Affordable Fun
How to get into Dallas' best museums and attractions on the cheap
With schools now out for the summer, many parents will be looking for ways to entertain their children — and cheaply. The new Dallas CityPass is one way to accomplish that goal, as it gives discounted admission to some of the city's best attractions.
For $30 for children 3-12 and $44 for anyone 13 and over, you get tickets to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and Reunion Tower Geo-Deck, and then a choice between the Dallas Zoo or the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, and George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum or Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. With a maximum regular cost of $46 for kids and $65 for adults, that's quite the savings.
Of course, there is a hitch: CityPass is mostly aimed at tourists, so you must visit all four places within a period of nine days once you hit up the first location. But you can start the CityPass at any time and visit the attractions in any order you choose, which offsets the compressed time period a bit.
If you find that you don't want to make a choice between the last four places, the booklet also contains small discount coupons for the Sixth Floor Museum, George W. Bush Presidential Library and Dallas Arboretum. Keep in mind that the CityPass is only good for regular admission to the arboretum; admission to the Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden, which is a must-see, is $3 extra per person.
Purchases of the CityPass, which is also available in 11 other cities in North America, can be made online or at the box office of each of the attractions. And if you buy one and forget about it for a while, no worries — you have until February 28, 2017, to start using it.