Where to go with kids when Dallas is hot
Dallas tops 95°F about a hundred days a year, so heat isn't an occasional problem but the whole summer. There are three ways out: water, spray grounds or air conditioning. This list has all three, plus a few places with genuinely big trees as a fourth option.
Water: Little Elm Beach, Meadowmere Park on Grapevine Lake, Burgers Lake in Fort Worth, plus Hawaiian Falls and the indoor Epic Waters. Free spray grounds: Celebration Park in Allen, Bonnie Wenk Park in McKinney and the children's park at Klyde Warren. Air conditioning: Perot, Sci-Tech, Crayola, Dallas World Aquarium, SEA LIFE, LEGOLAND, every city library and NorthPark Center. The only trails with real shade are River Legacy in Arlington, Spring Creek Nature Area in Richardson, and Trinity Park and the Botanic Garden in Fort Worth.
- 40 places
- 21 free
- 30 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
40 places
Drive times from Plano
DART rail ride (Downtown Plano to Dallas)
5.0Plano · 5 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lots at both Downtown Plano and Parker Rd stations
Haggard Library children's area (Plano)
5.0Plano · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free library lot
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
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
Sci-Tech Discovery Center
5.0Frisco · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot at the Frisco Discovery Center
Bonnie Wenk Park
5.0McKinney · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Virginia Pkwy entrance
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
Dallas World Aquarium
5.0Dallas · 30 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Paid lots around the West End about $10–15; or DART to West End station and a 5-minute walk
Texas Discovery Gardens butterfly house (Fair Park)
5.0Dallas · 35 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Fair Park lots, free or cheap most of the year (except during the State Fair)
SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium
5.0Grapevine · 35 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Free parking at Grapevine Mills
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
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
Forest Park Miniature Railroad
5.0Fort Worth · 60 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot next to the Forest Park station (Colonial Pkwy)
Fort Worth Botanic Garden & Japanese Garden
5.0Fort Worth · 60 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free garden lot
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History
5.0Fort Worth · 60 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free Cultural District lot (Gendy St)
Interurban Railway Museum
4.0Plano · 5 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking in Downtown Plano and the DART station lot
Crayola Experience
4.0Plano · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free parking at the Shops at Willow Bend
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary
4.0McKinney · 25 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Free sanctuary lot
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)
Hidden Cove Park & Marina
4.0Frisco · 30 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Per-car fee at the gate (about $10–15/car, check the website), parking included
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
4.0Dallas · 30 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Museum garage and nearby lots about $10–15; or DART to West End station and a 10-minute walk
Frontiers of Flight Museum
4.0Dallas · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free museum lot
LEGOLAND Discovery Center
4.0Grapevine · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Free parking at Grapevine Mills
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)
Cedar Hill State Park (Joe Pool Lake)
4.0Cedar Hill · 50 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: State park lot; entry about $7/adult, under 12 free, reserving a day pass is recommended on summer weekends
Ray Roberts Lake State Park (Isle du Bois)
4.0Pilot Point · 55 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: State park lot; entry about $7/adult, under 12 free, reserving a day pass is recommended on summer weekends
Burgers Lake
4.0Fort Worth · 60 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
$$ · Parking: Free lot on the grounds
Log Cabin Village
4.0Fort Worth · 60 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot at the village entrance
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
Dinosaur Valley State Park dinosaur tracks
2.0Glen Rose · 105 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: State park lot; entry about $8/adult, under 12 free, reserving a day pass online is recommended on peak-season weekends
💡 Good to know
- Outdoors only before 10am or after 7pm; beach parking lots are full by 11.
- Spray grounds run from late May to early September. Bring swimsuits, towels, water shoes (the ground burns) and sunscreen.
- Keep a case of water and sunshades in the car, and touch metal and plastic play equipment before letting kids on it.