A Rail Good Time for the Whole Family

Opportunities for family adventures abound up and down the DART lines. Kids of all ages love trains, and riding the DART is part of the fun. 

DART’s light rail vehicles offer comfort, plenty of space inside, level boarding for those with strollers, and great value.

by Tricia White | Managing Editor

A DART Rail ride up the Red Line to Downtown Plano Station delivers you to the Interurban Railway Museum in Haggard Park. The Interurban Railway linked Plano with much of North Texas until 1948. The interactive museum teaches visitors about the history and science of the railway – including a guided railway car tour!

 

 

Near West End Station, the Dallas World Aquarium, is a watery wonderland where exotic sea life swim in more than 85,000 gallons of saltwater. A glass tunnel provides visitors a panoramic view of reef life.

 

 

 

Just a few blocks from the aquarium, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science will spark the curiosity of young and old alike.  Hands-on learning activities make the Perot a living science lesson. Discover the fun of science with your whole family on the second Saturday of each month; those are the museum’s Discovery Days. This summer will feature the themes Inventions; Creatures & Critters; and Super Scientists. The Perot is located on the D-Link, or it is a short walk from the Akard or West End Stations.

 

Kids can have an adventure learning how to rock climb in a safe, air-conditioned environment in the North Texas Outdoor Pursuit Center, located in a former grain silo near Downtown Carrollton Station. While you’re there, hit up Babe’s Chicken Dinner House for some of the best fried chicken in town.

 

The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) connects downtown Dallas to the more laid-back atmosphere of Fort Worth. Stroll the Sundance Square district, not far from the ITC Station, where family-oriented restaurants are sprinkled liberally among more grown-up bistros and pubs, or take the Fort Worth T’s Route 7 directly from the ITC Station to the Fort Worth Zoo or the Cultural District.

 

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is geared toward engaging its younger visitors; it includes the spectacular Omni Theater with its dazzling, 80-foot, domed screen. The nearby

For more family adventure ideas, visit DART.org/DARTable.