Monday, June 29, 2020

Jurassic Quest: Prehistoric, Socially-Distant Fun in DFW!

On Sunday, the EA crew packed its bags and drove 30 minutes east on I30 to check out Jurassic Quest, a drive-thru dinosaur experience at Fair Park. We pulled in, streamed the audio tour through the minivan radio, learned some interesting facts about prehistoric creatures and snapped some great pictures... And we did it all from our vehicle!




I've seen a lot of mixed reviews on Facebook and Instagram, as well as less-than-stellar reviews from fellow influencers and bloggers who weren't blown away by Jurassic Quest 2020... So I'm going to do my best to breakdown the experience for you so you can decide for yourself whether you want to make the drive and spend $49 on the event.



First, the facts:
Jurassic Quest is running now until July 12 at Fair Park in Dallas.
It is $49 per vehicle to enter the event.
The event opens at 9 am and closes at 8 pm. When you purchase tickets, you will choose which time you would like to attend.
Allow 1.5-2 hours to get through the line and the experience.
There are souvenirs for purchase but no food. Bring snacks!
There are port-a-potties on site.
There are additional activity kits available for purchase online.
You remain in your vehicle the entire event- which means no one gets to complain about the heat because of the air conditioning!
There is an optional free digital photo at the end.

We pulled up to Jurassic Quest at about 9:15 am on Sunday morning and were surprised to see how many cars were already in line. But the line moved quickly! We left the Fair Park parking lot around 11 am, and that included a potty stop before we headed back to Arlington.

We plugged my phone into our minivan speaker and enjoyed listening to the guided audio tour. The narrators tried to make it both fun and educational (my girls loved when someone "broke in" to the broadcast to announce the T Rexes had gone missing...) The dinosaurs were spaced out quite a bit so cars wouldn't pile up too much and prolong the drive-thru experience. The narrators told us when to pause the audio so we were able to follow along from display to display and learn interesting facts about all the dinosaurs! My favorite was the ammomite- did you know these grew up to 6 feet tall?!



I'll be honest- my girls mostly loved being able to take turns sticking their heads out of the car's sunroof and telling me about the top-level view of each display. The speed limit through the event is 5 miles per hour, which is the only reason I allowed this to occur. They also loved sitting together on the captain's chairs and switching from side to side to catch a glimpse at all the animatronic dinosaurs! We allowed the girls to move throughout the vehicle freely while we were inside the event space and then stopped at the end to readjust car seats and booster seats and get everyone buckled in properly for the ride back.



Halfway through, you drive through an optional souvenir area, where you can purchase various animals. At the end, you have the option to have your photo taken and are given a QR code to retrieve it online after the event.

My girls loved seeing the meglodon at the end of the experience, although they are convinced that the one on display was not true-to-size (they tout themselves as shark experts!). We probably spent the longest time of the entire experience admiring this terrifying creature from our vehicle!

Okay, I"m going to go rogue and be perfectly honest here. Yes, I was given a free pass to this event in exchange for my honest review, and that's what I'm going to give you.

Times are different. Things are different. This is certainly not the same event I would have expected to attend one year ago. Did it lack "ambiance?" Yep. You lose a certain amount magic when you can't set the lighting and sounds to match the mood of the event. The scenes were spaced out quite a bit to allow cars to move freely without too much back up... But that also meant there was a lot of downtime while we drove from spot to spot. I can't stress enough that you should pack your snacks (and your phone charger!) so the kids keep busy between displays.



The night before I ventured out to Jurassic Quest, I went to the Garth Brooks Drive In Concert Experience at Coyote Drive In in Fort Worth. It was expensive (more so than JQ!) and certainly didn't sub in for a true Garth Brooks Concert in any way. BUT, I was able to stay in my car. I was able to keep an appropriate, socially-acceptable distance from everyone around me. I didn't have to touch any public space unless I chose to use the bathroom or visit the concession stand. I was outside or in my personal vehicle, and I did wear a mask when I went to wash my hands in the restroom. All things considered, I think it was a decent way to get out and enjoy some entertainment during this time.

So, back to Jurassic Quest... Do I think it's worth $49? To be honest? Yes. Do I recommend you bringing teenagers? Probably not. But my girls, who are 6, 8 and 10, as well as my niece, who is 4, and a friend, who is 9, all really enjoyed it. We packed the car full of 7 people (as many as my car would legally hold), making the amount per person $7. It was definitely worth that! But even if you only plan to bring one or two kids, I think you can absolutely have a good time that will keep you socially distanced and allow your kids to have a great Summer 2020 experience. Remember, we are all navigating this summer together... Don't set sky-high expectations. Honestly, I think I enjoyed viewing the dinosaurs a lot more this way than I would have if I had to fight crowds to get up close and snap a picture or pay to access the audio guide and put on headphones that countless others have had on their ears.

