So I’m driving with my wife and 3 kids (10, 8, and 6 years old) from Minnesota to Dallas for our spring break to see the eclipse. We will be in Dallas for about 4 days before the eclipse, does anyone have suggestions for family friendly activities? We especially enjoy beautiful parks / nature, but all recommendations are appreciated. My wife was interested in seeing the Ft Worth stockyards, is that worth our time? Any suggestions for a good family friendly eclipse watch party?
Relatedly, anything I shouldn’t miss seeing on the long drive down I-35?
Thanks!
We’ve made the Austin-Minneapolis drive several times in the last three years, and I’m pretty confident in saying that there isn’t a lot of interest. Because my wife is a quilter, we have to stop at Missouri Star in Hamilton, Missouri on our return legs, but that’s hardly a draw for anybody else.
There are interesting things in KC (bbq, Negro Leagues museum), but I’ve not personally spent time there. I think Neil vacationed up there recently and may have recommendations.
If you’re going to Ft. Worth, go to the Amon Carter museum (although it looks like some of the galleries are closed through the end of April).
Yes I think some time in FW is a good plan.
The stockyards, museums, water gardens, and botanical gardens are all fairly close to each other, and a meal at Joe T Garcia’s or somewhere else on Sundance Square could cap things off.
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For the food, I prefer Los Asaderos on North Main over Joe T’s.
For the kids the Ft Worth Zoo is really nice too.
Good call.
The FW Zoo is excellent.
The Negro Leagues Museum in KC definitely is worth your time.
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Do you go through Kansas City or St Louis? Or either?
Kansas City has some great stuff. The barbecue is terrible, but you have to eat some. Stick to the pork ribs. There’s Arthur Bryants and Oklahoma Joe’s, at least I think that’s right. I’d go to Arthur Bryants because it’s a classic.
the Negro League Museum and the National Jazz Museum are housed together and are worth seeing. There is a fantastic WWI museum and monument, really wonderful, and the art museum is very good, much better than you’d expect. I think the Royals stadium, Kauffman, is a mid-century modern gem, and one of the prettiest stadiums in baseball.
St Louis is actually less interesting, but the arch is wonderful. We stopped at Hannibal up the river because I’m a Twain fan. It’s interesting for about an hour.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Fort Worth, because it’s about half the distance from Houston to where I grew up. there are three fabulous museums, the Kimball, the Amon Carter, and the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art. Each is very different. I personally think the Kimball is the best of them, and it’s got a medieval tapestry exhibit that’s about to open that looks like it would be great for kids. Plus it’s got a great cafe.
You can spend hours at the Japanese Gardens, and it was a huge favorite with our kids because you can buy koi food at $.25 a pop, which will keep them entertained for hours. It’s also beautiful. I haven’t been to the zoo since I was a kid, but it’s got a good reputation.
Six Flags Over Texas was always great as a kid, It’s not Disney World, but I think it wasn’t terrible either. I spent many happy childhood and teenage hours there. I don’t know what they’ll do without the parade of Confederate troops, but hopefully they’re gone.
There are a lot of good Texas barbecue places around Fort Worth-Dallas. Check the Texas Monthly 50-best list. The stockyards is moderately interesting, and I think the Cowgirl Hall of Fame at the stockyards is pretty fun. My first cousin-once-removed is an inductee for saving the paint horse breed. My mother always said she won the Nobel Prize for Animal Husbandry. A lot of the good Mexican food places are near there, and Joe T’s has great breakfasts as I recall. There’s also a place called the Paris Cafe (?) for breakfast which is priceless. The old Cats minor league stadium is near the stockyards, but I don’t think anyone plays there anymore.
I haven’t been to the new Rangers stadium, but the old one was next to 6 flags.
I honestly can’t think of anything I’d go out of my way to see in Dallas, except maybe the downtown Neimann Marcos, and it’s pretty long in the tooth. The area around SMU is pretty, and there’s lots of upscale shopping near there. If your kids need some designer clothing, have at it.
Kincaid’s Hamburgers in Fort Worth is wonderful.
I just looked at the route down I-35, so Kansas City. That’s good. Around Oklahoma City look for a place to get an onion burger. They’re well worth an hour or so.
The Perot Museum is a welcome addition to Dallas and definitely worth a trip especially with kids. Clyde Warren Park is nearby and is pretty cool. It’s a city park built over a portion of highway 75.
The aquarium near there is also nice.
The Bush Presidential Library is on the SMU campus.
Overall most people find Fort Worth a more comfortable city.
And April is a much better time to visit either than August.
If you are near the Stockyards and decide to eat at Cattleman’s, the steaks are just average. If you want an excellent steak and willing to pay a little, go downtown to Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse.
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May be just me, but I liked The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas.
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Bone up on this thing called money. They like to talk about it up there.
It’s been nearly 50 years since I last ate at Cattleman’s. It was kinda dingy, and I was disappointed then.
Agreed, but it’s right in my wheelhouse. I remember only needing about 90 minutes to see everything but it’s also been 15 years.
The Ft Worth Museum of Science and History is probably worth a visit. Again, it’s been a long time since I was there, but I I just looked it up and some of the exhibits sound interesting. I remember being mesmerized by the Omni Theater. Unfortunately that is closed for renovations until the Fall.