It's always fun to see the zoo through the eyes of little people…read more However to tell the truth, I'm there just as much for myself as I am for them as I enjoy the animals just as much as they do. On this visit we can see transitions being made, so apparently something new is coming and we are here for it. Sadly the penguins are moving and something else will take their place. The tunnel that leads to the penguins, the walls have been painted over so we are assuming something new will be painted there. And it was great to see the babies out in the encounters.

One of the most exceptional zoo experiences our family has ever had. I'm in town for work and we…read morecame a couple of days early to explore and on a Monday at 10:00 AM, we basically had the zoo to ourselves. We tried to beat the heat as much as possible - we had 104 degrees by 1:00 PM so we got a couple of great hours worth and there's very little we didn't see. We found the animals much more active earlier in the day, but the exhibits are great because even if they're laid out resting, we could still see all of them! Special shoutout to Brandon from the giraffe platform. He was so welcoming, informative and engaging and you can tell he really loves what he does! The elephant habitat is phenomenal as well, we were blessed with our timing to see Matope, a 4 week old new elephant hanging out with the older females and rolling in the mud to cool off. We bought the dinosaur exhibit add on as our 3 year old is obsessed with dinos now and while the splash pad was closed, it was worth the $5 per person we paid and overall as long as you arrive right when the park opens at 9 to beat the heat, the $15 summer price per person can't be beat!

Visited 17 years ago with my children, this visit brought my grandchildren and had so much fun!…read more We arrived at open and went around a few times just to see a few of our favorites again. The penguins, crocodiles, sharks and puffer fish were the stand outs. Even though it was busy, everyone worked together and there really wasn't much congestion.

Kind of a train wreck…read more You like cockroaches? Great, they're everywhere. One of the exhibits (spider monkeys?) had a RAT intermixed with the animals, and eating their food. Yeah, there's a funky smell throughout the whole place, but you kinda expect that from an aquarium. I would especially avoid this place if you are sensitive to strong smells. Honestly, though... My kid had fun, especially the various fish tanks, and the alligator, and the sea tunnels. I'm not coming back here, but it was a fun one time experience.

The Dallas Arboretum always does fall beautifully, but Harvest Hues is such a fun and creative take…read moreon their famous pumpkin displays! Instead of a traditional pumpkin village, this year the entire experience blends fall with modern and contemporary art. The six Pumpkin Houses are inspired by iconic artists, and more than 100,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash are used throughout the displays. Some of the details are seriously impressive - you really have to stop and look closely to appreciate how much went into it. I especially loved how different every area feels. There are bold colors, unusual patterns, sculptures, optical effects and endless little artistic details mixed into the fall scenery. It's also incredibly photogenic, so expect to take LOTS of pictures. If you're visiting Dallas this fall or looking for something seasonal to do in DFW, Harvest Hues is definitely worth experiencing in person. It runs through November 1, 2026, so don't wait too long!

We visited Tuesday, beautiful fall day. They have a great on-line system for tickets & parking. We…read moreonly got to see a fraction or the acres of gardens and art. Pumkin Village was our focus, it was Spectacular! Great enviroment for families and especially KIDS, plenty of room to run around. The visit would have been 5 stars had we considered our mobility issues and the size of the arboretum. There were mobility scooters for rent at a reasonable cost $20 for 4 hours. But that day one was unavailable. Perhaps an on-line reservation system would help. Lesson learned.

What an unbelievable experience this place is. If you live in or near Dallas, you have no excuse…read morenot to come here just once. The different floors of this museum are so amazing. They have a floor for dinosaurs, birds, rocks, earth science, space, and probably a couple others that I'm missing. The coolest part to me was seeing the employees work on cutting out the bones from the rock. That part is a must see. There was no wait & it wasn't crowded when we got there around 11am on a Saturday. When we left though, there was a bit of a line for the tickets. Def recommend coming early. They have a cafe inside if you get hungry. There's also tons of other museums if you stay in the area after. I think it was about $40 for 2 people for this one.

Enjoyed a Thursday night adults only visit, lots to see & I made sure to go through every floor…read moresince it was my first time them. It's cool how every floor has a different theme with so much to see. There is definitely something here for everyone & it does cater to all ages. It was kind of a bummer some areas were closed or not working. It does get a bit busy, I can't imagine how it would be if it was all ages when went but at times we were almost in a single file line as we were trying to go through all the items along the wall. For the first part at least, maybe because everyone was just so eager to see it all.

Near and dear to my heart is the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park. A large portion of the Big 5…read moreTexas Stars I've awarded are due to this facilities history. Let me point out from the beginning,one of my earliest childhood memories was standing in front of the tank of Piranha in a dream state . Originally built as part of the Texas Centennial Celebration in 1936,it remained to be used in Fair Park all year and during the State Fair of Texas. One of dozens of buildings built in the Art Deco style,this aquarium was one of only 12 in the US at the time In 1963 it was expanded making it the 3 rd largest in the nation . It was placed on the National Historic Landmark registry and a Has cycled through decades of ups and downs. Most recently closing after the pandemic. Fortunately a company has stepped in to save and operate it. Fare warning,this is a local niche treasure and not a word class facility. Someplace you can take kids for an hour or so without spending a fortune. My grandsons and I went here and had a lot of fun for an hour. So,if your expectations are historic small aquarium,easy parking, reasonable admission and interesting sea creatures. Go!

