Kids

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER

Take family field trips to Dallas/Fort Worth and Seattle.

If your brood is burned out from beach vacations, shake things up a bit with a city trip and breathe life back into the American ritual of summertime excursions

Experience two cities for the price of one at Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Your first stop should be the Fort Worth Zoo (www.fortworthzoo.com), a sure-fire way to please grown-ups and kids alike. Visitors of all ages will be in awe of the rare prehistoric-looking one-horned rhinos, meerkats, komodo dragons and more.

Next on the list is the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (www.fwbg.org). If your teenager complains that flowers are boring, take a walk through the Japanese garden, complete with koi ponds, and the tropical conservatory. Weekend evenings in June feature “Concerts in the Garden,” when the Forth Worth Symphony performs, giving families the chance to picnic in the gardens and hear some great music. A spectacular fireworks show ends each performance.

A tulip treeSeattle is another city with plenty of activities to keep the whole clan happy. The kids are bound to enjoy the Pacific Science Center (www.pacsci.org). Even the most museum-averse child will be intrigued by “Colossal Fossils,” open through January 8. Experience what it’s like to be a paleontologist as you hunt for fossils in the “dig pit” and take a walk through real dinosaur skeletons uncovered in China.

Introduce children to the world of Northwestern Native Americans at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (www.washington.edu/burkemuseum). “In the Spirit of the Ancestors,” showing through Sept. 3, explores contemporary native art of the Northwest Coast like baskets, clothing, sculptures and masks, which will allow families to discover these unique contributions to American art.

For the aspiring Ansel Adams in the family, the Burke Museum is also home to a new special photography exhibit, “Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam,” on display from June 16 to Dec. 31. It not only presents pictures as art, but also uses photography to raise issues about protecting the environment

No matter what destination you choose, a city trip is likely to spark some interesting family discussions beyond where to get ice cream.
—Joanne Cronrath Bamberger

DALLAS/FT. WORTH

The Dallas World Aquarium
www.dwazoo.com
Museum of Nature and Science
www.natureandscience.org
Dallas Children’s Theater
www.dct.org

SEATTLE

The Children’s Museum, Seattle
www.thechildrensmuseum.org
Port Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
www.pdza.org
The Museum of Flight
www.museumofflight.org