Dallas Offers BIG Family Friendly Summer Vacation Discounts!

DALLAS, July 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau's (DCVB) 2^nd annual Dallas BIG Summer Family Fun promotion nears an end, the DCVB extends a special invitation to families living outside of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metro area, to take advantage of affordable access to the city's premiere attractions. The summer promotion imparts a complimentary Dallas Summer Family Fun BIG card providing visiting families an opportunity to explore Dallas at a discount from Memorial Day weekend to July 31, 2014. Official partners include Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden/Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden, the finest new children's garden in the world, The Dallas Zoo, Perot Museum of Nature and Science/The World's Largest Dinosaurs summer traveling exhibition and GeO-Deck at The Reunion Tower, where families can receive a complimentary child general admission ticket with the purchase of one adult ticket, up to 12 purchased tickets with 12 complimentary tickets.   

Visiting families can pick up the Dallas Summer Family Fun BIG Card by stopping by any partnering hotels, Texas Visitor Centers or online at VisitDallas.com/FamilyFun. To redeem BIG summer vacation deals, visitors must present the Dallas Summer Family Fun BIG card along with an out of town driver's license (non-DFW) or any hotel room key at each of the four family-friendly Dallas attractions. Ticket(s) are only valid the same-day of redemption.

"There has never been a better time to visit Dallas and explore these key attractions which are ideal for families traveling to Dallas," said Phillip J. Jones, president and CEO of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We welcome Dallas-bound families this summer to experience firsthand how exciting and adventurous our city has become thanks to continued investments in our largest attractions."

With the Dallas BIG Summer Family Fun promotion, families will have a chance to visit four city attractions' newest offerings:

• The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden hosts Summer at the Arboretum with the beauty and excitement of summer. Bring the whole gang out to experience the new internationally acclaimed Rory Meyers Children's Adventure Garden, the finest new children's garden in the world, featuring the wonders of life and earth science combined with hands-on fun for all ages. Guests will want to take in the remaining 44 developed acres of signature gardens and water features that have made the Arboretum one of the most acclaimed botanic gardens in the world and in the 2013 Travel Channel's listing as one of the 'Best Botanical Gardens in the US'.  Perfect for the entire family. You can spend a few hours or all day.  
• The Dallas Zoo is the largest zoo in Texas and boasts one of the finest African wildlife displays in the nation, with the spacious Giants of the Savanna and Wilds of Africa habitats. It's the only zoo in North America where you can see elephants side-by-side with giraffes, just as you would find on the African grasslands. Visitors can journey through wildlife habitats from around the world, feed a giraffe, and learn about conservation projects to protect animals in the wild, or enjoy a spin on the Endangered Species Carousel.
• At the Perot Museum of Nature and Science enjoyable learning possibilities are endless. Opened in December 2012, visitors of all ages can learn all about the wonders of the world, from dinosaurs to DNA. Even the building itself is a living science lesson! The Museum houses 11 permanent exhibit halls, a traveling exhibit hall, a digital 3D theater, a retail shop and a cafe. This summer's traveling exhibit, The World's Largest Dinosaurs, showcases spectacular sauropods. Curious minds of all ages will also enjoy racing a T.rex, building robots, flying like a bird, touching a tornado, taking a journey through space, experiencing a simulated earthquake and so much more through the interactive museum-wide experiences and life-like simulations. Get ready to amaze your brain.
• The GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower is an interactive experience for the whole family. This indoor/outdoor observation deck provides information on the city below with easy to use technology. Get hands on with the Halo, a series of touch screen exhibits encasing the interior of the ball and highlight Dallas landmarks with the swipe of a finger. Step out to the exterior deck and gather around for a spectacular view 470 in the air before taking advantage of our high powered telescopes. In need of a new family photo? Pose for a Reunion Tower Ambassador, pick your own background and send a free digital copy directly to your email. Hungry for lunch? Make sure to stop by Cloud Nine Café, where we serve fresh menu items with a Texas twist. Cloud Nine is the perfect place to share a meal with a view. Your family's visit to Dallas starts here. Come see what's up!

Let Dallas take the hassle out of planning a family vacation with the Dallas Summer Family Fun BIG card and special Dallas Summer Family Fun discounts. Traveling to Dallas by air can be a fun adventure for the entire family with affordable fares from a variety of destinations serviced by Southwest Airlines. Special offers at participating Dallas hotels include Hilton Anatole Hotel, Hyatt Regency Dallas and Sheraton Dallas.

For more information on the vacation deals and coupons in the Dallas Summer Family Fun promotion, go to VisitDallas.com/FamilyFun.

About Dallas

The Dallas metro area is the leading business and financial center in the Southwest, offering visitors an unparalleled array of amenities such as more than 75,000 hotel rooms, flexible meeting space, moderate climate, service-oriented staff, and a central location with two major airports with more domestic nonstop flights than any other U.S. city. As the ninth-largest U.S. city, and part of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the nation, Dallas provides the best shopping in the Southwest and the largest urban arts district in the nation, with five cultural venues designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects. Dallas metropolitan area is the top visitor destination in Texas and the only in the Southwest to host teams representing five major professional sports leagues.

About Southwest Airlines

From its first flights on June 18, 1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented affordability in air travel quantified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as "The Southwest Effect," a lowering of fares and increase in passenger traffic wherever the carrier serves.  On every flight, Southwest offers Customers the first two pieces of checked luggage (weight and size limitations apply) and all ticket changes without additional fees. Southwest's all-Boeing fleet consistently offers leather seating and the comfort of full-size cabins, many of which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi connectivity and a new, sustainable cabin interior.  With 40 consecutive years of profitability, the People of Southwest operate nearly 3,400 flights a day and serve communities around 84 airports in Southwest's network of domestic destinations.  Southwest Airlines' frequent flights and low fares are available only at southwest.com.

Dallas: Bigger Than Ever/YouTube/Watch

SOURCE Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau