I really had no idea that being a Stay At Home Mom also came with the title of Event Planner. And much to my surprise “Bridezilla” ain’t got nothing on “Toddlerzilla”! These toddlers are just so demanding! Events need to be free or relatively inexpensive, safe for a toddler who likes to run, explore and SCREAM, they have to be flexible around nap times… (not boring for mom is a plus!)… you’ve got the weather (re: – extreme TX heat) to consider, and most importantly – these events have to wear these toddlers out! If our outing for the day can knock Miles out for a solid 2 hour nap — we have a winner!!
Living in downtown Dallas gives us some options, but not many free/outdoor ones… until recently that is. In the last two years Dallas has had several new parks in the works, including the new Main Street Garden Park, Belo Garden, and the upcoming Woodall Rogers Park. While Main Street Gardens has been a great option for us these past 2 years, Belo has been on my radar for the past year. It’s a tad bit closer – we’ve been watching it’s progress as we drive by it every single day on our way out of downtown and then back home again. So imagine my anticipation when last month the park was ready and signs went up saying — “Growing Season, opening in May”… ARGH! Patience has never been my strong suit.
FINALLY, last Thursday, Belo had it’s opening ceremony. Miles and I could not have been more excited!!
Miles had his water shoes on (per instructions from the surrounding signage) and he went crazy!
He literally played for over an hour and I had to drag him away. We’ve gone back to play at least every other day and we just cannot get enough!
On Sunday, Belo hosted a Downtown Residence Brunch that happily coincided with Mother’s Day! They served up some delicious (and free) local food from Rusty’s Tacos and Paciugo, yummy mimosa’s, and had live music!
Miles even convinced his daddy to brave the timing of the fountains!
It’s hard to describe what makes this park so perfect. It’s 1.7 acres with plenty of grass, benches, tables to lunch at, and over 100 trees to lounge under. A good size hill gives a nice view of the rest of the park — the lush greenery, beautiful flowers, and iconic Dallas buildings. But the main attraction is definitely the interactive fountains. Because there are 3 separate fountains that spray on rotation, it provides endless hours of fun for kids to run and splash around in. Miles has yet to get bored with it – which means I don’t have to worry about him running off into the street. He will stay and wear himself out just playing in this fountain — and that just made my job a whole lot easier!
If you don’t live in Downtown this park is well worth the visit! Whether you are down here to visit the Dallas World Aquarium or any of the other kid friendly attractions downtown has to offer – be sure to get your kids cooled off and ready for a nap at Belo Garden!
Looks like fun! Can’t wait to take my boys there!