Fun Ways to Stay Cool Indoors this Summer

Beat the Summer Heat in North Texas – Part 2

EYE OF THE COLLECTOR EXHIBITION Perot

The end-of-summer weather in North Texas is still beating down on us. So we have a few suggestions for where you can stay cool indoors and have fun. From movie theaters to museums, here are some fun things to do to stay cool indoors.

Visit a Museum

girl sitting at a museum

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has many wonderful museums. They are the perfect place to spend a cool afternoon or evening. You can see beautiful artwork, listen to music, and even enjoy a lovely meal at the one of museum’s cafes.

In addition to seeing great works of art at the Dallas Museum of Arts you can also listen to best-selling authors at their Arts and Letters Live series.

You can stroll through the sculptures at the Nasher Sculpture Center, or see the Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting exhibit at the Modern Museum in Fort Worth. 

Thursdays On Tap is a fun way for you to experience the Perot Museum of Nature and Science after hours.  You will enjoy the live music and drinks. And best of all, you’ll get full access to all the exhibit halls including the amazing, The Science Behind Pixar. 

Enjoy the Performing Arts

Violinists Orchestra

The Dallas Arts District, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the ATT Performing Arts Center in downtown Dallas are filled with fabulous theater, live music, concerts, and other performing arts events. Experience Soul Violinist Omari Dillard on September 1 at the Wyly Theater

Hear the music of the 1920s New York and Paris, cabarets and speakeasies on September 8 – 10, 2023 at the Meyerson Symphony Center as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Prohibition: The Music of Moulin Rouge, Boardwalk Empire, and More

Let’s Go to the Movies

Young people watching a movie

Forget about preparing a meal in a hot kitchen. Why not treat the family to dinner and a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse or the Studio Movie Grill?  You can enjoy watching movies like Barbie andr re-live the excitement of seeing dinosaurs with a  30th-anniversary viewing of Jurassic Park. Or see Paul Newman in the 1963 classic, Hud at the Palace Theater in Grapevine, TX. 

And that’s now all!

blue bowling ball and pins

Plan a fun family day out, date night, or even a  girls’ night at Alley Cats. They have something for everyone, including. Putt-Putt Golf, Batting Cages and Go-Carts. 

The thrill seekers in the family will love the rock climbing, ropes courses, and the other adventure experiences at  Boulder Adventure Park in  Grand Prairie, Texas.  Or you can experience your video game adventures at Eva Esports, the virtual reality esports platform in Flower Mound, Texas.  In their two giant 5,600 square-foot arenas you can face off against other players, play retro arcade games, and have fabulous cocktails and an upscale menu at their Cyber Bar. 

Why not give one or more of these cool ideas a try!


Have fun, and stay cool!
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It’s a Barbieheimer Summer at the Alamo Drafthouse

The Perfect Fusion of Glamour and Science

Young people watching a movie

Welcome to the “Barbieheimer Summer,” where the worlds of fashion and science collide in spectacular cinematic brilliance! This exciting summer brings us two blockbuster movies: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”

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Summer at the Dallas Arboretum 

Summer at the Dallas Arboretum 

Featuring Custom Murals, Peacocks, Plantings and Plenty of Shade

Summer at the Arboretum kicks off on June 1 and continues to August 14. It will feature music, food, custom mural art and family fun in the 66-acre Dallas garden. A highlight, carried over from Dallas Blooms, includes a massive pair of 13-foot-tall floral peacocks featuring ornately planted tails measuring more than 36 feet across.

From June 4 to 9, the Dallas Arboretum will feature local mural artists Alli KochMOMWill Heron and Favio Moreno as they create custom Birds in Paradise-inspired works. In the Lakeside Exhibit Area, these artists will be painting custom garden-inspired murals on massive outdoor canvases.

You are invited to an exclusive “Meet the Artists” night in the garden on July 26. The topiaries remain through August 7, and the completed murals through August 14. In June, the garden will display more than 50,000 new plantings with impatiens, lobelias, begonias, salvia, marigolds, zinnias, caladiums, lantana, vinca, and pentas.

There will also be 300 tropical elephant ears and 500 cannas creating the garden’s signature summer look. In addition, each week will feature free live music, seasonal food demonstrations in A Tasteful Place and fun family activities such as Bubble Picnics and special Movie Mondays, Dallas Zoo animals, Lucas Miller the Singing Zoologist and Window to the Wild. There are also live bands performing every weekend.

Dallas Blooms: Birds in Paradise

To complement the peacocks, the Dallas Arboretum will conduct bird-centric programming featuring guided hikes, expert talks, live bird demonstrations and petting zoos all summer long.

For a complete list of dates, visit On Family Fun Weekends. Activities include face painting, petting zoo, photos and more. Frozen Fridays also feature cool frozen treats from local shops for purchase. Holiday weekend events include face painting, petting zoo, party bands and vendor markets.

Father’s Day and Juneteenth Weekend Events

Jim Ryan, Dallas Arboretum board chairman, said, “Summer at the Arboretum is a wonderful time to visit as the garden is lush and cool in the shade. We have created even more shaded areas for you to enjoy, and July and August are affordable options for families.” 

Don’t miss an opening weekend full of events to celebrate Father’s Day and Juneteenth, including a curated photographic exhibition by local photographer Don Thomas II, who was recently featured on WFAA-TV and in D Magazine. Admission in July is $5 per person ages 2 and up.

Entrance is free to Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden on the weekends of June 18-20 and July 2-4, thanks to a generous donation from the Kelley Family. Parking is $11. Reservations are required and need to be made online at DallasArboretum.org in advance. 

$5 July Admission and August is only $3

August Dollar Days return at $3 per person ages 2 and up. Admission to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is an additional $3 per person.

New shaded structures:

  • Jeanne’s Pavilion along the Paseo near the entrance to the concert lawn is a perfect place to stop and rest under fans and heating bars; and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 2 p.m. from now to November, a pianist performs for those picnicking on the lawn or strolling by the site.
  • Nancy’s Knoll has two-level areas overlooking the concert lawn. During the day, visitors can enjoy picnics or rest under the trees here.
  • The Richard Grant Octagonal Fountain Courtyard provides more seating around the original fountain belonging to the DeGolyer family. But now the horticulture has been reinterpreted, making it a garden highlight.

Advanced timed tickets are required for entry to the Arboretum by calling 214-515-6615 or visiting: www.dallasarboretum.org/

Summer Kid Camps

young children in nature

Summer will be here soon, and it’s not too early to start making plans for your child to enjoy one of the fun and educational summer and day camps in the DFW area. Unfortunately, many of these popular camps will fill up fast. Fortunately, there are kid camps for any interest and age group. Take a look at a few of the DFW Summer Kid Camps:

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