Totally Texas -- Dog days, meet dollar days

Sometime in August, my daughter and her husband start to think about school starting again, and more clothes and shoes and backpacks and supplies, and can everything last until tax-free weekend, August 8-10 this year?

Luckily for jaded budgets, many Dallas attractions slash admission prices in August, sometimes as low as $1. Here’s a roundup of some of my favorites. Some are a little more than a dollar. But some are lower¾ even free!

August 1-31 ¾ The Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, has hosted August dollar days for years. This year, the Arboretum also cuts the cost of its fabulous (and believe me, our family’s tested it) Children’s Adventure Garden to $1. That’s $1 for Arboretum entry + $1 for children’s garden entry = $2, leaving the parking fee still to pay. Five dollar discounted parking is available for purchase online. However, discounted admission tickets, including dollar days entries, must be purchased at the gate. Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. See www.dallasarboretum.org for details, hours and directions.

August 1-31 ¾ Trinity River Audubon, 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way (formerly 6500 S. Loop 12) in Dallas, also offers $1 admission through the end of the month. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed Mondays and major holidays. And on the third Thursday of each month (August 21), the admission is free. Free parking or take DART. Walk the five miles of trails, including boardwalks, picnic or check out the indoor, interactive exhibit hall. See http://trinityriver.audubon.org for details.

August 1-31 ¾ The revamped GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower, 300 Reunion Blvd. East, offers $5 off admission through August 31. Use promo code SUMMERDC14 to knock a $16 adult admission down to $11. All right, that’s still more than a dollar, but the view is amazing, and the interactive computer programs on the enclosed deck kept both my adult daughter and eight-year-old grandkids enthralled. Adjacent parking is $6 per vehicle, or take DART to nearby Union Station. The deck is open Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Some advertisements ask for Texas ID to get this promotion. When I contacted Reunion Tower, I was told I could buy up to six discounted tickets with a Texas ID, to be used as I wished. So taking out of state visitors up for the view of their lives is no problem. See
www.reuniontower.com for details.

August 2 ¾ First Saturday at the Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora Street. The Nasher has enough outdoor and indoor exhibits to justify paid visits, but the first Saturday of each month it adds children’s art activities, yoga, creative writing, storytelling and more, all for free. First Saturday hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost of nearby parking varies, or catch one of the pink D-Link buses from DART stations. While you're there, step across the street to visit the Crow Asian Art Collection or the Dallas Museum of Art, both also free. For first Saturdays details, see www.nashersculpturecenter.org/.

　
August 19 ¾ Dallas Zoo, 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35E), offers a dollar day do-over August 19 to make up to all the people who couldn’t come out in the rain last month. Get in for a $1 per person (kids under three still free), pay $8 for parking, or take DART (kids under five ride free with paying adult). Regular hours apply, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. For details and daily events, see
www.dallaszoo.com .

(Next Friday¾ ideas for last minute weekend vacations, starting with Austin.)

Totally Texas -- Wild goings-on at Dallas Zoo

Dallas Zoo

650 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35), Dallas

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How long was it since we’d been to the Dallas Zoo? Way too long! We set out this week to visit what had been one of our favorite haunts when the boys were too young to be in school fulltime. They have other interests now, but even going on third-graders aren’t too old to love seeing longtime animal friends again. They started wriggling in their seat belts as soon as they spotted the giant giraffe statue visible from the freeway.

We wanted to be in time for SOAR, the free-flight bird show in the ZooNorth section. We marvel at the stately crowned crane, the huge eagle owl, and the singing parrot who’s sometimes puzzled about how many “ee-i-ohs” to insert into her rendition of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”¾ or maybe just wants to keep trainers on their toes. The boys feel quite sophisticated now that they realize patter about how the hunting birds have solved the zoos rodent problem is the cue for “release the trained rats!” which swarm gaily across the backdrop.

Yes, it’s not all about the birds. We were amazed by the show’s latest rodent cast member, a 75-pound South American capybara who ambled onto the stage looking like a cross between a guinea pig and a particularly shaggy sheepdog.

We bought lunch, but the zoo welcomes picnickers with newly refurbished outdoor eating sites. We compromised by bringing our own afternoon snacks and refilling our water bottles at the drinking fountains.

Then it was off through the tunnel under the DART rail line to the Giants of the Savannah exhibit for close encounters with the zoo’s largest predators, in this case, the brother and sister cheetahs. Predator encounters alternate cheetahs and lions. (Parents will be relieved to know that the zoo now separates male and female lions since last fall’s mauling of one of the lionesses.)

