MLK Parade in Seattle

Cities all across America are celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this weekend. Here is a list of cities with popular events and parades (click name of city for event list):

Houston

Seattle

Atlanta

New Orleans

San Francisco

Philadelphia

Boston

San Diego

Miami

Indianapolis

Chicago

Washington, D.C.

New York City

Los Angeles

Denver

St. Louis

Dallas

Obviously there are more cities celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King –  if your town isn’t listed please check your local paper or community website for more information.

Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives via Flickr

I would never suggest that you visit an airport with your children just for fun.  However, if you are stranded at an airport on your way home from holiday travel, let it be known that some of them have incredibly cool features that will help you kill the time and burn off the kids’ energy so they will pass out on the airplane.  Just don’t let them visit the ubiquitous airport candy store.

My holiday gift to you is a list, below, of links to the major US airlines and their hub airports.  Chances are, if you are traveling across the country, you may have to set foot in one of them, and you may even have to spend many of your precious hours there.  To all of our delight, I am sure, the city editors of Being Savvy, a guide for parents of preschoolers, have found interesting ways to kill time with children of all ages at many of these airports.

Do not be intimidated by the links.  Find your airline, then find the airport you where you will be sleeping changing planes.

Alaska Airlines: Alaska Airlines (AS) uses Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) where Being Savvy helps you locate the children’s play area, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Portland International Airport (PDX).

Music scape at the American Airlines terminal at Dallas/Ft. Worth

American Airlines: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – (check out the terminal’s many cool larger-than-life sculptures), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) (check out Being Savvy’s guide to O’Hare), Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport (STL), Miami International Airport (MIA).

Continental Airlines:  Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).

Delta Air Lines:  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) (here’s Being Savvy’s guide ),Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) with fully equipped children’s play areas on three concourses, Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

Frontier Airlines:  Denver International Airport (DEN) where Being Savvy found five fun frolics.  Until December 31st, 2008, kids under 12 fly, ski, and stay free in Aspen.

Jet Blue :  John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) where Being Savvy visits the Kidport – Also, if you get a chance, show the older kids Logan’s 9/11 memorial.

The Kidport at Logan

Midwest Airlines:  Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and Kansas City International Airport (MCI).

Northwest Airlines:  Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) where Being Savvy locates the family services and hits you with family travel tips, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Memphis International Airport (MEM).

Southwest Airlines:  technically does not have hubs, but has main activities at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Chicago Midway Airport (MDW), Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport (LAS), Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).

Spirit Airlines:  calls their hubs “bases” which are at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) where Being Savvy finds you kid-friendly activities, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

United Airlines (UA) uses Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with its in-house aquarium!, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – (check out the Being Savvy layover lifesaver ), Denver International Airport (DEN), and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

US Airways (US) uses Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT), and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

[Photos courtesy of Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport and Logan International Airport]

This summer has been HOT. Muy Caliente. So, what is the best way to beat the heat in Dallas right now? Bahama Beach is a family water park with a lazy river, a rain-fortress playground and tons of slides. Mondays are half-off moms’ tickets with a downloadable coupon and seasons passes are also available. They are located ten minutes south of downtown and open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. There’s plenty of shade, reservable private cabanas and concession stands to feed the family.

The City of Dallas also offers seven spraygrounds and a summer brochure listing the metro pool schedules. That makes it easy to find the pool nearest you, because honestly, a cold pool is the best way to beat the Texas summer heat.

Just outside of Dallas is a unique indoor playground called Kidz Muze where children ages twelve and under can play and learn in a safe, clean environment. There are climbing structures, mazes, an arcade, construction zones, ball play centers and a pretend play village. You can skip the sunscreen and quit worrying about the heat on this playground. Adults and babies pay no admission while children one to three years old are $5.99 and children four to twelve years old are $7.99.

You seriously need to check out White Rock Lake, a unique 1,015 acre city lake where you can hike or bike on trails, rent sailboats, fish and picnic. Motorized boats and swimming are not permitted. The lake contains catfish, sunfish, crappie, carp, gar and bass. It’s a great place in the metro area to cool off under the trees while fishing or enjoying the cool breeze off the water while sailing.

What can a family of four do in Dallas for $20 a day?  Here are some ideas.

The best inexpensive fun is practically free and right around the corner from you, no matter where you are in Dallas.  Find the nearest Dallas park and take your family for the day.  Pack a picnic lunch, arrange for a water gun fight, and blow bubbles and let the kids try to catch them.

We almost always have a soccer ball in the trunk or a Frisbee.  The kids can climb or swing on a playground, feed ducks, fly kites or you can send them on a nature scavenger hunt.  Can they find a stick shaped like the letter “y” or a stone shaped like a heart?  A nature stroll is healthy and aerobic and while you’re at it, pick up trash or wash graffiti off play equipment, teaching your children an important lesson about nature and taking good care of our Earth.  The only money you need to spend will be on the picnic lunch.

In historic Fair Park many museums offer free admission.  Also within the park is a hidden gem called Texas Discovery Gardens, which contains ten themed garden areas for parents and kids to explore together and learn more about nature on their own, through workshops or guided tours.  Admission is pretty inexpensive at three dollars an adult, a dollar and fifty cents for children ages three to eleven years old, and children under three years old are free.  They have a butterfly habitat, a native wildlife pond, a scent garden, a shade garden and an heirloom garden.

The historic M-Line Streetcars that run along McKinney Avenue in Uptown Dallas are also free, and a great inexpensive way to explore that area of the city.

Five your children a free art lesson at Nasher Sculpture Center.  Adult admission is $10 but children twelve and under are free.  The indoor and outdoor galleries contain a comprehensive collection of masterpieces with rotating and special exhibitions.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has an area in their Founders Plaza called Observation Station where you can watch the thousands of take-offs and landings in one of the busiest airports in the world.  A graph board helps you identify the many different types of aircrafts while you listen to live audio straight from the control tower.  This area is currently closed but scheduled to open up again in September.

Who says you can’t have inexpensive fun?