Snorkel With Stingrays or Travel Back in Time, Summer in Fort Worth Is Epic

Continuing our series of fun things to do with kids this summer in North Texas, this week we’re heading to Fort Worth. Now, anybody can throw together a decent list of things to do this Summer in Fort Worth with kids without much thought: the Fort Worth Zoo, the Water Gardens, Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, the entire amazing Museum District, and don’t forget the Stockyards. But that would just be obvious, and that’s not the content you came here for.

By all means, definitely do those things! But let’s dig a little deeper, and add a few more treasures to your list of summer fun to be had in the Fort this summer.

Cowtown Coliseum

Cowtown Coliseum is not only a fun destination where you can catch a real live rodeo every Friday and Saturday night year round, but a pretty fascinating historic gem. The coliseum was built in 1907, and was the first indoor rodeo in the world. In 1932, it was home to the world’s first live radio broadcast of a rodeo on WBAP. 

If you’re looking for a fun daytime event, the Stockyards Championship Rodeo takes place on July 22 (and the next few Saturdays) at 1:30. Check Facebook for special event pricing, as kids under 12 are often FREE!

Rooftop Cinema Club

Something about summertime makes us want to watch movies outside. Maybe it’s because nighttime is the only part of the day when it’s tolerable to be outside by a certain part of the summer. But if outdoor movies are your thing, how about outdoors, and on top of a building? At Rooftop Cinema Club, you can see both current-run and nostalgic movies under the stars, atop The Worthington Hotel terrace. They provide lawn games, movie concessions, and a full menu and bar service from The Worthington Hotel kitchen. Children are welcome to showtimes before 9pm during the summer, and they are showing some fun family favorites this summer, like The Sandlot, and ET, the Extra-Terrestrial

Burger’s Lake

If you’re looking for splashtastic fun this summer in Fort Worth, skip the long lines and high prices of the water parks, and head over to Burger’s Lake for a fun day in the water. This 30-acre park features two sandy beaches, water slides, diving boards, and a water trapeze, and you can rent inner tubes and water toys. Bring your own food to grill and picnic under the shade trees, or snack on food and drinks from the snack bar on site. Burger’s Lake is a one-acre, spring fed lake that is nonetheless chlorinated for safety. It is also attended by lifeguards. You can book groups ahead of time for parties or special events, and there are also sand and grass volleyball courts on site.

Seaquest Interactive Aquarium

There are a few aquariums around the North Texas area, and they all have their claims to fame. Seaquest Interactive Aquarium in Fort Worth is a new discovery for me, but I’m late to the party, because they opened back in 2017. This is not just an aquarium though. It’s a “land and sea adventure.” And while they do have exhibits that you just look at, the main draw here is that you have a “choose your own adventure,” set-up where you get to pick from an assortment of interactive experiences with land and sea creatures from five different continents.

You can snorkel with stingrays! Interact with and feed a variety of exotic creatures like an albino porcupine, Asian otters, a sloth, or a sugar glider. Go on a Bird Safari, or the How to Be a Zookeeper Safari, the Under the Sea Safari, or a package of your choice of these adventures. What a cool opportunity for kids and families to experience exotic land and sea creatures, and the professionals who work with them!

Log Cabin Village

Leave behind the screens, machines, and the hustle and bustle of the present to experience what life was like for Texans in the pioneer era (1840-1890). The Log Cabin Village is a living history museum operated by the City of Fort Worth, and is a collection of restored log houses and structures that were moved to the site to preserve the history and display different aspects of pioneer life. Museum volunteers, dressed in period costume, guide you through the different buildings, demonstrations, and exhibits, in character.

There are group tour options that include period activities and crafts, pioneer cooking, and a “day in the life” of a pioneer school child. While The Log Cabin Village is not temperature-controlled, it is a lovely, shaded grove, and you can bring a picnic to enjoy before or after your tour.

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Fort Worth is exploding with activities this summer, and we’ve only scratched the surface. We may need to do a second column. If you have great activities to share for our series covering things to do in North Texas this summer with kids, send us a message!