Dallas Stay-Cation | McGowan Images Blog

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Dallas Stay-Cation

When we took the McG littles on our two-week west coast road trip right after Christmas, we saw & did a LOT. It’s our custom to vacation just as hard as we work, and our kids always know there will be lots to enjoy when we take trips.

But one of our favorite times in that awesome trip was the night we spent cooped up in our motel room in Flagstaff, AZ, making a blanket fort and eating delivery pizza and watching movies. That night got Mack and I thinking… we could probably do a really awesome “trip” in Dallas, and have the hotel room be a big part of the fun!

So last Sunday afternoon, we packed up the kids and drove an hour and a half northeast and surprised them with a little “staycation” in Dallas. We visited the Dallas World Aquarium first, then checked into our “fancy” hotel (with Hilton points, wahoo!!), and had dinner at Perry’s in uptown. After dinner, we played in the rooftop pool, ate room-service dessert, and watched that crazy guy walk a wire across the Grand Canyon. On Monday, we ate breakfast at BreadWinners and soaked up a few hours at the beyond-incredible Perot Science Museum before some time at the mall.

That’s it. Just a weekend in Dallas. And we made some incredible memories. It’s so nice to remember that we don’t have to plan these huge interstate adventures in order to create a little quality time out of the “norm” with our sweet family. 🙂

I tried to just be IN the moments at dinner & the hotel, but I did manage to grab these two that perfectly capture who our kids are this summer. Dorothy is dramatic and exploring EVERYTHING, and Jack is most likely to be found curled up devouring a book.

The music exhibit outside the Perot really caught their attention… probably because it was early in the morning and not BLAZING hot yet!

This next image captures the moment when Dorothy had a true-life emotional breakdown upon realizing that all dinosaurs were extinct. She seriously couldn’t handle the devastation and just CRIED and cried and cried.

While she took a little post-breakdown nap on my lap, Mack and Jack created pieces to put in the giant recycle reef exhibit!

And upon waking up, Dorothy watercolored her name and a cultural mask, and all was right with the world again. 🙂

The Perot museum is WONDERFUL, and I highly recommend a visit. I know we’ll be going back as many times as we can!

  1. Laura says:

    That’s how I feel about the dinosaurs being extinct, too.

  2. Angie says:

    Oh gosh, the dinosaur breakdown just broke my heart! Such a sweet little soul, and Jack is such a good big brother to comfort her that way!

  3. Caasi says:

    the first picture with your little one looking out the window is precious!! and the dinosaur meltdown is just so sweet! Poor little girl 🙁 what an awesome big brother though!

  4. megB says:

    I CANNOT handle her right now. She’s just… she’s just my favorite.

  5. Melissa Owens Reasoner says:

    I love Dot’s outfit in these pictures! Hope it was a great trip 🙂

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