marcus High School Choir Annual Madrigal Dinner
- The Flower Mound Library and Here
- Wilkerson Park
Fort Worth Activities:
Frisco Activities:
- Book Club at Pottery Barn Kids
- IKEA
- Lego Store at Stonebriar
- The Mosaic Art Factory
- Stonebriar Centre Carousel
Gainesville Activities:
Glen Rose Activities:
Granbury Activities:
Grapevine Activities:
Highland Village Activities:
Irving Activities:
Keller Activities:
Lewisville Activities:
- Fishing at Lake Lewisville
- Going Bonkers
- Lewisville Farmer’s Market
- Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Center
Mesquite Activities:
Roanoke Activities:
South Lake Activities:
The Colony Activities:
Waxahachie Activities:
River Legacy Science Center and Park in Arlington
July 15, 2009 by Texasholly
Filed under To Do in DFW, feature, fun, stories
We took a little day trip with a group of friends last week down to Arlington for the River Legacy Science Center.
I had two of my boys with me ages 3 and 5. We arrived after the 45 minute car ride in which my navigation system got a little pushed out of shape. It seems that my idea of how to get there differed from hers. But we made it and found a beautiful tree covered parking lot with trails that lead to the Science Center.
The center is nestled in the trees between ponds and creeks and trails. It’s architecture was inspired from children’s drawings. It is a special place that feels a bit whimsical. There is no admission. All the attractions there are free.
Inside there are several learning areas. Each has interactive exhibits geared to grade school age children. The kids ran around pushing buttons, finding animals and exploring the center.
This photogenic snapping turtle was my favorite. He was fine with posing for multiple pictures unlike the boys.
The boys were partial to a fuzzy tarantula they found nestled in the tree exhibit pictured above.
Outside is a really pretty observation deck to the pond. I loved the building architecture here. We were able to observe some snapping turtles in their natural habitat from a bit of a distance.
All around the Science Center and through River Legacy Park are trails. Our group consisted of quite a few small children so we concentrated on the ones around the center. It would be fun to go back and do some more exploring.
River Legacy Park is incredible. It is huge. There is a play area, multiple picnic areas – both covered and uncovered, and wide open space.
The kids played on the playground for awhile and then we enjoyed a picnic on a nearby table.
We spent a total of 3 hours. We could have spent more if we had the time and energy. It was worth the drive and we will return.
Dallas Zoo
July 14, 2009 by Texasholly
Filed under DFW East, feature
Last Friday we had good intentions. A friend and I agreed to meet at the Science Museum with our collective 5 boys for a morning of fun.
I was 1/2 the way to Dallas when my husband called and said, “Where is this museum?”
“Fair Park.”
“You CAN’T GO THERE TODAY! It is the Cotton Bowl!”
About that time my friend called to report her husband had just called her with the same information and she was already in a traffic jam on I-30.
We had 5 anxious boys, 1 grandma and 2 very uninformed mommies!
We made a snap decision to go to the Dallas Zoo instead. The weather was great and we already had sandwiches packed…
The boys were excited to get out of the car and run around. The zoo was a perfect place for expending child energy.
There is an area where you can buy either worms or birdseed sticks to feed the birds for $1. All our boys chose the birdseed sticks. The birds were still on their “winter schedule” so eating wasn’t a high priority, but we had some fun encounters. Several of the birds kept trying to climb into my purse or up my mom’s coat sleeves. They were not shy and the kids loved it.
Next time I will encourage buying the worms. Some of the birds only eat worms and they seem to be a less popular purchase among the zoo visitors. You don’t actually touch the worms, the birds will eat them out of a small cup that is provided.
The zoo has a huge play area. It has equipment for kids of all ages. This spider web was my 5 y/o’s favorite:
There is also slides and tunnels and large eggs to climb into…just a bunch of fun stuff. Surrounding the play area are several smaller learning centers and the Nature Exchange Center.
All the boys thought this was great. You can bring in up to 5 items (you collected at home) and trade them for other nature treasures. There is a point system assigned so it is like a nature store. There are many things to see and touch even if you (like us) don’t have anything to trade.
This Nature Exchange Center is one of the main reasons we will be returning to the zoo this year–and next time we will be prepared with treasures to trade.
The underground learning area is really unique. It is dark (and quiet) and has all sorts of animals that live underground.
There is also a tunnel to crawl through to fully experience underground living.
There are also lots of animals at the zoo…
Overall it was a great experience. We were glad we had missed the craziness at Fair Park and gone to the Dallas Zoo. It took us about 45 minutes (without traffic) to get there from Flower Mound. We spent 4 hours, but could have easily spent another hour or two if everyone had the energy!
If you have written about your experience at the Dallas Zoo, please mention the link in the comments.
When Holly isn’t planning trips in the middle of major events, she can be found at June Cleaver Nirvana where being a mommy and blogging is not in the middle of traffic.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing – Fort Worth
April 18, 2009 by Texasholly
Filed under To Do in DFW, feature
We recently visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, Texas. It is on the North side of the city so it didn’t take long at all to get there from my Flower Mound home. I had my 5 and 3 year old sons along to meet a group of other moms with kids in that same age group. None of us had been there before so we weren’t sure what to expect other than….MONEY!