We have a membership here which is perfect for my little one. It's on the small side but really is…read moregreat for kiddos. We enjoy the presentations they give and all the fact that you can do the whole aquarium in an 45 minutes or less.

What an awesome deal. During 2020 COVID hell, this was the happiest day we've had in ... a while…read more I saw All About Animals somewhat randomly on Groupon, and it piqued my interest immediately. We'd been trying to figure out what to do for both kids' birthdays this summer with the no-normal-parties bummer going on. Maybe we could do a masked-up animal show n tell on the back patio...? So I called Cindi (owner of All About Animals) after reading up on her website. She was generally doing online only stuff and was NOT doing birthday parties. I totally understood, I said - we weren't about to have a bunch of kids over right now. But would she do a "private" show n tell for just our 4-person family? She would. Score! Outdoors is too hot for some of the animals during the Texas summer, so we set up inside, with a table for her and 4 chairs facing the table, about 8-10' away. The agreement was she'd be masked up the entire time and so would we. She also left her shoes at the door, which we didn't even ask her to do. The kids loved it. We loved it. It was... just perfect. We picked 10 critters and geared it towards ones we could touch and often hold. The pictures don't show all 10, but dude... it was just awesome. Fun AND highly educational. If you're an animal person AND can be safe and respectful during this time, I HIGHLY recommend this. The kids were immediately asking when the next time Ms Cindi could come over again with her animals. Just... awesome!

From the owner: All About Animals is a mobile live animal educational outreach service. We bring the zoo to you!…read moreServicing parties, schools, churches, scouts, libraries and more!

Had a great time meeting these tall fluffies! Had a great…read morehistory lesson before being able to meet and feed them, you can see how relaxed these little guys are! Stop by the little gift shop after to see what is made with their haircuts! really cool experience! **Please know this is a private farm and you need to make a reservation ahead of time on the website.**

This was a wonderful experience. You have to call Nana to reserve a spot to visit, this is only by…read moreappointment only. The website doesn't let you open it on your phone only on a computer or tablet. The price for this experience was $5 per person and upon entering, you are greeted by Tom and Nana. Tom provided us information about Alpacas. Then he gave us a tour of the farm. He gave us food to feed the alpacas but this is not a petting session. Regardless the experience was great. Overall i definitely recommend it.

I have been holding off on going to Sea Life because my friends say it's small and not worth the…read moretime. I got in with the Get Out pass and thought it was a great time. Sure, it's small in comparison to the Dallas Aquarium but that's comparing apples to oranges. They're in different ballparks so just appreciate Sea Life for what it is. There are pockets of areas for the kids to climb through and on. There aren't too many photo opportunities because the whole place is dimly lit. There is an area for kids to color sea life and bring it alive but the projector wasn't working. Our favorite parts were learning facts on the walls and from staff members spread throughout the aquarium. They have an itinerary of shows but we didn't make any of them. If you're looking for an escape from the heat/cold, come check them out. You can even tough a stingray!

I was genuinely impressed by this little aquarium tucked inside Grapevine Mills Mall! I went in…read morewith relatively low expectations, thinking it would be a quick walk-through with not much to see, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much there was to explore. The aquarium spans two levels and features a surprisingly diverse collection of marine life, with plenty of interesting exhibits to keep you engaged. One of the standout sections is the sea turtle rehabilitation area, which offers a unique opportunity to learn about the care and recovery of these incredible animals. Upstairs, you'll find interactive experiences where you can get hands-on with certain sea creatures, along with activity rooms that add another layer of fun to the visit. What I appreciated most was the variety. Between the marine exhibits, interactive encounters, and educational elements, there's enough here to make the experience enjoyable for both adults and kids. It's a great way to break up a shopping trip, keep the little ones entertained, or simply spend some time exploring something different. PSA: If you have a membership to the Dallas zoo, you can show your ID and get 50% off all tickets.

We went to a tour of "The Dinosaur Company in Allen, tx and it was so very cool! I've always…read morewanted to see behind the scenes of how companies do this stuff and we found the best of them all. The creative behind this company is amazing and by far superior to their competitors. If you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend!!! https://www.billingsproductions.com/

Trystan was an amazing tour guide and I was so impressed at how much information he knew about…read moreevery dinosaur and bug in the warehouse. I am SO glad I had the opportunity to visit the museum before it closed to the public. My grand daughter, who is almost 3, loves bugs more than dinosaurs and was thrilled seeing them all. She especially loved the collection of lady bugs in the back. It is such a beautiful place and wish I'd had been to visit during one of the story times.

Staff is so helpful and knowledgeable and customer service-focused! They are invaluable to new…read moreaquarium owners. Great selection of creatures and supplies.

We had an incredible experience with Dallas North Aquarium, and we especially want to recognize…read moreTeddy for going above and beyond to help us get started with our very first saltwater aquarium. As beginners, we had a lot of questions, and Teddy was unbelievably patient, knowledgeable, and kind throughout the entire process. He never made us feel rushed or overwhelmed. Instead, he took the time to explain everything in a way that was easy to understand, offered honest recommendations, and made sure we felt confident every step of the way. Starting a saltwater tank can seem intimidating, but Teddy turned it into an exciting and enjoyable experience. His passion for the hobby and genuine desire to help customers succeed really stood out. If you're thinking about getting into the aquarium hobby--especially saltwater--we highly recommend Dallas North Aquarium. Be sure to ask for Teddy. His outstanding customer service and expertise made all the difference, and we'll definitely be back as our reef tank grows!