I thought the experience was fun and different- a nice change of pace from our normal daily routine. The EA crew recommends as long as you keep in mind that this experience may not line up with the expectations you would have had a year ago! I highly recommend finding a friend with a minivan or SUV and putting a bottom in each seat belt. You will end up paying a lot less per person this way and control the germs you come in contact with (even check-in at the event is contactless!).


Tuesday, June 16, 2020

The EA Guide to Arlington-area Splash Pads & Water Parks

The Everything Arlington girls are so ready for some water fun in the Texas Sun for Summer 2020!

We rounded up all the splash pads and water parks in the Arlington area- and let you know which age of kiddos we think each spot is perfect for!


SPLASH PADS
Splash pads in Arlington are free, and they have no standing water, meaning these spots are great for the tiniest water babies! Grab your sunscreen and towel and head on over to one of these spots!

California Lane- 2001 California Lane, 76015





 Brantley Hinshaw Park- 2121 Overbrook Drive, 76014

**Don Misenheimer Park- 201 E. Lonesome Dove Trail, 76002

**Misenheimer is an EA FAVE splash pad! Complete with bathrooms and an adjacent play area, this spot will keep your kiddos happy for hours!

Splash Pads outside Arlington

Clayton Chandler Park- 1530 N Walnut Creek Drive, Mansfield. This spot has a play area and bathrooms!

Safari Splash at the Fort Worth Zoo- Spend a day at the FW Zoo and don't forget your swimsuit! Safari Splash is great for the 8 and under set- and it does require an additional fee.



We are SO bummed to see that Splash Factory in Grand Prairie is closed for the season due to construction. We love this spot- but the Website says see you in 2021.

POOLS
Arlington has some fantastic pools for kiddos of all ages.
Don't forget- you MUST sign up on line this year to reserve your time! All pools are linked below.
Tuesday is TWO FOR ONE admission! That's right... Get in two swimmers for the price of one at all open pools every Tuesday this summer!

Allen Bolden Outdoor Pool- 2800A South Center Street, 76014

**BK Family Aquatic Center- 2800 W. Sublett Rd., 76017

**BK Pool is an EA favorite! This pool has slides, a splash pad, a shallow pool and deep pools for diving. This spot literally has something for everyone!

Helen Wessler Play Pool- 2310 Greenway Street, 76010

**Howard Moore Play Pool- 1999 Bever Blvd, 76013

** Howard Moore is an EA favorite for the 5 and under set! This pool has a large play structure in the center, a beach entry and is only 18 inches deep at the deepest point. Perfect for littles!

Hugh Smith Indoor Pool- 1815 New York Ave, 76010

**Randol Mill Family Aquatic Center- 1924 Randol Mill Park, 76012

** Randol Mill is an EA Favorite! The girls love the lazy river and slide, and the froggie-focused little kid area entertains the under 5 set for hours!

                     


Woodland West Outdoor Pool- 3200 Norwood Lane, 76013

Pools outside Arlington

Tyre Outdoor Pool- only $1 admission!- 2327 Tyre Street, GP

Bowles Outdoor Pool- 2714 Graham Street, GP

McFalls Outdoor Pool- 505 Dickey Rd., GP

WATERPARKS

**Hurricane Harbor- Park Reopens June 18 for members and June 22 for everyone- 1800 E. Lamar Blvd, 76006

** EA Favorite waterpark because it is close to home- and if you purchase a season pass, you can go all summer long for a relatively inexpensive price! We pay for our passes in 3-4 visits!

Waterparks outside Arlington

Hawaiian Falls Mansfield- 490 Heritage Parkway South, Mansfield

**Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark Grand Prairie- 2970 Epic Place, GP

**EA Favorite Waterpark!! We love that this park is indoors- so we don't need to bring sunscreen! (Although, if you want to check out the new outdoor wavepool, we highly recommend bringing sunscreen! But this spot is open year-round, meaning the EA crew can enjoy the pool even in January! The slides and lazy river keep us busy for hours!


NRH2O (opens today, 6/15)- 9001 Blvd. 26, North Richland Hills