We went to the public entrance of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and parked in the parking lot. There is a building in the parking lot where we went through security and then boarded the shuttle bus for the 3 minute ride to the main building. There is an extensive list of what items can NOT be brought onto the Bureau’s grounds that you might want to review before visiting. The hardest one for me was a camera. That is why this is the last picture in this article:
There is a large exhibit hall inside the main building with all sorts of fun money facts. There are also cards that you can pick up near the front desk that has activities and questions for different age groups. Our kids seemed pretty interested in the exhibits so we didn’t even start on the activities.
After about 20 minutes our group was called for our tour. We went upstairs and joined a tour guide that took us through the money making process.
The tour is conducted from glassed hallways above the large warehouse plant. It goes at a nice pace and lasts about 45 minutes.
There is a lot to see. My favorite was seeing the forklifts lifting huge pallets of money sheets. The kids seemed to like the money bundles near the end and the description of the shredding of improperly printed bills.
After the tour there is a 15 minute movie you can watch. We collectively had 12 kids under 6 with us so we opted out of that. The gift shop is nice and has some fun money-related items.
There are only two places that print money in the country and one of them is just a few miles away. Pretty cool.
Oh, and because I just can’t resist one more picture here is one I took at home:
Next time you pull a dollar out of your purse, take a peek to see if it was printed locally. All bills printed here in Fort Worth are marked with a small “FW”.
Kinderconcerts by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
March 7, 2009 by Texasholly
Filed under To Do in DFW, feature
We had the pleasure of joining our friends at the Fort Worth Symphony’s Kinderconcert presentation of Green Eggs and Ham recently. Kinderconcerts are part of the educational programs that are provided by the Fort Worth Symphony. They are geared to ages 3-6.
The concert was 35 minutes long – I want to thank those in charge of this program for addressing the needs of their wiggly audience by creating a concert of the perfect length.
It started with an overview of the instrumental sections. Each section of the Orchestra had on a different color shirt so the kids could identify what instruments went together.
They then played snippets of music related to different emotions.
And then on to Green Eggs and Ham which was performed by two singer/actors accompanied by the orchestra. It was cute and well done.
The kids watched with attention.
More information about the educational concert series by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra can be found on their website.
Mommy Goes to Poker School
February 23, 2009 by Texasholly
Filed under feature, fun, mom, stories
How does a stay at home mom of three little boys end up at WSOP Academy?
My amazing weekend adventure started over a month ago when during our 17th anniversary dinner my husband handed me an envelope. I opened it and read that I would be attending the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament Academy and then tried to contain my excitement in the super fancy restaurant. It was nearly as hard as sitting quietly at a poker table when holding pocket aces.
*deep calming breaths*
*control body movements carefully*
The poker school was last weekend at WinStar Casino. It was a two day seminar of lectures, labs and a tournament. The academy professors were three professional poker players: Greg Raymer, Michael Gracz and Bernard Lee. The 35 or so academy students were from all over North America and I was one of 9 women.
My favorite part was the poker lab.
The poker lab was a frightening and educational experience. A poker professional would sit down at a table full of students, deal a hand and then watch the play. At the end everyone would flip over their cards and one by one defend their play.
Holy crap.
Let me just say that this was not only an eye-opening experience about how I play, but was a bit shocking to see the thought processes of other players.
So, how did I fare? Before I give you a few tips that I picked up, I want to mention that I was very proud of myself for not bursting into tears at any point during the weekend.
There is no crying in poker.
So here is how it went.
Michael Gracz gently reminded me that King – Jack is really not a premium hand even if it is suited after I called an all-in bet out of position and lost…
Greg Raymer commented I might have over-raised at 5 x the big blind…
Bernard Lee sat next to me for about 30 seconds during play and identified a huge tell…
I figure if I can remember my position, my cards, the pot odds, the implied odds, the reverse implied odds, the number of outs, the rule of 2, the rule of 4, how my opponents play, any tells they show, the amount I should raise, the amount I should re-raise, when to check, when to check-raise, when to fold, what cards are good in which position, how each of these elements might change at different levels of the tournament and recall this all within a 5 second pause after I look at my cards with a straight face and without moving my hands then I should be good.
Really good.
Until that time it might be in my best interest not to wear my WSOP Academy baseball cap when playing in tournaments…
Fishing at Lake Lewisville
Today we went out to the lake to visit some good friends that are staying in their RV in Hickory Creek right on Lewisville Lake. They invited us to come out and since we’re never ones to turn down time with good friends we were there.
On the way we had to stop and buy fishing poles for Baby #1 and Baby #2.
I knew that the Disney Princess empire was huge, but I never guessed that they had made their way into the fishing pole business.
So Baby #2 opted for a Disney Princess fishing pole (it was a real toss up between that one and the Barbie one).
Baby #1 got a Transformers one and we were on our way.
I love this sweet picture of Hubs fishing with Baby #2:
It’s a good thing that we weren’t counting on Baby #1′s fish for lunch today:
My sweet girls:
Tomorrow it’s back to reality. We had a jam packed weekend and I’m ready to get back to normal.
More adventures with Candace and her family can be found at her blog, Mama Mia!
Corn on the Candles?
Looking for some last-minute Thanksgiving decor?
How about these?
We found these at Garden Gate (940. 387-8863) in Denton. They are a unique addition to any table and they’ll fit right in with your lovely spread. In fact, how about right between the greenbean casserole and the mashed potatoes?
