Free outings with kids around Dallas
A good weekend doesn't have to cost $30 a kid. Everything here is free to enter (the few dollars for state parks are noted separately), and many of these are among the highest-rated places on the whole site.
Top picks: the three big playgrounds at Hope Park in Frisco, Celebration Park in Allen and Windhaven Meadows in Plano; the lake and prairie trails at Arbor Hills, Bob Woodruff, Breckinridge and Towne Lake; in the city, Klyde Warren Park, the free M-Line trolley and the Dallas Museum of Art; and in Fort Worth, the Stockyards cattle drive and the Water Gardens cost nothing. Nash Farm in Grapevine and Old City Park in Dallas are free farm animals. The pumpkin patches at Flower Mound and Hall's in October and the Vitruvian Lights and Frisco Square shows in December are free too. And the libraries go without saying: every city in the northern suburbs has a great children's area.
- 44 places
- 44 free
- 39 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
44 places
Drive times from Plano
Haggard Park (Downtown Plano)
5.0Plano · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking in Downtown Plano and the DART station lot
Bob Woodruff Park lakeside trail
5.0Plano · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots on both sides of San Gabriel Dr and Park Blvd
Haggard Library children's area (Plano)
5.0Plano · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot
Windhaven Meadows Park (Liberty Playground)
5.0Plano · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Windhaven Pkwy entrance, full on weekend afternoons
Cottonwood Park
5.0Richardson · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots on both sides of Belt Line Rd and Cottonwood Dr
Celebration Park
5.0Allen · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Big free lot at the Angel Pkwy entrance
Richardson Public Library children's area
5.0Richardson · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free Civic Center lot
Allen Public Library children's area
5.0Allen · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot
Towne Lake Recreation Area
5.0McKinney · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Wilson Creek Pkwy entrance
Hope Park (Frisco Commons)
5.0Frisco · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at Frisco Commons
Frisco Public Library (new building) children's area
5.0Frisco · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot shared with the Frisco Discovery Center
Josey Ranch Lake Library children's area (Carrollton)
5.0Carrollton · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot
Bonnie Wenk Park
5.0McKinney · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Virginia Pkwy entrance
Andy Brown Park East
5.0Coppell · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Parkway Blvd entrance
Flag Pole Hill all-abilities playground
5.0Dallas · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free park lot on Doran Cir
NorthPark Center (Bookmarks children's library)
5.0Dallas · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free mall lots and garages
Roy & Helen Hall Library children's area (McKinney)
5.0McKinney · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot and street parking downtown
Cozby Library children's area (Coppell)
5.0Coppell · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot
Klyde Warren Park
5.0Dallas · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Nearby garages and street meters (about $10–15 on weekends); or take DART to St. Paul station and walk 10 minutes
M-Line Trolley (Uptown Dallas)
5.0Dallas · 30 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Garages and street meters around Klyde Warren Park, or take DART to Cityplace station and transfer
Hall's Pumpkin Farm
5.0Grapevine · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free grass parking next to the farm, lines on weekend afternoons
Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch
5.0Flower Mound · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot, lines to get in on weekend afternoons
River Legacy Park & Living Science Center
5.0Arlington · 40 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots at the NW Green Oaks Blvd entrance
Preston Trail Farms (Big Orange Pumpkin Farm)
5.0Gunter · 40 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Big free farm lot along Preston Rd
Trinity Park riverside trail
5.0Fort Worth · 55 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots along University Dr and Trinity Park Dr
Dream Park (Trinity Park)
5.0Fort Worth · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot next to the playground on Trinity Park Dr
Interurban Railway Museum
4.0Plano · 5 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking in Downtown Plano and the DART station lot
Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve
4.0Plano · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots along Los Rios Blvd and next to the Oak Point Recreation Center
Breckinridge Park
4.0Richardson · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Brand Rd entrance
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve
4.0Plano · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Parker Rd entrance, usually full after 9am on weekends, with a wait when it is
White Rock Lake loop
4.0Dallas · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Several free lots including Winfrey Point, Bath House, and Big Thicket
Mustangs of Las Colinas & Mandalay Canal walk
4.0Irving · 30 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Garages around Williams Square, free on weekends, or street meters
Little Elm Beach (Lewisville Lake)
4.0Little Elm · 30 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Little Elm Park lot, may charge a per-car parking fee on summer weekends (check the website)
Old City Park (Dallas Heritage Village)
4.0Dallas · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot on the grounds (Gano St entrance)
Nash Farm
4.0Grapevine · 35 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free parking at the farm gate on Ball St
Meadowmere Park (Grapevine Lake)
4.0Grapevine · 35 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Per-car entry fee on peak-season weekends (about $10/car, check the website)
Grapevine Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park
4.0Grapevine · 35 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free park lot on Ball St
Fort Worth Stockyards & longhorn cattle drive
4.0Fort Worth · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Paid lots nearby about $10–20/day, easy to find before 11am on weekends
Spring Creek Nature Area
3.0Richardson · 10 min drive
1.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Two small free lots at the Holford Rd and Renner Rd entrances
Coppell Nature Park
3.0Coppell · 25 min drive
1.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Freeport Pkwy entrance inside Wagon Wheel Park
Dallas Museum of Art
3.0Dallas · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Museum underground garage about $15, street meters nearby are cheap on weekends; Klyde Warren Park is right across the street
Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center
3.0Cedar Hill · 50 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free lot at the center
Fort Worth Water Gardens
3.0Fort Worth · 55 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Paid garages and street meters around the convention center, cheap on weekends
Cedar Ridge Preserve
2.0Dallas · 45 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Mountain Creek Pkwy entrance, fills fast on weekend mornings
💡 Good to know
- The Dallas Arboretum, Perot and Dallas Zoo all have a few free or $1 days a year; watch their websites.
- Free places get busy early on weekends; for Arbor Hills and Klyde Warren, arrive before 10am to park.