June is here, school’s out, and summer break has begun! There’s so much to do in and around the Fort that you might just be able to keep your kids off their screens. Be sure to bookmark this page for great activities all month long!

Concerts in the Garden
Continues through June 11
Fort Worth Botanic Garden

The live music under the stars at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden continues through June 11. Note: Due to last year’s scorching temperatures, the summer series has been moved up to May and June — rather than June and July — for the protection of both musicians and concertgoers. The fireworks show has also been replaced with a nightly drone show due to drought precautions and city ordinances.

Art Tales
Wednesdays in June and July
Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Join the folks at the Carter every Wednesday in June and July for family-friendly story time fun. Hear stories, play gallery games, create artwork, and enjoy performances inspired by artworks in the Carter’s collection.

Literacy Days at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
First Mondays in June, July, and August
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

Create an authentic connection with nature with free admission to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge with your library card from 7 a.m. to noon on the first Mondays of June, July, and August! On each of these special admission days, Nature Center and Library staff will present special Family Story Times starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Hardwicke Interpretive Visitors Center inside the Nature Center & Refuge. Enjoy nature-related stories and then explore the natural beauty of your surroundings.

SparkFest
Through June 14
Amphibian Stage

A playwright strikes an idea–that spark. Actors, directors, designers, and theatre leaders bring their talents to kindle the flame. You witness their efforts ignite and shape the future of these new works before they spread like wildfire. This is SparkFest. But SparkFest 2023 is different. This great celebration of artistry will serve as a spotlight for underrepresented artists. In June, we will celebrate, engage, and uplift the endless talents of the Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian theatre community. In addition to spotlighting MENASA artists in our staged readings, Sparkfest will feature the first-ever nationwide acting competition. Ten MENASA actors were selected from a nationwide search to compete in a 3-day acting competition for cash prizes.

Dino Day
June 3
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

Get excited for fossils, paleontology, and all things pre-historic at Dino Day. Learn about the great creatures who lived so long ago from experts in the field and hands on activities! Dino Day is free with general museum admission or membership.

Tiny Beautiful Things
Through June 17
Circle Theatre

Based on the best-selling book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, Tiny Beautiful Things personifies the questions and answers that “Sugar” was publishing online from 2010-2012. When the struggling writer was asked to take over the unpaid, anonymous position of advice columnist, Strayed used empathy and her personal experiences to help those seeking guidance for obstacles both large and small. Tiny Beautiful Things is a play about reaching when you’re stuck, healing when you’re broken, and finding the courage to take on the questions which have no answers.
*contains adult language and extremely sensitive situations* Recommended for 15+

Greater Tuna
June 8-10
Downtown Cowtown at the Isis Theater

Don’t miss out on the first ever theatrical show presented by the Historic Downtown Isis Theatre. Greater Tuna is about the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, (“the third smallest town in Texas”) where the Lion’s Club is too liberal, and Patsy Cline never dies. The play is an affectionate comment on small-town, Southern life and attitudes while being a withering satire of the same. A true Texas classic!

Stopping Stone Dedication
June 10
Log Cabin Village

We are honored to dedicate two Stopping Stone memorials bearing the names of Jefferson Walton and Molly, two individuals enslaved at the home that now serves as the entrance to Log Cabin Village. We invite all our community members to join us in this ceremony and a celebratory reception afterward. The dedication ceremony will include speakers Brenda Sanders-Wise, Christina Brooks, Opal Lee, and Dione Sims with performances by Sheran Goodspeed Keyton, J.R. Bradford, and Kenja L. Brown. This event is free and open to the public; no reservations are required.

Echoes of Our Ancestors
June 10-August 5
Kinfolk House

Exploring themes of self and community care, Kinfolk House presents works by Spencer Evans, Sandra Scott-Revelle, and Felicia Jordan. Echoes of Our Ancestors connects historical narrative with present-day stories on internal conflict, trauma, loss, and resilience.

Artist Talks on Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation
June 10
Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Join us for a free lecture and conversation with three of the contemporary Black artists featured in the exhibition Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation. Artists Maya Freelon, Jeffrey Meris, and Letitia Huckaby with special guest Descendant director Margaret Brown will discuss their process for creating works that articulate what freedom looks like for Black Americans today. All speakers will participate in an audience Q&A. Seating for the talk will be first come, first served.

Teen Summer Studio
June 13-16
Kimbell Art Museum

Teens interested in developing their studio skills and creative practice are invited to apply to participate in immersive studio workshops led by professional artists. Programs are free, but space is limited; students will participate in both the morning (10 am–1 pm) and afternoon (2–5 pm) sessions, with a one-hour supervised lunch break.

Father’s Day Cookout
June 17
Fort Worth Zoo

Celebrate Dad with an exclusive after-hours Father’s Day Cookout at the Fort Worth Zoo! On Saturday, June 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bluebonnet Cafe in Texas Wild!, the Father’s Day Cookout includes a Yellow Rose Express Train ride, dinner, an open bar serving beer and wine, a meet-and-greet with the Zoo’s outreach animals, after-hours access to Texas Wild! habitats and free Country Carousel rides, plus an American alligator adoption package for Dad!

Opal’s Walk for Freedom
June 19
Starting Location: 1050 Evans Avenue

As we celebrate the second anniversary of the federal Juneteenth holiday, we are no longer seeking legislation, but education and understanding about the freedom that Juneteenth represents. Ms. Opal is inviting everyone all across the country to walk 2.5 miles with her this Juneteenth in person or VIRTUALLY, in a show of unity and support for truth in history, racial healing and understanding.

