No matter if you reside in the Dallas, TX area, or you are visiting Dallas for the first time, you will find an endless and diverse amount of activities to do. Your family will enjoy entertainment, natural wonders, water parks, zoos, museums, and outdoor activities alike.

Here are 8 ideas for activities for families in Dallas!

1. The Secret Chambers Escape Room in Dallas

The Secret Chambers is the #1 escape room in the Dallas/Fort Worth area! If you and your family are unfamiliar with what an escape room is, think of it as a real-life video game experience, where you and your team/family have to discover clues and solve a series of puzzles to escape the room before the time runs out.

What Makes an Escape Room a Great Activity for Families?

Escape rooms are a great alternative for the movie theater because of their more interactive experience. If your family enjoys puzzles, board games, video games, or movies, you’re sure to enjoy the interactive, immersive experience that an escape room offers.

If an escape room in Dallas sounds like something you want to try during your stay, here are some things to expect from the experience:

• Escape rooms commonly give players about 60 minutes to explore a locked room or chamber.
• Each room is themed, making it a compelling, time-traveling adventure! Some will make you step back in time to a 1930s speakeasy, a Wild West train adventure, or a pirate ship escape! The Secret Chambers currently has six different escape rooms (three in Fort Worth/Dallas and three in Arlington).
• Some escape rooms will have an age limit. For example, The Poe Adventure in Arlington is for ages 10+.
• Please note that escape room adventures will often require crawling on all fours or walking up and down staircases, so some escape rooms are not wheelchair accessible. You’ll have to choose an adventure that accommodates for wheelchair accessibility if needed.
• Keep in mind that escape rooms may have flashing lights, which may cause reactions in persons with photosensitivity.

If an escape room sounds like just the right activity for you and your family, book now at The Secret Chambers! Our Dallas/Fort Worth escape rooms currently are The Train Heist Adventure, The Mafia Adventure, and The Witch’s Tower Adventure.

2. Dallas Zoo

If your kids like animals, your family will enjoy a visit to the Dallas Zoo. This zoological park first opened in 1888, making it to oldest and largest zoo in the state of Texas. The first animals to be featured at the zoo were two deer and two mountain lions.

But today, the Dallas Zoo has more than 2,000 animals and over 400 species, with exhibits spread over 106 acres. With 350 employees and 750 volunteers, the zoo is dedicated to providing the best care, educational experiences, and conservation efforts.

You and your family can enjoy seeing giraffes, elephants, chimpanzees, hippos, penguins, okapi, lemurs, otters, big cats, reptiles, and more. Kids will love the close-up encounters with giraffes (you can feed them!), porcupines, anteaters, birds, reptiles, armadillos, and more. The Dallas Zoo also features a mini-train and a merry-go-round to complete the experience!

3. Dallas World Aquarium

If you and your kids like marine and rainforest animals, you’ll be delighted with the Dallas World Aquarium.

At the time this article was written, the Dallas World Aquarium offered opportunities for visitors to explore the Cloud Forest Trek, Mundo Maya, Orinoco, Aquarium, South Africa, Borneo, and Photo Ark exhibits.

Each of these showcases birds, sloths, and other species from rainforests of Central and South America, creatures from South Africa and Borneo, or aquatic species like fish, crustaceans, coral, anemones, stingrays, sharks, etc. from tropical waters around the world.

4. Perot Museum of Nature and Science

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is over 180,000-square feet, and invites visitors to explore five different areas, featuring dazzling outer space, earth, geology, paleontology, and engineering exhibits.

The Permanent Exhibits include the Rose Hall of Birds, T. Boone Pickens Life Then and Now Hall, Expanding Universe Hall, Tom Hunt Energy Hall, Lyda Hill Gems and Minerals Hall, The Rees-Jones Foundation Dynamic Earth Hall, Being Human Hall, Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall, Discovering Life Hall, Lamar Hunt Family Sports Hall, and the Moody Family Children’s Museum for the kiddos!

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science also features a theater with 4K digital projection and immersive surround sound. Kids will enjoy the dinosaur fossils, and children’s museum.

5. Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark

One of the best indoor waterparks in the state of Texas, Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark delivers on an amazing experience for the entire family.

This waterpark includes 12 thrilling waterslides, such as an Aqualoop slide and a double-rider Aquasphere innertube, a surf simulator, a lazy river, a wave pool, and a kid’s play area. Families can enjoy great food and a fun time!

There are quite a few other indoor waterparks in and around the Dallas area. Some of these include The Cove at the Lakefront, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine, Frisco Athletic Center, King Spa and Waterpark, and more.

6. Six Flags Over Texas

The Dallas/Fort Worth area is home to Six Flags Over Texas. This amusement park delivers on fun for the entire family, from gentle rides to the most thrilling roller coasters.

Six Flags over Texas is home to the tallest roller coaster in Texas, the Titan, with a 255-foot drop.

The park offers plenty of entertainment, shopping, food, and attractions for the little ones. In total, the park offers 40 rides.

7. National Videogame Museum

Inside of the Frisco Discovery Center is the National Videogame Museum (NVM). Any gaming enthusiast will enjoy the history of the Atari 2600, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, and other consoles and collectibles.

The National Videogame Museum in Dallas is for kids young and old – celebrating some of video gaming’s most iconic characters like Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pacman, Donkey Kong, Link, Zelda, and Pikachu.

8. Frontiers of Flight Museum

This aerospace museum is located on Lemmon Ave. in Dallas, TX. The exhibits provide plenty of information and excitement for plane and spacecraft lovers of all ages.

World War I, World War II, and Early Cold War/Korean and Vietnam War history buffs will appreciate learning more about the history during these wars.

There are also Southwest Airlines, Space, and Balloon/Airships exhibits. Finally, there is also a kid’s play zone for the younger ones to enjoy!

Things to Do in Dallas: In Summary

These are just some of the few activities for families in Dallas, TX. Whether it’s an escape room, a zoo, a museum, or an amusement park, this city has plenty to offer for a thrilling experience for the entire family.