Review - Texas - Dallas - Dallas Arboretum - Dallas Blooms

Next weekend is the last weekend for the Dallas Blooms event at the Dallas Arboretum. Dallas Blooms is the spectacular annual Spring event whereby thousands of tulips and other flowers bloom in amazing displays. This year they have the theme "America the Beautiful" with some nice photo-op vertical planters and a giant American flag.



Pre-registration and pre-purchase of tickets is required - this event does sell out. When you purchase tickets on the website, you will select the time slot you desire to enter (sold in increments of 15 minute slots). Also be sure to add parking to your order and if you desire to visit the Children's Gardens, add those too. Members must also pre-register (and add parking and Childrens' Garden as well).

America the Beautiful photo-ops:



It looked like a lot of the Covid precautionary tape and directional signs had been removed. Water fountains were still unavailable so be sure to bring your own bottled water (and snacks!). A lot of people enjoy picnics in the gardens. There were also several outdoor weddings set up in several of the garden areas and you could see bridal photo sessions going on throughout. The busiest area is actually the Woman's Garden (with the infinity pools and the picture-frames).

If you arrive at the gate without tickets, you may still be able to purchase last-minute tickets if they didn't sell out:

The Children's Garden is open and all the activities were running. Be sure to check the daily guide ahead of time to see what hands-on activities will be taking place when and where (usually in the discovery center or outside of it).



Overall Family Review:

• 16 year old - Was fine taking pictures in the gardens
• 11 year old - Enjoyed the Children's Garden activities
• 6 year old - Enjoyed the Children's Garden activities

Review - Florida - Orlando - Disney Springs - Blaze Pizza

Disney Springs can get super-crowded during Spring Break (which is the season spanning across March and April as different schools take off different times).

Every restaurant had a long line for dinner, including Blaze Pizza. But, I quickly found their mobile ordering app!

You can place your order ahead of time on their app and they will text you when it's ready to pick up. This is perfect when you don't want to wait in a long line (or, more accurately, your kids don't want to wait).


I ordered cheesy bread which came with plenty of pieces to share and some marinara dipping sauce.

I ordered 2 custom pizzas (11"). They don't seem to limit the number of toppings so we put a little bit of everything on those. My only complaint was that you can't do half-pizza like at other pizza ordering companies (such as putting onions on only one-half of the pizza and peppers on the other-half). It's all-or-nothing for the toppings. So picky eaters will have to manually extract things they don't like.

The prices were pretty good for Disney. Turn-around for the order was pretty quick despite the long lines. Once it was ready, I went into the exit door and right to the pick-up counter. The staff was very friendly and exceptional. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and we'll be back again next time!

Overall Family Review:

• 16 year old - Enjoyed the custom pizza (and getting to decide what to put on it)
• 11 year old - Shared piza with his brother
• 6 year old - Picky eater; enjoyed the cheesy bread

Review - Florida - Orlando - Disney Springs

Whenever I'm in Florida, I almost always end up at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida. It's a shopping and restaurant mecca within Walt Disney World.

Parking in any of the garages is free (for the time being!). They have smart parking whereby you can see how many spots are available per floor and then you look for the green light for an open spot. After you park, you will head to the second floor via elevator or stairs.


Before you can enter Disney Springs, you must now go through a temperature and security check. This long, unorganized line took quite some time. People were not social-distancing if that's important to you. They did require masks.

Since this visit occurred during what I call
Spring Break season", around 6pm EST, it was crowded (as it was pre-Covid). The dinner crowd was out in full-force and long lines were seen at every restaurant.

The Disney Store now requires shoppers to enter a queue to be allowed in the store a few at a time. The Disney Store line (which is hidden on the far side of the building) took over 45 minutes.


The Lego Store had some new decor on the outside - Fantasia Mickey, Star Wars characters, and Frozen. They removed the buildable racecar area and put in a queue to enter the store.

Disney Springs did offer entertainment - there was a concert playing on the stage area and there were other "local" musicians. Some of the shops had closed early (around 8pm EST). We skipped some of our favorite places because the lines were too long. Overall, it's starting to feel more normal (pre-Covid).

Review - Florida - Miami - Zoo Miami

Zoo Miami has been on my bucket list for Florida for awhile and we finally got the opportunity to visit during Spring Break. It's a lengthy drive to Zoo Miami from the city, but it was worth it. The space, greenery and layout was appealing when we arrived. Parking is free.

Since we visited the zoo with a reciprocal membership ticket (for 50% off ticket prices), we were able to get our tickets at the window. Otherwise, you need to purchase your tickets online ahead of time. Current prices are $22.95 for people 13+ and $18.95 for children ages 3-12.

Currently, masks are required but no temperatures were taken and no one enforced the mask policy.

Since we visited on a weekday, there was no crowd at all. Lines were short and fast.