S.E.E.D. Camp – E-STEAM Explorers
June 20-23
BRIT

Join us for S.E.E.D (Summer Exploration, Engagement, and Discovery) Camp in the Garden! Full steam ahead – E-STEAM, that is. In this camp for children ages 12-14, we’ll explore the world around us through the lens of environmental science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Campers will design and build solar ovens to cook s’mores, 3D model and print a custom bubble wand, discover career connections, and so much more!

41^st Annual Summer Dance Concert
June 22-25
The Shops at Clearfork

Spanish dance master Luis Montero will return to restage his Andalusian Suite which received its world premiere at Ballet Concerto’s SUMMER DANCE CONCERT in 1997. Other works are being planned as well including Irish Suite with choreography by Dennis Spaight, to be restaged by Associate Artistic Director Webster Dean, and Dream On with choreography by Elise Lavallee.

An Evening with John Cusack & A Screening of Sixteen Candles
June 23
Will Rogers Auditorium

Calling all Gen Xers! John Cusack, he of the raised boom box in Say Anything (and really, who can hear “In Your Eyes” without thinking of that?), will be at Will Rogers Auditorium on Friday, June 23, to screen Sixteen Candles, followed by a Q&A. Grab your bestie, get your questions ready, and follow the link above to get your tickets!

Water Lantern Festival
June 24
Panther Island Pavilion

The Water Lantern Festival is filled with fun, happiness, hope, and great memories that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. This is a family friendly event that can be shared by everyone. Friends, families, neighbors, and lots of people that you haven’t met can come together to create a peaceful, memorable experience.

Art Camp, Ages 8-10
June 26-30
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Art Camp emphasizes learning through direct observation of art and thoughtful activities. We are especially excited to focus on the exhibition Robert Motherwell: Pure Painting for the 2023 summer season. Distinguished area artists design and lead art activities that encompass everything from artmaking in the traditional sense to interdisciplinary exploration. Art campers spend time in the galleries and on the grounds exploring the art and architecture, followed by time in the museum studio where they work with two artists each session. The last day of camp ends with a reception and exhibition of the campers’ artwork to celebrate their creative accomplishments with family and friends. Campers make exciting discoveries concerning art, the world, and themselves through Art Camp at the Modern.

And finally…

Hadestown
June 27-July 2
Bass Performance Hall

Welcome to HADESTOWN, where a song can change your fate. Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards^® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy^® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, this acclaimed show intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Beguiling melodies and poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets you go.

The post Where Do We Begin: June’s Fun in the Fort first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Photo courtesy of Bonnie B. Lehr

Number Four: Airfield Falls Trailhead and Conservation Park 

Tarrant County’s largest natural waterfall is not as tall as Angel Falls or as majestic as Niagara Falls, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great place to visit. In fact, this beautiful little gem of a waterfall with its wadable pools along the Trinity Trails is much better, and it’s a stop on the annual monarch butterfly migration flyway from Mexico northward.  

Tanglewood Moms member Bonnie B. Lehr has some great advice for your visit. “Pool noodles are fun if you have them [as well as] some cold drinks and some towels for the car. You park at the little parking lot and then walk down the paved trail to the falls.” 

Photo courtesy of Maddie Simmons

Number Three: Fort Worth Botanic Garden/BRIT 

Whether it’s a picnic by the Rose Gardens, the Japanese Festivals in the Japanese Gardens, or Concerts in the Garden, the Botanic Garden figures large in the lives of generations of Fort Worthians. Now in partnership with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, the Botanic Garden hosts wonderful exhibitions as well as educational and conservation programs to ensure that future generations can enjoy our natural heritage.  

Tanglewood Mom member Maddy Simmons says, “I have special memories of my grandparents taking me to the Botanical Gardens when we came to visit them in Ft. Worth. I love taking my nine-year-old daughter there, sharing and creating new memories.” 

Photo courtesy of Lyndsay Kennedy

Number Three: TCU Games 

Riff, Ram, Bah Zoo!
Lickety, Lickety, Zoo, Zoo!
Who, Wah, Wah, Who!
Give ’em Hell, TCU! 

From baseball to volleyball, soccer to track, we have world-class athletics right down the road. This being Texas, football reigns supreme, and with so many alumni in town, a Saturday home game is absolutely de rigueur. 

Tanglewood Mom member Lyndsay Kennedy admits, “TCU games are some of our favorite family activities! As Horned Frog alumni, we love showing our son the TCU sports traditions we enjoyed for years.” 

Photo courtesy of Katie Rogers

NUMBER ONE! The Fort Worth Zoo 

Since 1909, the Fort Worth Zoo has been delighting families from all over the world and is consistently rated as one of the top zoos in North America. With A Wilder Vision, the Fort Worth Zoo has upped the bar for zoos everywhere. The new African Savannah and Elephant Springs have been instant hits as families can engage with the animals in new and fun ways, while Safari Splash brings welcome relief from the Texas heat. 

Tanglewood Moms member Allison Cobb says, “I have two boys, ages four and eight, [and] their favorite area… is the Texas Wild area!  We normally walk down there first since it’s less crowded when the zoo first opens, and then we ride the train back.” Katie Rogers, another Tanglewood Mom member, says, “I have two boys that love going to the zoo… [Safari Splash] is their favorite place to be… [and] it’s not too big that I worry about losing sight of my boys while they hit the slides.”  

The post Fort Fun’s Top Four Family Activities first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.