The outdoor aviaries, the elephants, the reptile house and the Bug U! house, one of the boys’ favorites, and it was time to cool off at the Children’s Zoo, with its play area and artificial stream. We brought the boys’ swimsuits, but it’s fine to jump in wearing shorts and tees.

The zoo is open daily (except Christmas) from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. However, July 19 and 26, it stays open until 9 p.m., adding live music with its Safari Nights programs. The late night programs are included in regular admission, $15 for adults, $12 for children ages 3-11, free for kids ages two and younger. The zoo also offers discounts for military personnel and their families and DART ticket holders. Adults ages 65 and older get in for $5 on Wednesdays. Parking is $8 per car.

For additional information, daily senior discounts, and group and school rates, see www.dallaszoo.com/.

Totally Texas -- Halloween, kid-friendly & coming up fast

It’s the second weekend in October, and Halloween fun is already starting. So here’s an excerpt of family-friendly activities for what is my seven-year-old grandsons’ favorite holiday. With the boys in mind, I’m listing things that aren’t too spooky to keep them from sleeping at night. Anything scarier is up to you!

October 12 - November 16 -- 27^th Annual Dia de los Muertos Exhibition, Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Dr., Dallas. Open Tuesdays - Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Eclectic art in traditional and contemporary styles celebrates people, things, and ideas that have “passed on.” Free. See www.dallasculturecenter/bathhouseculture/.

October 16 -- Museum after Dark: Ghosts of the Past, Heritage Farmstead Museum, 1900 W. 15^th St., Plano, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Tickets $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Learn about investigating paranormal activities and ghost hunting equipment. Reservations required. To register, and for other farmstead events of the season, see www.heritagefarmstead.org/.

October 19 -- Halloween at the Heard, Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Nature Place, McKinney, 6-10 p.m. Trick-or-treating with the museum’s animatronic dinosaurs, outdoor movie, “Haunted Forest,” kids’ costume contest and more at this annual fund raising event. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 3-12. The museum warns that tickets sell out. See www.heardmuseum.org/.

October 24-27 -- Halloween Nights at the Dallas Zoo, 650 S. R.L. Thornton (I-35), 5-8 p.m. Things get wild after hours at the zoo, with candy stations, a Monster Mash show, Animal Adventures shows and more. Tickets $10 for ages three and older, parking $5 per vehicle. For more information and discounts for members, go to
www.dallaszoo.com/.

October 26 -- Dia de los Muertos Festival, Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak Street, Dallas, all day beginning 11 a.m. Craft workshops, dancers and music on the plaza. For information, see www.dallasculture.org/latinoCulturalCenter/.

October 26 -- Spooky Storytime costume contest, Lakewood Branch Library, 6121 Worth St., Dallas, 1 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Recommended for ages 4-11. For information, contact 214-670-1367.

October 26 - 27 -- Family Fun Weekend at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Trick or treating with costumed characters, petting zoo, magic show and more. Tickets to main garden, $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 3-12. Onsite parking, $10. For more information, including discounted parking, see www.dallasarboretum.org/.

October 31, 2013 -- Day of the Dead: The History, Reading and Games Room, Klyde Warren Park, 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway. Bring your lunch, learn about history and culture behind Day of the Dead celebrations and how to build an ofrenda to honor deceased loved ones. Free. See
www.klydewarrenpark.org/.

November 1 - 2 -- Ghost Tales, by Dallas Storytelling Guild at the Bath House, 521 E. Lawther Dr., Dallas. From 7-9 p.m. each night. Stories at the evening performances are intended for adult and teen audiences. This year there’s also a 2 p.m. matinee November 2 appropriate for elementary school aged kids. Evening tickets are $10, matinee $5 at the door 30 minutes before the shows. For more information, see http://dallasstorytelling.org/.

(Next Friday -- take a road trip during next weekend’s historic U.S. 80 Hi-Way Sale)

Totally Texas -- Mingle with the animals

Dallas Zoo

650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35 South)

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It’s easier than ever for people to get a close view of the Dallas Zoo’s animals -- and for the animals to get a closer look at each other. This spring’s experiment in mingling animals in the Giants of the Savannah exhibit has giraffes, zebras, impalas, ostriches and guinea fowl grazing side by side daily. The zoo’s elephant herd is being accustomed more gradually to the other animals, with selected groups of elephants typically joining either giraffes or zebras on Fridays and Sundays, weather permitting.

Neither group of grazers seems to mind the guinea fowl, who pick their way among all the big animals as if they rule the roost.