To participate in the Virtual Egg Hunt, you need to download a third-party app called Eventzee, enter the ZooMiami code, then scan each QR coded egg as you find them along your journey. Each egg comes with a hint which the kids enjoyed deciphering (even though the eggs are in order as you walk along the path). My only complaint was that the game says one treat per device but the attendant at the end of the game refused to honor that and said it was one per family.

The zoo is beautiful and the habitats are natural-looking.

If you prefer not to do a lot of walking, you can pedal around instead on a rented surrey bike. Prices start at $39 for a small bike or $54 for a larger bike, for three hours.

They had pedal boats (to rent?) but no one was attending it that day.

Lots of fun photo-ops. We got a big kick out of the last one - some people might find it rude, but we laughed.

Our overall family review:

• 16 year old - Enjoyed the photo ops
• 11 year old - Enjoyed the egg hunt
• 6 year old - Liked the animals; got bored with the egg hunt

Review - Texas - Grapevine - Legoland Discovery Center

March 2021 is the ten year anniversary of this hidden gem. Legoland Discovery Center is tucked in the back of the Grapevine Mills Mall and within the last few years they added a splash zone outside (open during summer hours).

It is highly recommended to pre-purchase your tickets as they may sell out as they limit the number they sell each day. You can purchase tickets online through their website. Annual passholders can make their reservations online as well.

 

 

When you arrive at the center, you will be directed into a queue. (Just a note, guests were not practicing social distancing in this line if that makes you uncomfortable.)

When you redeem your tickets/passes, you will be given one bag of bricks for each guest. These bricks have been sanitized (and you can smell it).

You then proceed to the left into the center. The green-background photo setup was not in order on the day we visited which is fine since that is an upcharge.

Miniland room contains miniature models of important places around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex including downtown, the DFW airport, Grapevine, and more. For the holidays, there were several santas hidden throughout the scenes.

 

There are rides for ages 4 and up including Kingdom Quest (shoot-em ride), Merlin's Apprentice Ride (pedaling ride), Forest Ranger Pursuit (car driving).

There is also a giant playground with Ninjago theming.

 

Even the restrooms are lego-themed and were very clean.

 

During the summer, the pirate splash zone is (usually) open.

 

 

 

 

The fun part of Legoland are all the artwork/lego creations (thanks to the resident Master Builder)

So with your individual bag of bricks, find a bowl and seat and begin building. There are racetracks if you choose to build cars/racers.

This location does have a Starbucks cafe. They also have party rooms which are currently not in operation due to Covid. At the end of your journey, there's a nice Lego shop which does contain exclusive items you can't buy anywhere else. It did get a bit busy by lunchtime and there's a limited number of building areas.

Review - Texas - San Antonio - Holiday in the Park Six Flags Fiesta Texas

The annual Holiday in the Park has started again at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and will continue through January 3rd.

You do need to make a start-time specific reservation on their website before arriving. Be sure to add parking to your purchase!

Six Flags is also offering a drive-through holiday lights experience. The cost is $14.99 per person if you purchase your tickets online or $20.00 per person at the gate, yet they still require a reservation to enter. Members get discounted tickets.

When you arrive, you will head toward the temperature-taking tent at the end of the parking lot and zig-zag through a long queue to get your temperature checked via a camera setup and then heading to the security station to have your tickets scanned and bags checked.

 

Holiday in the Park is basically Six Flags decorated with holiday themed props and lights as well as a few Christmasy shows. You can also find holiday-themed treats to purchase as well.

 

The crowds didn't show up until the sky started getting darker and the holiday lights were glowing, about 4pm (CST), just two hours before the holiday tree-lighting at 6pm (CST). There were decals placed on the ground around the tree for social distancing.

Six Flags has implemented many safety measures throughout the park in response to Covid. The restrooms, for example, all have "entry" and "exit" signs to create one-way flow in and out of the bathroom. Most people, however, don't really pay attention or follow it. One note if you have young children or babies is not every restroom has a changing table.

All the eating locations are set up with outdoor or open-door seating that is spaced out or with tables marked out. One note is we didn't see anyone cleaning the tables so be prepared to use napkins or wipes.

There were sanitizer stations throughout the park, however, the liquid smells TERRIBLE. Best to bring your own!

A few costumed characters from Looney Tunes do meet but in a socially distanced way. As you can see in this picture, Pepe Le Peu meets behind a bench area where you can sit for pictures.

 

Most of the rides were operating. The longest line seemed to be Wonder Woman. The employees were pretty diligent about spraying down the ride vehicles after every session (which adversely made lines feel longer).

Plenty of spaced out benches throughout the park to sit. Near the front is a mask-free zone where you can relax in cushioned chairs without your mask on. That was a nice area to rest for a bit with the younglings.

Overall, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is doing a good job with Covid safety measures and trying to offer a balance of fun and safety.