Dallas Arboretum

What it is: The Dallas Arboretum is a 66-acre collection of gardens and art on the shores of White Rock Lake in Dallas.

Most Recent Visit: June 2012 (ages 6 and 2) for the North Texas Nature Challenge

You can follow our progress on the North Texas Nature Challenge here.

Address: 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, TX 75218-4335

Website: http://www.dallasarboretum.org/

What we did:  For the nature challenge, we headed for the Pioneer Village to find out how the pioneers lived.  This was a cute little area.  It made the kids think the trip was just for them.  It was very, very hot and this area did not have much shade, but after a granola bar and some water, we were ready to stroll through the other parts of the gardens.  We passed a wedding, which was special, found the artist houses and a splash play area, which was awesome.

Cost: $15 for adults, $9 for kids 3-12, kids under 3 are free.  Parking is $10, but you can save $5 if you buy parking ahead of time online.

Also, there is a bus stop near the entrance, so if you want to take public transportation, that’s $4 per adult.  Check out the Dart website to plan your trip.

Age: all ages

What to bring: camera, water, sunscreen, water, kids dressed in nice clothes for pictures, water, picnic lunch, water.

I’m serious about that water.  We only found one water fountain.  There are some water fountains on the map that we, and other guests, could not find.

Bathrooms: There are a couple of bathrooms.  They are really spread out throughout the park.  When you are at the Pioneer Town, which was created for children, you are really far from the bathrooms.  Plan accordingly.

Stroller Use: It’s easy to use a stroller or wheelchair here, if you plan ahead.  Trails with stairs are marked on the map so you can avoid them.  No strollers are allowed in the gift shop or one of the houses that you can tour.  You can also rent red wagons at the visitors center.

Other notes:  Bring a lunch.  You might only plan to stay for a few hours, but you will want to stay longer because there is so much to look at.  Every time my son started to complain that he wanted to go home, he would notice something else cool, and say, “Wait, let’s look at that!”

Until December 31, 2012, you can visit the Artist Houses.  They are so special.  Look at this:

And this:

It’s like you get to be inside the paintings.  They have houses dedicated to Van Gogh, O’Keeffe, Seurat, Picasso, and Monet.

Also, until November 5, 2012, you can see giant blown-glass sculptures by a man named Dale Chihuly.  These pieces of art are so impressive.  I’ve never seen anything like them.  These sculptures are all over the gardens, in the fountains…everywhere. So pretty, so breakable, so expensive.  If you have a kid that likes to throw things and is a little impulsive, you might wait to visit after they take this exhibit down or at least take lots of anti-anxiety medicine before you go.