Also new this spring -- live encounters with animals and their keepers every half hour, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ndebele Plaza in the Wilds of Africa area. On my visit this week, lively African penguin Sid delighted in leaping off a stump and scampering around the stage area.

On the other side of the zoo, the free-flight bird show in the ZooNorth amphitheater takes off Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., Friday through Sunday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (Birds take time off Mondays - Tuesday.)

Other regular encounters are scheduled with lions, cheetahs, elephants and koalas on weekdays, and a wide variety of animals on weekends, at their respective enclosures.

My family enjoys the zoo even on rainy days, with the indoor reptile exhibits and the gloriously creepy exhibit of insects, spiders and other invertebrates at Bug U!, both in ZooNorth.

If the weather’s hot, we can cool off in the air-conditioned Gorilla Research Center and base camp viewing center in the Giants of the Savannah exhibit. Or enjoy the mist machines near the wart hog enclosure and the meandering stream through the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo in ZooNorth.

The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Shortened hours apply in winter, and the zoo is closed on Christmas Day.) Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children (ages 3-11), parking $8 per car. And yes, we usually succumb to the boys’ pleas to ride the endangered species carousel ($2). If you come by DART (there’s a stop outside the entrance), show your DART pass for a $2 discount.

For more discount information and special events, see
www.dallaszoo.com/.

Totally Texas -- Staying cool at the zoo

Penguin Days at Dallas Zoo

650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35)

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We headed for the Dallas Zoo this week, willing to bet that even on a seasonably cold winter day, we’d get our money’s worth from the zoo’s discounted Penguin Days admission of $5 per person. (Regular admission is $12 for adults and $9 for children.)

The boys were at first reluctant to go -- “it’ll be hot,” they said -- which shows what time of year we usually visit! Our first pleasant surprise was that, even during local schools’ winter break, the zoo wasn’t packed with visitors. We parked at the front gate instead of making our usual lengthy trek. Parking is $8 per car, although the DART rail line stops just outside.

There’s always room inside for the boys to run -- a standard requirement for any outing in our family. Some of the usual exhibits were closed while the zoo takes advantage of this slow season to so some remodeling. Signs warned us that the warthogs were “off exhibit” during remodeling, and we also found the giraffe feeding station closed because of the weather.

However, even most of the tropical animals in the Giants of the Savannah exhibit were outdoors and visible in spite of the cold. For the first time in my memory, we had a clear view of the lions during the 2 p.m. predator encounter near the Serengeti Grill restaurant. These big cat feeding/demonstration times take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily, alternating between lions and cheetahs. Our visit time coincided with the lions’ feeding, and cameras flashed like Oscar night as the zoo’s two male lions basked in attention and healthy treats from the zookeepers.

The encounter area is sheltered for both cats and visitors. But there are also great views of the lions from the floor to ceiling windows of the nearby Serengeti Grill restaurant.
Across the trail from the lions, the elephants also were active, reveling in mud baths and visible to visitors from the windows and deck of the adjacent pavilion.

Fortunately, though, some of the boys’ favorites attractions were indoor exhibits -- the bug house and reptile house, with its albino alligators and pythons, as well as plenty of normally-pigmented reptiles and amphibians. Don’t forget a few pennies for the kids to spend on the gravity feed coin toss benefiting conservation of the iconic Texas horned toads (actually lizards).

We lingered until closing time, catching dinnertime for the zoo’s African penguins, whose picture illustrates this post.

Penguin Days discounted prices continue through February 28 at the Dallas Zoo. For additional information, including feeding times and discussions, www.dallaszoo.com/.

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Speaking of animals, the animatronic dinosaurs of the Heard Natural Science Museum in McKinney continue on view through February 3. Power to the dinos’ sound and movement may be turned off in exceptionally cold weather, but the life size models themselves brave the cold. See www.heardmuseum.org/.
　

Totally Texas -- Soar and eat with the beasts

Dallas Zoo

650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-35 East)

(or take DART Red Line to Dallas Zoo station)

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It was our first time viewing the Dallas Zoo’s Festival of Flight, with its free-flying, running, swimming birds, and the boys were nervous about getting too close to the perch the show’s photogenic young hosts set up. Or about participating. Those beaks and claws looked plenty sharp.

Before the end of the show, they were waving their hands to interact. The dozens of species of birds behaved so charmingly, even their rare bloopers drew smiles. A parrot responded to the “pretty women” in the audience with a simple “hello” instead of the wolf whistle his trainer hinted for.

