What Will You Do with Those Last Days Till School Starts?
Because school doesn’t start back till Aug. 10th in most counties around the metroplex of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX there is a gap in available days families have to take last-minute vacations or send the kids away to parts unknown.
Luckily in Dallas there is lots to see and do still this summer.
At the Dallas World Aquarium you can check out The Mundo Maya exhibit featuring the Mayan Performing Troupe which happens every Saturday and Sunday. Show times are at 12:15, 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 p.m. The eight-story exhibit is an emersion experience that takes visitors from the Yucatan’s gulf coast to the highland rainforests. Reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates are seen when entering the exhibit. Helmeted basilisks use their cryptic color pattern as a defense, for example, usually remaining motionless on a vertical limb. For directions to the aquarium, go to dwazoo.com.
At the Dallas Zoo you can combine painting with animals when you choose colors to let one of the facility’s talented pachyderm painters go to work. If you’re looking for an original piece of art for your home or office, let an elephant paint it. The creature paints with his/her trunk through his fence while a zoo employee holds the easel behind the scenes in the elephant barn. The finished product will be personalized just for you and the cost is $150.00 with proceeds benefiting the zoo and animals. For information, go to dallaszoo.com.
Maybe you can’t afford to take the family away on a month-long summer getaway. You can rent a Jet Ski, boat, or take a parasail, powered parachute, and hot air balloon rides at Lake Lewisville. Fly up to 2000′ feet over the lake or 20 feet over the water in a powered parachute ride. Cost is $75 per half hour and $100 for one hour. In the parasail rides they pull you off the shoreline with a 300′ foot rope and you’ll fly 100′ feet over the water. Cost is $60 per person, two person minimum. Hot air balloon rides are available for up to four people. Or take advantage of riding a brand new 2006 Yamaha VX110 Deluxe Wave Runner which seats three people at a cost of $70 per hour. For more information go to flyingandfloatingtoys.com.
At the Heard National Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary you can make nice with nature at the 289-acre outdoor preserve and museum. Located in McKinney, TX in Collin County, the sanctuary is a huge changing exhibit that is different every day. It is one of the few places where the original ecosystems remain according to literature. The Heard is in the on-going process of restoring over 65 acres of grassland to native prairie vegetation through a combination of transplantation and seeding techniques with native plants. The facility offers education for all interest levels and ages. For more information see heardmuseum.org.
At the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Aug. 20th event if your taste in movies tend to favor Fido of Fellini this is the perfect field trip for you. Offering food, film, and fun, the Studio Movie Grill will be the host for Pet Flix 2006. The SPCA of Texas Pet Flix 2006 Film Festival issued an open call for pet films produced by all new or established filmmakers or pet enthusiasts with an eye for cinema from around the country. The winner’s films will be shown at the event at the Grill of Addison at 5405 Beltline Road from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more information, go to studiomoviegrill.com.
KRLD Radio Restaurant Week is for the thrifty. Each year one of the station’s most eagerly anticipated culinary events benefits the North Texas Food Bank and the Lena Pope Home. This year’s dates are Aug. 14-20th. Restaurant Week dinners include a specially selected appetizer, entrÃ?©e, and dessert; ordering off the menu is not included in this special price. Reservations are required and availability is limited. For more information, go to krld.com.
