Looking for great fun and educational too? There are plenty of places in the Dallas Area to take your family without spending a small fortune. The following listings are on-going:

First Saturdays Nasher Sculpture Center, 2001 Flora St., Dallas. 214/242-5100. www.nashersculpturecenter.org. 10am-4pm first Sat. Feast on children’s art activities, art scavenger hunt, family tours, NasherKids Live! Performances, storytime, Passport to the Arts activity cards to extend the learning at home and monthly themes that promote Big Ideas. Free 10am-2pm; regular admission after 2pm.
Texas Fire Museum 2600 Chalk Hill Road, West Dallas. 214/267-1867. www.texasfiremuseum.org. 10am-2pm Thu-Sat ongoing; closed holidays. Sit behind the driver’s seat, step on the tailboard, turn on the emergency lights, ring the bells and hear the sirens as you listen to active fire department radio calls; working museum with vintage equipment. Free; donations accepted.  

Cavanaugh Flight Museum 4572 Claire Chennault, Addison. 972/380-8800. www.cavanaughflightmuseum.com. 9am-5pm Mon-Sat; 11am-5pm Sun ongoing. Offers a collection of aircraft, artwork and artifacts, spanning the time period between World War I and the Vietnam War. $8 adults; $4 ages 6-12; under 6 free.

Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park 1462 First Ave., Dallas. 214/670-8443. www.dallaszoo.com. 9am-4:30pm daily ongoing; 2:30pm daily animal feedings. Sharks, electric eels, a giant Pacific octopus and a 150-pound alligator-snapping turtle are among the 375 freshwater species; Special exhibits include Seahorse Rodeo with baby dwarf seahorses that hatched in April. $4 adults; $3 ages 3-11; under 3 free.

Dallas Heritage Village 1515 S. Harwood St., Dallas. 214/428-5448. www.dallasheritagevillage.org. 10am-4pm Tue-Sat; noon-4pm Sun ongoing. Enjoy living history interpreters in the 1860s living farmstead, Clementine Freight and Delivery, 1901 Blum Household and 1860s pottery exhibits; An Era of Elegance: Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from the 1870s to 1910s. Through Nov 4. See the changing shape of Dallas’ women’s clothing along with their undergarments from 1840-1910. $7 adults; $4 ages 4-12; under 4 free.

Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture Old Red Courthouse, bounded by Houston, Main and Commerce streets and the JFK Memorial Plaza, Dallas. 214/745-1100. www.oldred.org. 9am-5pm daily; 2pm daily and 11am Sat public tours. Eclectic museum tells the history of Dallas from pre-history to the present through artifacts and photographs; includes children’s education center with historical toys, manipulative exhibits, computer games and theme-based “Discovery Carts”. $8 adults; $5 ages 5-16; under 5 free.