HOW TO ENJOY A WEEK IN DALLAS, TX AND NOT GO BROKE!

The Texas Star at Fair Park

Well to those that don't know (non Instagram friends lol) I am on my annual visit to Texas again and I have been residing in the beautiful Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan area just relaxing, swimming, and networking with the individuals I have meet while at my Comfort Inn stay near DFW airport and life has been just grand.

Me and my babies lounging together by the pool

My daughters and I have taken advantage of our time here and have made the most of it, everyday this week we have done at least 1 activity gear towards them that if not wise (frugal) could of cost me an arm and a leg, below are some of the activities that we have done thus far that have saved me a fortune and allowed me to keep the title of "best daddy" for at least another day (lol).

Princess Cassidy

On Monday night my family and I took Cassidy to Medieval Times for her 7th birthday in Dallas so that she could bare witness to thee jousting and pleasure of eating food with no silverware that her TT had been telling her about and besides the total cost ($30 for the birthday package, $20 for the bottle of wine) we saved big time. 

Horses Prancing at Medieval Times

In Chicago I spent $65 on myself with no wine, but thanks to being internet savvy now, I was able to purchase her and Madison ticket for less then that ($30 a piece), which was not a bad deal, especially when you factor in the fact that it is your daughters birthday. So for around a $150 bucks, I was able to give my daughter a spectacular birthday celebration and retain the title of "best daddy" for at least 1 more night. 

Hanging with Big Dirk

Then on Tuesday, we went to Grapevine Mills mall right outside of Irving, Texas to visit the infamous "Legoland Discovery Center" that Cassidy just had to go to while in Texas and once again thanks to the internet we were able to make it happen. On the 3rd Tuesday of every month, Legoland has something called "Toddler Tuesday" and I was able to take both my princesses to the Discovery Center for only $22 bucks including tax! They had a ball received some souvenir Lego blocks and meet the Lego "Dirk Nowitzki" which helped me retain the title of "Best Daddy" for yet another day lol. 

Turbo at Cinemark

But on Wednesday the objective was simple: Turbo! Turbo was all that I needed to do to please my angels, as long as I took them to see the premier of "Turbo" in theaters,  the "Best Daddy" was in the bag for the day, but at $4.25 a ticket, I could not help but to get them Lemonade and Kettle Corn to accompany both of there movie selections, we watched both Turbo and Despicable Me 2 at the Cinemark in Grapevine that day and had a fantastic time together.

Tigers in Dallas 

Which really set me up for Thursday, Thursday was Dallas, TX "Dollar Day" at the Zoo and had I known what the turnout was going to be, I would had just opted to go somewhere else that day, because the time there was under utilized, instead of enjoying ourselves in the Zoo like I had anticipated, our trip was hot and very challenging, we waited nearly a half an hour to see the amphibians and reptile exhibit alone! 

Flamingo's at the Dallas Zoo

But my babies are resilient and we made the best of it, we really enjoyed the Children Zoo and had a blast at the Bird Show, so all in all it was worth the price of admission, 3 dollars for a day in the Dallas Zoo, awesome! However, the next time I go, I will be packing with me a portable cooler and parking on the street, parking in the Zoo will cost you $8 bucks.

Kids playing at the Spray Park in Fair Park

Unlike parking at Fair Park, which I found cost you nothing or as little as $5 bucks on someday's, which is totally cool, especially when you factor in the FREE spray park right before Summer Adventures. My girls got so overwhelm with the sprinkler system, that they were not even interested in going inside Summer Adventures, which only cost $15 per person to enjoy, so we pushed back on Summer Adventures and decided to wait to enjoy that experience with Grammy and TT. 

Swimming at Comfort Inn near DFW

And after all that amusement throughout the week, on Friday,  my girls and I just decided to spend the day in the pool at our hotel and watch the day pass by us, which was totally cool with me, spending time with your children doesn't always have to cost something, sometimes all they want is time and time is what I gave them, until they got hungry, then it was off to Taco Cabana yet again ... lol

Family time at Taco Cabana

Till the next time people, this is Jonathon "Jayi" Kemp and I am out!

Find me on Instagram @JonathonKempphotography