My parents, sister, and niece live in Dallas, so that was my first destination back to in the states. Over the course of my time there, we had lots of Dallas fun. We visited one of my favorite places, some other fun places, and some new places.
Dallas Zoo
One of my first adventures was one of my last adventures last summer before coming back to China, a visit to the Dallas Zoo. I love the Dallas Zoo. It is one of my favorite places in the DFW area. My niece is now three, so it was even more fun than the year before. We saw our favorite animals, watched one of their presentations, explored the Children’s Zoo (something she hadn’t done before), and fed the lorikeets and giraffes.
I was very happy to see that one of my all-time favorite animals is returning to the Dallas Zoo, and it will be in a fantastic new enclosure. That’s right, hippopotamuses are returning to a special, new, large exhibit space after being absent for probably more than a decade. I’m very excited to see what it is like next time I visit.
Six Flags
Some of the activities we had, were also work for me. I have been planning a summer camp experience for our Chinese students in America. One of our planned itineraries is to Texas, so I wanted to go to some of the places I knew and others I didn’t to make plans for the camp. One of these destinations is Six Flags Over Texas, the original Six Flags amusement park.
As we started the day, I thought about what a waste of time and money amusement parks are if you’re just going for the personal thrill and excitement. Then I realized being there with family was a great thing if you make it about everyone not just about yourself. I enjoyed most of the rest of the day, other than when we got separated for a time. Roller coasters are fun, but watching my 3-year-old niece drive the old-timey cars was even better.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Also in preparation for summer camps, we visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth. This is where most of America’s paper money is made. A visit includes the visitor center and a self-guided audio tour of the factory.
The visitor center displays history of U.S. paper currency and facts about how it is made. There are demonstrations of historic printing techniques and artifacts of note. A short video presentation explains the current process that goes into designing and making U.S. bank notes.
After exploring and experiencing all of this, a tour of the factory caps off a very interesting adventure. The tour is in an enclosed walkway way above the factory floor. Large windows let visitors watch the machines and workers as visitors listen to explanations of each part of the process.
After several days of Dallas fun, my sister and niece joined me in my road trip to Utah. We had many adventures on the way. Posts to come soon.
