Dallas Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids and Families

If you’re planning a family trip to Dallas, Texas, or are a local looking for fun family activities to do this summer, I’ve got you covered. This Dallas summer bucket list includes fun ideas for every budget.

I’m a Fort Worth person and I love my city. I just don’t understand the rivalry with Dallas. Our neighbors to the east are fun and cool. There are tons of things to do with kids in Dallas.

If you’re a local or just visiting from out of town, this post is for you. I created this Dallas summer bucket list to be the ultimate parents’ guide to the city.

Tips for visiting Dallas

If you’re a local, you can probably skip on down to the list below. If you’ve never visited Dallas before, here are a few things that are good to know before you go.

• Is Dallas safe? – Yes, but like any city, it has a lot going on. Use common sense tips for any big city, like looking both ways before crossing the street and not wandering alone after dark.
• Is Dallas expensive? – I suppose that depends on where you’re from. Use the admission cost of the venues in my bucket list as a gauge. Adding up the cost of a hotel, food, parking, and attractions, the average family of 4 might spend $200 per day.
• Is Dallas walkable? – Some areas are, but for the most part, expect to drive (or call an Uber). Traffic is always heavy and you’ll probably have to pay for parking wherever you go.
• What should I wear? – Plenty of venues in Dallas are “fancy dress,” but if you’re taking kids to the attractions on my list, casual tee shirts and jeans are the norm.
• How’s the weather? – I think most people say their own area has crazy weather and that applies to Dallas too. You can expect it to be hot (90s and up) and humid in the summer and cold (50s) and wet in the winter. Dallas has floods, tornados, and ice storms on occasion – but plenty of days where it’s sunny and 70.

Things to do in Dallas

Here are our favorite things to do with kids in Dallas, Texas.

1. See the dinosaurs at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
2. Watch the penguins eat lunch at the Dallas World Aquarium.
3. See a stage show at the Dallas Children’s Theater.
4. Enjoy the view of Fort Worth (and a lot of Dallas) from the top of the Reunion Tower GeO-Deck.
5. Learn about the Earth and its neighbors with the giant OmniGlobe at the Dallas Arboretum.
6. Watch the koalas napping at the Dallas Zoo.
7. Build a fort at the Imagination Playground at Klyde Warren Park.
8. Read 40 books from the Dallas Public Library for the summer reading club.
9. Explore the Nasher Sculpture Center for free on the first Saturday of each month.
10. Hitch a ride on the McKinney Avenue Trolley.
11. Take a self-guided tour of the Texas Sculpture Garden in Frisco (north Dallas).
12. Learn about local history at Dallas Heritage Village.
13. Make a new friend in the Butterfly House at Texas Discover Gardens.
14. See generations of aircraft and spacecraft at the Frontiers of Flight Museum.
15. Visit the largest equestrian sculpture in the world at the Mustangs of Las Colinas.
16. Climb, crawl, and slide on the indoor playground at SPARK!
17. Go bird watching at the Trinity River Audubon Center.
18. Pedal a swan boat across the lagoon at Fair Park.

Before you go

Details are subject to change, although I try to update this post often. All the links will take you to find dates, times, and details about each venue. You can print off my kids’ summer bucket list to plan your summer schedule. And if you head west to Fort Worth, be sure to see what’s on my Fort Worth summer bucket list.

You might also want to check out my 10 Things blog series. It includes 10 things to do in different DFW cities, including Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, and the Mid-cities area.

What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:

• August Dollar Days at the Dallas Arboretum
• Fall Festivals and Pumpkin Patches in DFW
• The Best DFW Christmas Attractions