places to go / THE BIG TO-DO

acres of stunning display gardens set on White Rock Lake. But there’s a special draw for families and kids: The Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, 8 acres boasting more than 150 interactive exhibits and 17 learning galleries designed for kids. Visitors are immersed in nature exploring its full acre of wetlands or walking along the Texas Skywalk through the tree canopy. And there’s some added whimsy in the Plants are Alive gallery, which features larger-than-life plants and 16-foot-tall flower-filled pots. Free admission to the Children’s Adventure Garden (with paid general admission), is offered this summer on June 10–11, 17–19 and July 1–4. // Dallas, 214/5156615; dallasarboretum.org

Stroll through a Japanese Garden with koi-filled pools, walk behind a waterfall, and visit an iconic rose garden that’s on the National Register of Historic Places—all in Cowtown. The

FORT WORTH BOTANIC GARDEN is the oldest major botanic garden in Texas and features more than 2,500 species of plants and 23 specialty gardens. Among its collection is the largest recognized begonia collection in North America. If that doesn’t impress the kids, the bug-eating plant in the garden’s Rainforest Conservancy should. // Fort Worth, 817/332-4441; fwbg.org

A massive 32-by-8-foot interactive screen might not come to mind when you think nature, but at the RIVER LEGACY NATURE CENTER, which serves as the gateway to the 1,300-acre RIVER LEGACY PARK, this technology helps visitors connect to the great outdoors. Before exploring the park’s forests, wetlands and prairies, stop in the center’s Discovery Room to play wildlife games, gaze at aquariums and use the giant wall-to-wall screen to virtually immerse yourself in woodland habitats and different seasons. Then head out to the sprawling park to enjoy 8 miles of paved trails, a 10-mile mountain biking trail, picnic and playground areas and beautiful river overlooks. // Arlington, 817/860-6752; riverlegacy.org

With nearly 8 miles of winding, paved pathways and another 5 miles of soft-surface trails along Rowlett Creek, OAK POINT PARK AND NATURE

PRESERVE are perfect for stroller walks or biking with littles. With 800 acres to wander, it’s Plano’s largest park and features a pavilion, amphitheater and retreat center. // Plano; plano.gov

Grapevine’s PARR PARK has a little bit of everything: A playground, spray park, pavilion, trails—and a former Guinness World Record. In 2021 its Rock Art Trail was entered into record books as the world’s largest display of painted pebbles, with an official count of 24,459. // Grapevine; gograpevine.com

Arlington’s BLACKLAND

PRAIRIE PARK is more about what it isn’t, instead of what it is. You won’t find playgrounds or picnic areas there but rather acres of undeveloped tall-grass prairie land. In Texas, the Blackland Prairies are the rarest of all the prairie types. Several nature and conservation organizations in DFW are working to preserve or restore Blackland Prairie, including LEWISVILLE LAKE ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING

AREA, which lists hiking trails with the best prairie views on its website. This 2,600-acre park also offers guided hikes, kayak tours, and learn-to-fish and kids’ nature exploration programs. // Blackland Prairie Park, Arlington, arlingtontx.gov // LLELA, Lewisville, 972/219-3550; llela.org

More Mother Nature

FISHING HOLES

Caruth Park University Park, 214/987-5488 uptexas.org

Keller Town Hall Pond Keller, 817/743-4000 cityofkeller.com

Russell Creek Park Plano, 972/941-7250 plano.gov

South Lakes Park Denton, 940/349-7275 cityofdenton.com

William Blair, Jr. Park Dallas, 214/670-4100 dallasparks.org

NATURE PARKS & PRESERVES

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve Plano, 972/941-7250 plano.gov

Coppell Nature Park Coppell, 972/304-3581 coppellnaturepark.org

Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve Southlake, 817/748-8091 experiencesouthlaketexas.com Colleyville Nature Center 817/503-1180; colleyville.com

Connemara Meadow Nature Preserve Allen, 469/200-4085; connmaraconservancy.org

Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center Cedar Hill, 469/526-1980 dogwood.audubon.org

Elmer W. Oliver Nature Park Mansfield, 817/728-3680 mansfieldtexas.gov

Grapevine Botanical Gardens Grapevine, 817/410-3122 gograpevine.com

Oak Cliff Nature Preserve Dallas, 972/696-9810 texaslandconservancy.org

Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve Arlington, 817/459-5474 arlingtontx.gov

Spring Creek Forest Preserve Garland, 972/205-2750 springcreekforest.org

Spring Creek Nature Area Richardson, 972/744-4310 cor.net

Tandy Hills Natural Area Fort Worth, 817/731-2787 tandyhills.org

Trinity River Audubon Center Dallas, 214/309-5801 trinityriver.audubon.org

Stars

THE BIGGEST SKY

Feel the vastness of the Texas sky at these 6 destinations From planetariums with immersive star-filled shows to Space Center Houston— a mecca for space lovers—there’s no shortage of places to stargaze and explore the wonders of space in Texas.

Noble Planetarium

No visit to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is complete with a little space exploration! In the Noble Space Gallery, you can see various artifacts from the space race, including space suits, a piece of the Apollo 11 and a Fort Worth flag that landed on the moon. But be sure to plan your visit around the planetarium’s shows (they’re free with admission to the museum and seats are first-come, first-served). Its three shows, all geared to ages 8 and older, transport viewers to the far reaches of the universe, explore the solar system and share the stories of the constellations we can see in the Texas sky. // Fort Worth, 817/2559300; fwmuseum.org

TIP: Extend your starry adventure with a stop at the Galaxy Park Playground, where kids can use their imaginations to climb, explore and play on the space-themed play space.

Reunion Tower

Sure, you might think of this as a tourist destination, but it’s a great outing for families. From 470 feet in the air, you’ll have unobstructed, 360-degree views of the Dallas skyline from GeO-Deck, the tower’s indoor/outdoor observation deck. Plan your visit to coincide with golden hour to get spectacular views of the sunset and stick around to take in sights of the city lit up at night. FYI: It’s unlikely that you’ll see the stars in the sky due to the city’s light pollution; the

TIP: Keep an eye on the tower’s calendar. They regularly host special family-friendly events that are included in general admission tickets.