The entire area of Dallas/Fort Worth area is filled with wonderful field trip opportunities, but this post is just going to focus on a few of our favorite places that we have been to recently. The Fort Worth Zoo, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and The National Cowgirl Museum.
This is in the Texas Wild area of the Fort Worth Zoo.
The lemurs are one of my favorite things to see and on this visit they were out and playing around.
We have a family membership to the zoo and it’s worth every penny (kids 2 and under are free and don’t need their own card). You can go every day of the year with parking included and as a side bonus your membership is tax deductible. Most of the time when we visit the MOLA exhibit (Museum of Living Art) they have a snake or some other creature out for the kids to touch and ask questions about. The MOLA is a fantastic place that we always go inside, even on our quick trips to the zoo. The Fort Worth Zoo is always rated in the top 5 in the nation and you will not be disappointed if you go.
Two baby elephants were born this summer and they are so cute! On this visit it was Homeschool Day at the Zoo and it was pretty crowded, but we had a great time with friends in from out of town. I plan on going back to the zoo soon to get some more photos of them without being jostled by the crowd. We have been members of the Fort Worth Zoo for years and we go quite a bit between October – April. The weather is great and during the week it’s not as crowded as on the weekends. If you only have a short time to go, try and go after noon and you will miss the bulk of the field trip crowds too. The zoo also allows you to bring in food and drinks or you can eat and drink at various places throughout the zoo. I have a nifty little backpack cooler I bought at Target that we take each time with snacks and bottled water.
The newest exhibit at the Museum of Science and History is all about Curious George. The girls were very excited to meet George and have their photo taken. The exhibit had an assortment of activities that the kids could try out and all the decorations were like the PBS TV show. The girls spent the bulk of the time playing “shopper and cashier” which is almost the same as the grocery store downstairs that they have played at a dozen times. But I guess because it was the store from Curious George it made it even more exciting.
After seeing Curious George and Dyno (the Museum mascot), we headed over to the National Cowgirl Museum next door. The Cowgirl Museum is a neat little place and there are enough flashy things to interest the kids. The girls enjoyed the videos of the women and girls who live on ranches and are cowgirls. Every time I go to the Cowgirl Museum I come out thinking those chicks are so cool and so tough!
There is only one place in the Cowgirl Museum that you are allowed to take photos and it’s the most fun for the kids. Here they are cooking us food on a campfire.
Amelie would have taken this guy home if she could.
We also have a family membership to the Museum of Science and History. Just like the zoo, parking is included so that saves $5 every time. An extra benefit of membership is that we can get into the Cowgirl Museum for free and more than 150 children’s museums in other cities. We have used this benefit on various road trips and it’s great fun to see other places.
If you are looking for more field trip ideas go check out the list over at Hip Homeschool Moms.