Ideas for Staycation

We did a spring break staycation and we went to the Dallas zoo, Arboretum for a picnic with family, Grapevine to the Rainforest cafe and then to see the Lorax, Texas Discovery Gardens, the park - oh and we ate out every night or ordered pizza. Other wise it's not a vacation for me!!
I wanted to go out to Glen Rose to Fossil Rim- but my husband had to go out of town and that sounded like too much for me to do with 3 kids under 6.

It seems you've been in the Dallas area for a couple of years.... so do you mean things OTHER than:
a Texas Ranger game
Six Flags
Dealey Plaza
Hurrican Harbor
Great Wolf Lodge
Dallas Arboretum
Dallas Zoo
Ft. Worth Zoo
Tour the new Cowboys Stadium
Grapevine Mills Mall
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Lake Texoma
Dallas world Aquarium..
I really could go on... make google your new friend :)

Jimathome had some great suggestions. Don't forget the 6th Floor Museum (if the kids are old enough). Also, be sure to take in a Rangers game. We also enjoyed the Reunion Tower. It will be more fun if you take a list of places you want to look for (look for your house, etc).

Lego land and a seaworld/life place.. They give discounts for both if you go to both.

For dinner ideas go to the "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" website. I've watched their TV show for years now and have made it a point to eat at restaurants they have featured. I loved every one I've tried in the Dallas Fort Worth area.

The "Shoo - Fly Inn" in Biloxi was my only disappointment, and I think it was because I ordered the red-beans and rice which was one of the items featured on the show. A very bland entree, and I like spicy food.

Hope you have a wonderful time. Good luck to you and yours.

I can't give specific ideas for your location, but I can give you a bit of advice. We did a "staycation" about 2 years ago. We planned a special outing for almost every day. We went places that we could do on a weekend, but we just never make it there. We have a Great Wolf Lodge in our area and so that was our one big splurge. I had a whole list of places to go or things to do before our "staycation" began. If you are like us, if you don't have a plan you won't actually do anything and once your time is over you'll possibly feel like you had wasted time off.

Have Fun!

M

Gaylord Texan in Grapevine has a water park that opened up last year and I heard great things about it, but never made it before I moved. Also, there is Great Wolf Lodge, and Legoland and an Aquarium opened up at Grapevine Mills. I don't know how old your kids are, but they just built a Wakeboard simulation place in Allen. My friend took her 10 year old there for her birthday and they had a great time. I don't know exactly where, but when I used to get the Allen magazine, it always had an ad for a campground in Oklahoma and it claimed to be about 1 1/2 hours away. I also priced renting an RV and I remember they weren't that expensive, but I had car seat issues so I didn't rent one.

1. Visit splashpads….often (this is my favorite non-crowded splash park).
2. Dress the boys up in boots and explore the Ft. Worth Stockyards.
3. Go fruit-picking at Hams Orchard.
4. Eat lots of dinners as a family on the back patio.
5. Build a bird feeder with the kids and make a game out of bird watching.
6. Leave the boys with a sitter and enjoy a romantic picnic and concert with the hubby at theArboretum Concert series.
7. Make the drive to Burgers Lake in Ft. Worth and enjoy swimming and splashing all day.
8. Lots of picnics at White Rock Lake.
9. Enjoy the cute scenery and everything else Downtown Grapevine has to offer.
10. Take the train from Dallas to Ft. Worth just for fun (because what kid doesn’t love a good ole’ train ride?)
11. Watch movies outside at the Waterscreek Movies by the Creek series (or at any of the other outdoor shopping centers that usually do this–spring schedules should be released soon).
12. Rangers Game with the family.
13. “Camp” in the backyard….tint, s’mores, campfire meal, stargazing….with Pinterest the possibilities are endless.
14. Make a few trips to the Children’s Museum inside the Museum of Nature and Science.
15. Make a few trips to the Zoo (before it get’s too scorching hot!)
16. Visit a few local Farmers Market (my favorite is right up the road at the White Rock Local Market)
17. Hunt for hidden gems in garage sales
18. Weekend trip to Austin…it’s only a 3 hour drive away.
19. Swoon over all the amazing homes at the Swiss Avenue Mother’s Day Home Tour
20. Listen to music on a blanket at the free Concerts by the Lake series in Rockwall.
21. Galaxy Drive-In Theatre in Ennis, Texas

Go to tripadvisor.com and put your local area in the search. You'll get reviews on nearby restaurants and attractions that vistors to your home town have enjoyed.
That site is awesome, I don't plan a vacation without it, ever. Another good review site is yelp.com but it's more Northern Cal based so I'm not sure what it will have for you.
Another fun and money saving summer activity we do sometimes is a one night vacation. Get up really early, drive a few hours to a destination with lots of fun things to do, enjoy the area and spend one night. You have the entire next day to play and then drive home in the evening. One night is cheap but your family will feel like they are really going somewhere.

My kids love the zoo's Dallas and Ft Worth. The aquariem in Dallas is really cool. There are lots of water parks that you can go to. There are lots of state parks around that you can go to. For an over night we love Sea World. It's not that far away and so much fun!!! I am in the same boat I am trying to figure out something to do with my kids for my vacation as well that wont cost a lot.