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Synopsis of book
With more than 5 million people, the Dallas/Fort Worth region is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. A Parent�s Guide to Dallas/Fort Worth is the authoritative parent�s guidebook to the entire region by long-time resident, journalist, and parent Kevin J. Shay.
Whether you�re a new resident, visitor, or veteran North Texan, this book will give you the insight and tips needed to take full advantage of the many family-oriented museums, theaters, sports facilities, entertainment venues, parks, shopping centers, restaurants, and other attractions. This book is the first parent�s guide to take on the ambitious task of covering the entire region, from Lake Texoma to Mineral Wells to Waco to Tyler, complete with easy-to-follow sections so you can focus on a particular neighborhood.
The book details the family-friendly programs and events at popular attractions, such as multi-cultural classes about dinosaurs at The Science Place in Dallas and a telescope viewing session at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. There are tips on how to get the best deal to enjoy Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor, as well as some excellent family water parks run by cities like North Richland Hills and Rowlett.
Besides the obvious family entertainment, this book covers more unusual activities and places, such as watching buffalo eat in the wild, viewing a real Western cattle drive led by authentic cowboys, digging for 100 million-year-old fossils, swimming by actual dinosaur tracks, and hiking among ancient American Indian temple mounds.
The attractions are brought to life in Kevin�s personal style that goes beyond relaying sterile facts and information. While he grew up and has lived in Dallas/Fort Worth for almost four decades, visiting - or in many cases, revisiting - the sites with his son, wife, other family members, and friends helped him unearth new family adventures and rediscover places that had been in his hometown all along.
Table of Contents
Introduction
How to Use This Book
Map of Entire Area
Chapter One: The Basics
Transportation - Getting around the area
Keeping Your Child Safe
Dealing with the Heat in the Summer
Tips to Save Money
Chapter Two: Major Attractions
Fort Worth Stockyards
Fair Park
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Fort Worth Cultural District
Dallas Arts District
The Zoos
Six Flags Over Texas
Chapter Three: Downtown and Uptown Dallas - Includes Oak Lawn community north of downtown
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Four: North Dallas and Suburbs - Includes Highland Park, University Park, Richardson, Addison, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Coppell
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Five: East Dallas and Suburbs - Includes Mesquite, Garland, Rowlett, Sunnyvale, Balch Springs, Seagoville, Sachse
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Six: South Dallas and Suburbs - Includes Lancaster, DeSoto, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, Hutchins, Wilmer, Cockrell Hill
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Seven: West Dallas and Suburbs - Includes Irving, Grand Prairie, D/FW International Airport
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Eight: Fort Worth and Suburbs - Includes Benbrook, Forest Hill, Everman, Edgecliff, Crowley, Burleson, Lake Worth, River Oaks, Westworth Village, Westover Hills, White Settlement, Saginaw, Blue Mound
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Nine: Arlington/Southeast Tarrant County - Includes Mansfield, Kennedale, Pantego, Dalworthington Gardens
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Ten: Northeast Tarrant County - Includes Grapevine, Euless, Hurst, Bedford, Colleyville, Southlake, Westlake, Keller, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Haltom City, Watauga
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Eleven: Plano/Collin County - Includes Allen, McKinney, Frisco, Parker, Lucas, Murphy, Wylie, St. Paul, Fairview, Anna, Melissa, Celina, Princeton, Prosper, Weston
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Twelve: Denton County - Includes Denton, Lewisville, The Colony, Flower Mound, Lake Dallas, Argyle, Justin, Roanoke, Ponder, Krum, Aubrey, Hebron, Little Elm, Sanger, Pilot Point
Museums/Theaters
Entertainment/Sports Venues
Parks/Nature Areas
Shopping/Food
Miscellaneous
Chapter Thirteen: Day Trips
North - Bonham, Denison, Sherman, Gainesville, Turner Falls, Okla.
Northeast - Paris, Greenville, Sulphur Springs, Texarkana
East - Tyler, Canton, Terrell, Longview, Jefferson, Marshall
Southeast - Athens, Ennis, Corsicana, Palestine, Rusk, Fairfield, Alto
South - Waxahachie, Hillsboro, Waco
Southwest - Glen Rose, Granbury, Stephenville
West - Weatherford, Mineral Wells, Breckenridge
Northwest - Boyd, Bridgeport, Decatur, Wichita Falls
Appendix
Calendar of special events
Birthday party suggestions
How D/FW cities rank in country
Resources - Internet sites with more info, parenting magazines, convention & visitors bureaus
Author�s Biography:
Kevin J. Shay, 45, grew up in Dallas and has lived and worked in the area since 1965. Through his work as a writer and editor for newspapers and magazines � from The Dallas Morning News and Arlington Morning News to Dallas Child magazine - he has chronicled the Dallas/Fort Worth region�s development from two large cities with some suburbs to a more cohesive metropolis that is attracting young families in droves.
An award-winning writer with more than two decades of professional experience, Kevin has studied the area and its rich diversity and complexities, and has even co-authored a book on local history. As a husband, father, a former board member of a Dallas youth organization, and contributor to probably the area�s most widely read parenting magazine, Kevin knows just where your family can enjoy its best experiences in this dynamic region.
©2008 Parent's Guide Press/Mars Publishing Inc.
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