Plano has your kids in mind when it comes to having a great time with the family!
Plano, TX, is situated north of Dallas, about 20 minutes away, but you’ll want to allow more time due to traffic. My son and I visited Plano for a weekend and enjoyed our time in the city. Believe it or not, the one thing I thought I would not enjoy is the one thing I enjoyed the most. Read on to find out what it was. Your family (I almost promise) will love these family-fun attractions in Plano, TX.
The City of Plano has many family-fun attractions around every corner. From bowling, escape rooms, trampoline parks, museums, and the Crayola Experience, you will surely find many things to do that will suit the whole family.
Just 30 minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Plano is one of North Texas’s top destinations year-round. We did not have time to visit downtown Plano during our visit, but it’s a vibrant community of urban living, featuring performing arts, galleries, event venues, unique shops, and independently owned restaurants.
Visit Plano hosted our visit. All my opinions are my very own.
Family-Fun Attractions In Plano, TX
Whether you bring young kids and teens, go as a couple, or even go solo, Plano is a thriving city with much to do. No one is going to get bored!
When there, take some time to visit the Plano Station Dart Rail and Haggard Park. I hear both are worth a trip, but we didn’t get to either.
Dive Into The Crayola Experience
A huge atttraction in Plano, TX, The Crayola Experience, is an unforgettable experience. You and your family will enjoy interactive exhibits, and your kids can dip one of their fists in wax – literally! Now, that’s a souvenir worth keeping! There’s an extra cost for this – I think it was $15. But of course, there are plenty of free activities to do for the price you pay to enter. Each paying person receives a bag of goodies, including clay, crayons, and other items. We built fun figures with the clay and used our Crayola crayons to draw on our coloring page—there was way more to do than I can remember. Check out the website, and you’ll see it all.
My son and I had a wonderful time there. We spent over three hours, and I’m still unsure if we’ve seen it all. Depending on your family size, you can allow yourself at least three hours here. There is also a food counter if you get the munchies.
The Crayola Experience is inside The Shops at Willow Bend, with free covered parking.
Southfork Ranch
There are plenty of reasons people visit Southfork. I think everyone knows it was the setting of the famous TV show – “Dallas.” From 1978 to 1991, the Ewing family filled our homes with stories about lust and money, and we were glued to the TV. The series is long over, but Southfork Ranch remains alive and thriving. It offers home tours of the main house, trail rides, horseback riding lessons, and an excellent museum that recreates various show scenes.
The gift shop has everything from clothing, memorabilia, and monogrammed merchandise. If you’re a Dallas fan, you may want to bring a wad of money!
Heritage Farmstead Museum
Enjoy a little piece of history at this 4.5-acre living farm in Plano. Heritage Farmstead Museum depicts life in the Victorian Era on the Blackland Prairie. Family activities, including ground tours, wagon rides, and feeding the chickens, are available. If you’re lucky, they may have a special event on the farm that you and your family can attend. Fees are minimal.
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve
Take a walk along the 6-mile paved and unpaved hiking trail at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve that offers a beautiful scene along the creek – be sure to watch for all kinds of wildlife. If time allows, bring a family picnic to enjoy under the covered pavilion and let the kids play on the playground. Pets are welcome on a leash, and restrooms are nearby.
If you’re into biking, bring it along to ride the 2.8-mile off-road bike trail.
Go Ape Ziplining And Adventure Park
Ziplining at Go Ape Adventures is fun and thrilling. I did this back when it first opened, and though it was exhausting climbing all those stairs to get to the next zip line, I enjoyed it very much. Kids 10 and older will enjoy climbing the treetops as they’ve got way more stamina than we do – so they’ll love zipping across to the next line, then repeat. The park is located inside Oak Point Park.
Waterfront Dining At Granite Park
The Boardwalk at Granite Park offers superb waterfront dining at several casual restaurants. Start walking and take your pick from the row of eateries. Most, if not all, offer indoor and outdoor seating. Fans are on when it’s hot, and some have firepits when it’s cold outside.
There are also family-friendly games to play outdoors, like cornhole. We ate at two restaurants, and I let my grandson pick one, and I decided on the other. He chose Fork&Fire, where he had a “grown-up” meal of shrimp and scallops. We ate at The Union Bear the next night, which I decided for us. The homemade mac & cheese he ordered was so big we took it back to the hotel and finished it up the next day.
If you’re coming to Plano for more than a day to enjoy Granite Park, you’re steps away from the Hilton Plano Granite Park, where we stayed for two nights. It’s a hop, skip, and jump to The Boardwalk. And we especially loved walking around the water to get there. The Legacy West shopping center is minutes away for some great shopping.
There are many family-fun attractions in Plano, TX, and you have many choices, but choosing what you want to do is all part of the journey and memories. And if you’re a dog lover, be sure to bring them because Plano is pet-friendly.
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