Looking for Spring Break ideas? Check out our list of picks for Dallas, Fort Worth and beyond

Are you and the family opting to stick close to home this Spring Break? Don’t worry that you’ll be bored. There’s plenty to do here in our own backyard without taking to the road or the air in search of greener spring break pastures.

Here are a few note-worthy adventures you and your spring breakers should definitely try during your time off.
 

FESTIVALS AND PARADES

 
TEXAS STORYTELLING FESTIVAL
Where: Denton Civic Center – 321 East McKinney St., Denton
When: March 7-10
Cost: $15-$10

Experience the power of live storytelling at the 39th Annual Texas Storytelling Festival. Enjoy story and poetry slams, story swaps, kid’s activities, music, workshops and a liars contest. The festivities start today and run through Sunday at the Denton Civic Center.

DALLAS BLOOMS
Where: Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Rd., Dallas
When: Through April 8
Cost: $13-22

The Dallas Arboretum’s annual festival is a popular Spring Break destination for those wanting to celebrate the season. Besides the garden being filled with more than 500,000 blooming bulbs, there are also numerous activities planned for the week including music, a petting zoo and cooking demos, tastings, and a kitchen take over in honor of Pi Day at A Tasteful Place pavilion. Also, be sure to make time to visit the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden while you’re there.

TULIPALOOZA
Where: Getzendaner Memorial Park, 400 S. Grand Ave., Waxahachie
When: March 15-24, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Cost: $5-$15

Another flora festival you won’t want to miss is the 5th annual Tulipalooza in Waxahachie. Enjoy fields of blooming tulips that started as bulbs imported from Holland and then were planted at Getzendaner Park. You’ll also find a you-pick-em field so you can take the tulips home with you and plenty of colorful photo ops.

MANSFIELD PICKLE PARADE AND PALOOZA
Where: Downtown Mansfield – 1200 East Broad St., Mansfield
When: March 16, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Cost: Free

The World’s Only Pickle Parade and Palooza returns to historic downtown in Mansfield for its 13th year. The parade portion of the event is a two-parter that kicks off at 10 a.m. with a baby parade for little gherkins ages 6 months to 4 years, followed by the headliner parade at noon. It features dozens of floats and the World-Famous Mansfield Pickle Queens. The Palooza portion includes pickle eating and pickle juice drinking contests, a community stage with local acts, a pickle playground for the kids and a free concert with country artist Cody Morrow.

TEXAS PINBALL FESTIVAL
Where: Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Hotel and Convention Center, 7600 John Q Hammons Drive, Frisco
When: March 15-17
Cost: $15-$85

Pinball Wizards should head to Frisco next week for the 2024 Texas Pinball Festival. More than 400 pinball machines, classic video games and more will be free to play for everyone during the weekend.
 

ART EXPERIENCES

AT&T FAMILY ARTS WEEKEND
Where: Sammons Park – 403 Flora St.
When: March 9, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Cost: Free

Kick off Spring Break this weekend with some creativity in Sammons Park. Take a free cyanotype workshop; that’s a photography process that uses sunlight and paper coated with a photo sensitive solution to create prints with a variety of blue tones. The daylong event also includes a Rhythm and Movement African Drums dance and workshop, a petting zoo, face painting and a caricaturist offering free drawings.

SPRING BREAK FAMILY FUN AT THE DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART
Where: Dallas Museum of Arts – 1717 North Harwood St., Dallas
When: March 15-17
Cost: Free

The DMA celebrates Spring Break with activities inspired by nature and the current exhibition The Impressionist Revolution from Monet to Matisse. Drop by the Art Studio and “paint with scissors” to create a paper cut-out collage inspired by artist Henri Matisse, head to the outdoor courtyard for a en plein air sketching experience like the French Impressionist artists, or listen to a story-time themed around artworks in the Museum’s collection.

ART BREAK! SPRING BREAK AT THE MODERN
Where: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth – 3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth
When: March 11-15
Cost: Free for children under 18, $16 for adults, free for everyone on March 11 and 15

Learn about works from the Modern’s permanent collection and the special exhibition, Surrealism and Us: Caribbean and African Diasporic Artists since 1940. Each ART Break station includes a conversation with a community artist and Modern docent and a gallery project focusing on selected works in the galleries. On free days, Monday and Friday, join your family and others in helping build collaborative works.
 

NATURE

OWL PROWL NIGHT HIKE
Where: Heard Museum, 1 Nature Place, McKinney
Hours: March 16, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $20, pre-registration required.

Join screech owls, Pudge & Poe for the Heard’s annual owl prowl. Learn which owls call North Texas home and how to identify them. You’ll also have all of your pressing owl questions answered, like, “Can owls really turn their head all around?” and “Are owls like cats and cough up furballs?” After the live owl presentation, it’s off on a guided night hike on the sanctuary and to discover if any owls are out and about.

ECOMON ADVENTURE DAYS AT TRINITY RIVER AUDUBON CENTER
Where: Trinity River Audubon Center, 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas
When: March 16, 10 – 11 a.m.
Cost: Free

Are your kids obsessed with Pokémon? Join Professor Pecan and his team of Ecomon Trainers to explore and study the amazing creatures of the Trinity River Audubon Center. On March 16, learn about bugs and help find a special specimen for Professor Pecan’s ‘Eco-Dex.’
 

MUSIC

 ‘TIL MIDNIGHT AT THE NASHER  
Where: Nasher Sculpture Center – 2001 Flora St., Dallas
When: March 15, 6 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Cost: Free

Stay up late with the Nasher with its ‘Til Midnight event. The evening kicks off with music from the Manhattan Band by Jordan Kahn Music Company. The concert will be followed by an outdoor screening of the Oscar nominated film, Barbie. In addition to the concert and the movie, you can also enjoy the the outdoor art at the Center and purchase food from Wolfgang Puck Catering and grab & go snacks.

LOVER-TAYLOR SWIFT TRIBUTE BAND
Where: The Monument Realty PGA District – 3255 PGA Parkway, Frisco
When: March 16, 6 – 10 p.m.
Cost: Free

North Texas Swifties won’t want to miss this concert from the Taylor Swift tribute band, Lover. Hear all your favorite songs from all 10 of Swift’s albums, as well as 10 unique “Taylor-made” outfits and choreography that will make you feel like you’re right in the middle of the Eras Tour. Be sure to bring a blanket to relax on as lawn chairs will not be permitted. No outside food or beverages, but Ice House, Lounge by Topgolf and Ryder Cup Grille will be open before and during the event.

Visit Go See DFW to find even more events.

The Go See DFW calendar is a partnership between KERA and The Dallas Morning News.

Got a tip? Email Therese Powell at tpowell@kera.org.

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