21 Jan Have you heard about Mckinney, Texas?
The next time the sun is shining, pack up those kids and head to McKinney, Texas! You don’t want to miss this little slice of Texas. McKinney is located right smack where the city and the country smooch. It was approximately a 45 minute drive from where I was coming from…the more central part of the DFW metroplex. This was an easy day trip that was full of fun…and food (of course)!
Have you HEARD about The HEARD Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary? I hadn’t until recently! I am so thankful we went to check it out. It was our first stop on the adventure. The inside part of the museum had some cool hands on activities for the kids such as a butterfly puzzle building station, planetarium where the kids can use a touch screen to change the sphere to whatever planet they want, dinosaur bones from Plesiosaur that were dug up and put back together from the local area, and a herpetarium with live snakes…eek. If you get super lucky like we did on this particular day, you will get to see the Screetch owls Pudge and Poe close up when they go out on their walk.
The true treasure for us was waiting in the backyard of the museum. You would NEVER guess how expansive the grounds are (289 acres to be exact) just by looking at the front of this place. There were more live animal exhibits, an amphitheater, log cabin playhouses for the kiddos (all the kids obsessed over this cute little village, so I may or may not have promised to build them our own one day), and a handful of different trails to explore. The only thing we didn’t get to see were the butterflies in the butterfly house, because it was out of season. We didn’t explore every trail, but the ones we did go down had fun surprises along the way. The first trail we tried, and one of the easiest they offer, is the dinosaur trail. Numerous animatronic life size dinosaurs are placed along this trail to greet you as you go by. Although, that T Rex didn’t actually sound too happy to see us haha! The dinosaur trail is seasonal and only runs September thru February.
A short ways down the Bluestem trail we were surprised by a few deer in the woods very near us. They seemed quiet and peaceful as could be, not bothered by our growling tummies. We could have easily spent ALL day exploring the outdoors of this wonderful museum and wildlife sanctuary, but I wanted to see a little more of McKinney. We didn’t see any food for purchase at the museum, but you could easily pack a lunch and picnic outside. Quick side note-there are several indoor restrooms available for use.
We drove approximately 10 minutes or less up the road toward downtown Mckinney. Just a block or two off the main strip is a restaurant called The Yard. If you are a patio person, this is the place for you. Minimal indoor seating options, but expansive patio options. Some tables are covered by the patio roof, and some are covered by the shade trees. To me this was an amazing option to have with a group of kids in tow, and the weather was too nice not to patio. The service was good and the food was even better! I ordered pulled pork sliders, and totally cleaned my plate.
Gosh the picture of these sliders is making me SO hungry for them again! After a big lunch, we walked a block over to check out Mckinney Square. WOW! There is a lot of fun and yummy going on in this adorable square! I had to take the quick tour of The Square because my group was exhausted (there were 2 hour naps that happened after this outing) We got a peek at boutiques, eateries, and spas. I could definitely picture girls night out or date night on The Square.
Our last stop for the day was searching for a place to curb our ever present sugar craving. Mary’s Mountain Cookies came to the rescue. We could smell the deliciousness from outside the door. The kids were immediately drawn to the colorful and always tasty M&M cookie, but I wanted to try something new. One of my favorite ice cream flavors is cookies & cream, so when I saw a cookie with that flavor, I knew I had to try it. What does a cookie inside a cookie taste like you ask?? G-O-O-D.
I’m going to leave you with this irresistible picture of gooey goodness. God bless Texas and God bless McKinney! I can’t wait to go back!
Quick Links:
The Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary https://www.heardmuseum.org/ -check out ALL the trails on the trail map, exhibits offered, and a list of super cool experiences offered such as night hikes, ropes course, birdwatching (200 species of birds or more), workshops, and more. Also note that tickets can be purchased both online OR in person when you arrive.
The Yard https://www.yardtx.com/– at the time of this posting they handed out coloring pages for the kids menu, but no crayons. We used pens I had in my bag, but just a heads up to BYOC.
Mary’s Mountain Cookies https://cookiesdowntownmckinney.com/
What we packed for our half day trip:
-snacks & water bottles
-walking shoes
-mask-for indoor use at the museum (required for those 10 and older)
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