Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden
Calling All Adventurers!
It’s time to embark on a journey through the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. Step into a world of wonder, where curiosity knows no bounds. Explore interactive exhibits, whimsical gardens, and hands-on STEM activities that spark imagination and delight. It’s an educational experience disguised as pure fun.
Admission
Enhance your Dallas Arboretum experience by exploring the Children’s Adventure Garden. Admission is available as a $3 add-on to general garden admission.
Kelley Family Days: Thanks to a gift from the William G. Kelley Family, guests paying for general garden admission will also receive free entrance to the Children’s Adventure Garden on select days.
Membership benefits include free visits to the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. Explore Memberships
Programs in the Children’s Adventure Garden
Walne Family Discovery Lab
Exploration Center
Monday – Friday: 12:30pm, 2:00pm, & 3:30pm
Saturday – Sunday: 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, & 3:30pm
The Walne Family Discovery Lab is a unique, in-depth opportunity to experience hands-on STEM learning in the Exploration Center. Stop by the counter and try your hand at daily experiments and explorations led by an experienced Arboretum educator. With multiple chances to learn each day and rotating experiments every week, there’s always something new to learn. Please note that the Walne Family Discovery Lab is for ages 6 & up.
Lab Schedule
4/15-4/21 Worm Investigation
4/22-4/28 Seed Dispersal Lab
4/29-5/5 Paper Animatronics: Dancing Astronauts
5/6-5/12 Galaxy Slime
5/13-5/19 Alka-Seltzer Pop Rockets
5/20-5/27 Fizzy Dino Lab
5/28-6/2 Walking on Water
OmniGlobe
Exploration Center
Monday – Friday: 2:30pm & 4:00pm
Saturday – Sunday: 11:30am, 2:30pm, & 4:00pm
The OmniGlobe is an “out of this world” experience in the Exploration Center you’ll have to see to believe! This six-foot sphere is illuminated by two projectors inside which can create expansive images of planets, the Sun, and even the Earth’s weather patterns, ocean currents and so much more.
Little Adventurers Activities
Storytime: Weekdays at 10:30am
Location: First Adventure
Puppet Show: Weekends at 10:30am & 1:30pm
Location: The Glade
Join us during the week for storytime, where we explore seasonal and thematic storybooks. During this 10-15 minute program, our tiniest guests (0-5years) will explore concepts related to nature, science, and holidays. On the weekends, join us for Puppet Shows in The Glade, where we will join some garden critters as they share their experiences in the natural world around us.
STEM Stops
Monday – Friday: 1:30pm (STEM Stop A) & 3:00pm (STEM Stop B)
Saturday – Sunday: 10:00am (STEM Stop A) & 1:00pm (STEM Stop B)
STEM Stops are your chance to stop and experience in-depth science and STEM learning in the Children’s Adventure Garden! Join facilitators throughout various galleries as they share fun experiments and real scientific specimens for you to explore that relate to the topic of each gallery. STEM Stops are “come-n-go,” so each experience is guided by YOU and your discovery journey.
Schedule
4/20-4/28 Life Cycle of a Tree (A) or Waggle Dance (B)
4/29-5/5 Solar System Walk (A) or Telescopic View (B)
5/6-5/12 Are You My Mother? (A) or Saving Stellaluna (B)
5/13-5/27 Dino Dig (A) or What Teeth Tell Us (B)
Leveled Up Adventures
April 24: STEM Stop – Life Cycle of a Tree
May 1: Lab – Paper Animatronics: Dancing Astronauts
May 8: STEM Stop – Dino Dig
May 15: Nature Walk – Rocks and Minerals
May 22: STEM Stop – What Teeth Tell Us
May 29: Lab – Walking on Water
Special Activities in the Children’s Adventure Garden
Countless Ways to Explore
The Children’s Garden encompasses several galleries, each designed to be age-specific, but not age-restrictive.
Learn more about the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden
Other Accolades
- Thea Award recipient for Outstanding Achievement as a Science/Discovery Garden.
- Certified as a Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation.
- A certified Monarch Waystation
- A Texas Aquatic Science certified field site
The Dallas Arboretum’s Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is a truly spectacular addition to this community—brilliantly conceived and beautifully executed. Kids of all ages will have an engaging and entertaining experience, all while learning more about the wonders of our planet.
– Boyd Matson, Host, National Geographic Weekend
I’m excited about the hands-on learning experience that the next generation of geologists and engineers will have in the Energy Learning Center. Challenging young minds is the way we will adapt to the future energy demands.
– Dr. Gerald Turner, President of Southern Methodist University
Sponsors
Start Your Adventure Here
With so many paths to take, visiting the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden is one of the most intriguing ways in all of Dallas to spend a day outdoors with children.