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For those who would rather play games than ride roller-coasters, Adventure Landing is the perfect theme park. It offers miniature golf, laser tag, go-kart racing, batting cages and a Teddy Bear Factory where a child can build their own bear to order. Throughout the year, there are special events with some of your grandchild’s favorite stars of TV and film, like Spiderman, Hello Kitty and whoever else is still relevant in their world.
Info: Admission: varies by activity
Hours: daily 9AM–11PM or 12AM
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Fun & Games
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Get crafty with your grandkids. Art from the Heart supplies you with the blank ceramic ware of your choosing, (they have a selection of over 300 pieces of pottery), paint, and fun, relaxing environment for you and your budding artisan to create the perfect keepsake. The super-helpful staff will fire your piece in their kiln, glaze it, and have it ready for you to pick up one week later.
Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10AM-7PM, closed Sundays
Age: Child, Pre-teen
Classes & Workshops
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Take your littlest grandkids to the gym, where you can help develop their motor skills by doing fun stuff like tumbling, wobbling and stretching together. At ASI Gymnastics, active grandparents are welcome to register for Parent/Child (ages 0 - 3) classes that run each week. Activities like elementary gymnastics skills, rhythm and ball play are featured. ASI also offers one-off classes and a Friday Night Open Gym from 7PM – 9PM. Ask about free trial classes at both places.
Info: Mommy and Me Session Admission and Hours: 1.5 hours for $10, classes start at $45 per week
Hours: Friday Night Open Gym: 7PM–9PM
Age: Toddler, Child
Fun & Games
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Bachman Lake
Bachman Lake
3500 North West Hwy.
Dallas, TX 75220
(214) 670-6374
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If your grandkids are fascinated by airplanes and not scared of the earth-shaking noise that comes out of them, you can watch airplanes — like many locals — laying on your back on the shores of Bachman Lake at the end of the runway at Dallas’s Love Field Airport. The planes are so close you will think you can reach out and touch them.
Info: Admission: free
Hours: 24 hours
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Planes
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Everyone has a favorite family-friendly burger joint in Dallas/Fort Worth. A lot of people’s favorite is Ball’s Hamburgers in Snyder Plaza, with its big, juicy hamburgers, thick milkshakes and college sports paraphernalia all over the walls. The kids can play arcade games and eat silver dollar-sized mini-burgers, made just the way they like ‘em.
Hours: daily 11AM-10PM
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Ball's Hamburgers — University Park
3404 Rankin St.
University Park, TX 75205
(214) 373-1717
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Hours: daily 11AM-10PM
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Kid Friendly Eats
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Another big store kids can have a lot of fun in is Bass Pro Shops’ Outdoor World. This outdoorsman’s paradise has thousands of fun objects kids will enjoy exploring. There are boats to board, fake putting greens, all kinds of odd fishing doodads and sometimes you will run across an interesting event a like a turkey-calling competition or fly fishing lesson.
Info: Admission: free
Hours: Monday–Saturday 9AM–10PM, Sunday 10AM–7PM
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Fun & Games
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A more delicate side of the natural world is on display in The Butterfly Habitat at Texas Discovery Gardens. During the fall, you and your grandchildren can watch a live demonstration of how they tag the monarchs that migrate each year from Canada to Mexico. Afterward, relax on a bench and enjoy the floral aroma, or help your grandchildren find turtles and frogs skittering around the pond.
Info: Admission: ages 12-59 $3, 60+ $2, 3-11 $2, 3 and under free
Hours: Monday–Friday 10AM–5PM, Saturday 10AM-3:30PM
Age: Toddler, Child, Pre-teen
Animals & Nature
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Casa Mañana
3101 West Lancaster Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 332-2272
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Fort Worth has its own critically-acclaimed theater, Casa Mañana, where they showcase some of the latest Broadway hits along with a Children’s Playhouse that has recently put on shows like Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Narnia - The Musical, and Jack and the Beanstalk, there’s sure to be something to reflect what your grandchildren are currently in love with. The pavilion itself, with its large chrome dome and modern, glass paneled surrounding building, make the entire evening a feast for the eyes.
Info: Admission: varies by show
Hours: show times vary
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Fun & Games
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Cedar Hill State Park is so close that you can see the Dallas skyline at night, but you’ll still feel worlds away. The park boasts premier mountain biking trails, swimming beaches, campsites, fishing, great picnic areas and you can even camp over night for a nominal fee (call for current rates). Remnants from the historic Penn Farm are available for viewing, as well as reconstructed historic buildings and guided tours to offer your grandkids a glimpse into farm life of the past.
Info: Admission: ages 13+ $5 per day per persons, 12 and under free
Hours: dawn-dusk
Age: Child, Pre-teen, Teen
Outdoor Fun
