All The Places

Many of you have followed my blog for a while and know I love taking the kids around town to fun places - to learn new things, to experience a wide variety of areas, to meet new people. A lot of you have called me Super Mom or praised me for being some kind of "great mom." But, let's be honest. The only thing that makes me "super" is knowing my limitations... that I cannot just stay at home with my kids who would otherwise drive me INSANE. I am sick of the screen time fights, the incessant snacking, the "I'm bored" comments, the constant cleaning up of spill after spill. The only thing that saves me is getting OUT of the house, getting away from our normal mess, and forcing me to really engage with the kids instead of nagging them about cleaning up... or being kinder ... or using inside voices ... or to stop asking for the computer or my phone or the Nintendo... or the constant whistling of the same tune over and over. Really. Sometimes I can't stand my own kids when we are just cooped up in the house. The real saints are the ones who CAN. Anyway, my sister suggested I put together a long list of all the places we go, have been, or are (*)wanting to try out in the DFW area. So, without further delay, I bring you ALL THE PLACES! (PLEASE message me or post a comment to add to this list! We are always looking for new places to go!)

WATER PARKS:
Hawaiian Falls
Epic Waters
Frisco Water Park
NRH2O*

PARKS/SPLASH PARKS:
Oak Hills Park in Carrollton
Klyde Warren Park
Hope Park
Scottish Rite Hospital playground
Celebration Park in Allen
Campbell Green in Dallas
Mary Heads Carter Park in Carrollton
Dream Park in Fort Worth*
Little Elm Beach - has a playground, volleyball courts, and "beach" area
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve - park and hiking trails

DAY CAMPS:
Elevate Gymnastics
My Gym in Frisco
Metroplex Gymnastics in Allen
Young Chef's Academy (also has individual cooking classes)
Infinite Bounds
Power Kids

PARENTS NIGHT OUT:
Impact America Martial Arts
My Gym
Metroplex Gymnastics

CLASSES:
Home Depot Kid's Workshop
Lowe's Build & Grow classes
7 Notes - kids music classes - free trials
Little Gym - free trials
Gymboree - free trials for gym, music, and art classes

COOKING:
Young Chef's Academy in Frisco
Central Market Cooking School
Taste Buds*

INDOOR PLAY SPACES:
Cheeky Monkeys
Nickelmania
Walnut Hill Rec Center open gym
Campbell Green open gym toddler time
Play Street Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Plano
The Kids Play Co. (new owners are not as good as the old Play Date Co.)
The Coop in Frisco
Peppa Pig World of Play at Grapevine Mills Mall
Palaestra Gymnastics in Dallas
Safari Run in Plano
Kids Castle in Plano
Obstacle Warrior Kids
Prestonwood Baptist Church
Thunderbird Roller Skating Rink
Star Center Ice Skating
Spark!
Chuck E. Cheese's
Galleria play area
Willowbend Mall - also has "Summer Fun Thursdays" shows
Luv2Play
Free Play Arcade
Whirly Ball in Plano*
Little Humans, Big Fun
Regeneration Arcade
Lunar Golf at Grapevine Mills Mall
Watermark Church - Tree Fort
The Ark at GracePoint Church
Soar*
Jump Street
Color Me Mine
Paint 'N Party
Park In Play in Sachse
Pump It Up
Pinstack
Altitude Trampoline Park
Strikz
Battlefield in Denton
Escape rooms*
Jungle Joe's in Frisco
EQ Kids Club
JumpMania
Urban Air in Frisco or Dallas
Kid Mania
Jump Zone in Frisco
CooCoo's in Plano
The Tubes & The Bugs at Irving Bible Church

OUTDOOR PLAY PLACES:
Six Flags
Adventure Landing
SpeedZone*
RoughRiders games

YUMMINESS (great kids places to snack or dine)
TC Shaved Ice in Frisco
Sugar Mountain in Plano
Menchie's
Yummilicious
Bahama Bucks
Monster Yogurt
Hula Hut in Little Elm
Nico's Cocina in Carrollton (outdoor play space for kids)
Rainforest Cafe at Grapevine Mills Mall
Hat Creek - play area outside
Nerdvana - coffee shop with board games
Babe's Chicken - a family favorite
Bubba's in Dallas or Frisco
Country Burger
Great Wall Buffet
String Bean
Sunny Street Cafe
Magic Time Machine -- okay, not so yummy, but definitely fun
Frisco Rail Yard*

MUSEUMS:
Perot Museum
UT Arlington Planetarium*
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
National Videogame Museum
SeaLife
SeaQuest
Herd Museum in McKinney
Frisco Discovery Science Center
Children's Aquarium at Fair Park
Crayola Experience
Safety Town in Frisco
Fire Station - (not so much a museum, but didn't know where to categorize this one!)
Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas Heritage Village

FARMS:
Blase Family Farm (Blueberry and Pumpkin farm)
Blueberry Hills Farm*
Ham Orchard
Plano Heritage Farmstead Museum
Yesterland Farm
Cathy's Critters

THEATERS:
Studio Movie Grill - Children's Summer Series
Alamo Drafthouse - Kids Camp and/or Cereal Party on weekend mornings
Medieval Times- dinner and show
Willowbend Mall Movies
Plano Children's Theater
Geppetto's Theater*

REC CENTERS/POOLS:
Tom Muehlenbeck Center
Jack Carter Pool
Texas Pool
Heights Family Aquatics Center
Fretz Park Pool

ZOOS:
Dallas Zoo
Fort Worth Zoo
Gentle Zoo
Fritz Petting Farm in Irving
Fossil Rim - drive through zoo

LIBRARIES/BOOK STORES:
Haggard Library
Bookmarks
Barnes & Noble - story time
Public libraries - check story times and puppet show times in quarterly event magazines

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Wee Volunteer
Brighter Bites
Meals on Wheels*
The Birthday Party Project
Hope Supply Co.*
Angel Tree

OTHER SEASONAL FAVORITES:
ICE! at Gaylord Texan
Trains at NorthPark Centre
Candlelight at Dallas Heritage Village
Great Wolf Lodge
Frisco Square ice skating
Vetruvian Lights
Preston Trail Farms
Dallas Arboretum