The show began with a fly-over by a young eagle owl, the largest owl species, and still learning to remain calm around crowds of people. Creatures in the show ranged from domestic chickens and white doves to cranes, hornbills, hawks, pied crows and penguins -- and an American alligator named Lunchbox. An African collared raven ended by graciously accepting donations from viewers for the cause of bird conservation.

Show times are 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday. On Mondays and Tuesdays, the birds rest.

After visiting other animal favorites, we took a lunch break at the zoo’s Serengeti Grill in the Giants of the Savannah exhibit. As usual, lions lounged against the floor to ceiling window separating the restaurant from the predators’ exhibit, ignoring the oohs and aahs of human paparazzi on the other side.

The zoo also hosts dozens of chances to view animals close up. It’s not possible to cram all of them into a single visit, so check www.dallaszoo.com for schedules of those you like best. The giraffes, also into savannah exhibit, encourage you to buy lettuce to hand feed them when they’re not browsing the trees and grass in their paddock.

By mid-afternoon, the temperature was warming up, so we set out for the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo and The Stream -- a water feature looking like a shallow creek running through boulders. My daughter brought the boys’ swim suits -- not mandatory, but kids won’t be able to resist the urge to splash in the cool water of the partially-shaded playground area.

The zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Tickets for nonmembers are $12 for adults (ages 12-64), $9 for children ages 3-11. Parking is $7 per vehicle. See the website for discounts and special events. There’s a lot of ground to cover at the zoo’s ninety-five landscaped acres, and it’s summertime. Bring sun screen, comfortable shoes and water. (Although there are lots of drinking fountains and drink vending machines.) Stroller and wheelchair rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Zoofari Market just inside the front gate.

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There’s a lot of fun stuff in North Texas this weekend, but if you haven’t had your children’s eyes tested professionally, please make that your top priority. The Essilor Vision Foundation will provide free eye exams and glasses this Saturday, June 9, during the BooksmART Festival at the Dallas Museum of Art.  For details, see
www.dallasmuseumofart.org/.

Totally Texas -- Tower of Thanks-Giving

Thanks-Giving Square

1627 Pacific Street, Dallas

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In the days when I worked in downtown Dallas, the DART train I rode chugged every day past a mysteriously-walled park. A white spiral tower rose at one corner, a trio of bells at another. I finally became curious enough to walk over there. It was Thanks-Giving Square, one of the curious little oases of the heart of the city. One of the things Dallas actually does right.

Philip Johnson (also the architect of the Dallas memorial for President Kennedy), designed the park’s pathways to slope below ground level, concealing it from the sight of surface traffic. Its buildings are understated. Its waterfalls mask traffic sounds. When I walked in, Dallas felt a million miles away.

There’s a sheet of water, some understated buildings, trees and grass. From the park level, that’s it. It’s easy to underestimate the importance of water and shade and quiet. Unless you live or work in the heart of the ninth largest city in the United States, one which prides itself more often on bigness than humanness.

The park’s main entrance features a trio of bells, a multi-racial mosaic expressing the scripture, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and a gold-leafed ring large enough to step through with ease. At the other end of the park, the Thanks-Giving Tower rises in a spiral of white marble aggregate smaller than, but not dwarfed by, the surrounding city skyscrapers. It houses the a small, multi-faith chapel and the stained-glass Glory Window.

The window is the culmination of sixty-seven panels designed by Gabriel Loire of Chartes, France. The abstract designs of the windows spiral around the tower, their colors becoming brighter until they reach the apex. A booklet from the park invites viewers to lie on the floor for an unforgettable view of the design. (There are also chairs from which those less nimble may view the windows.)

In the center of the chapel, below the window, is a seven-ton marble altar supporting a glass bowl where visitors may place expressions of thanksgiving.

Although it is not longer possible to ascend the spiral, the abstract nature of the designs makes it accessible to those of any -- or no -- religious persuasion. Christian and Muslim worship services are scheduled regularly.

The park is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, according to its website, www.thanksgiving.org/ , and easily reached from the St. Paul or Akard DART stations. An exhibition of the works of the Thanksgiving Expressions winners is on display through January 2, 2012.

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Also this week: Trains at NorthPark, through January 1, on level two near Barney’s New York. Tickets $6 for adults, $3 for children and seniors, free for age two and under. Proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald’s House. See YouTube for video highlights from last year, www.rmhdallas.org for hours and details.

Tuesday, November 22, is dollar day at the Dallas Zoo. All admissions are $1 (regularly $12 for adults, $9 for kids and seniors), free for children age two and younger. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $7 parking fee, or take DART for a $4 day pass. See www.dallaaszoo.com for information.