Don’t Miss Experiencing the Water Gardens in Downtown Fort Worth

As a kid, we always had cousins coming to "the big city" to visit us, even though we lived in a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth.  My mom played an amazing hostess and would wow them all with sights of both cities.  The funny thing is that I don't ever remember going to these places without company in town.

Now that I am raising my kids in my childhood home, I realize how easy it is to live in a city and not ever experience it as someone who is just visiting might.  Until a week ago, my kids had never been to the Fort Worth Water Gardens!

Some of my other favorite destinations were:

• Getting sodas in the Dallas Reunion Tower Cafe
• Touring the Dallas Cowboy's stadium (although it was in Irving back then)
• Touring the Ballpark in Arlington
• Shopping and fun at the Dallas West End Historic District 
• Of course Six Flags Over Texas
• and Hurricane Harbor (in my heart it will forever be Wet 'n Wild)

I don't think my kids were prepared for the awesome experience of walking down steps into the depths of falling water with no rails!  At first Ellen, my youngest, was tentative, but it didn't take her long to get comfortable and scare me to death hopping around on the stones at the bottom.

I stayed up top with my mother to watch from above.  The kids loved the water crashing all around them.  They felt like they'd conquered an amazing feat when they reached the bottom.

While my son was at the bottom, he was asked to photograph a couple down there with him!  I watched and giggled, and prayed that he wouldn't drop the guy's phone!!

This area is called the "active pool," but that's not all the amazement the Water Gardens have to offer.  Another favorite destination is "the mountain."  This area is for climbing, and when at the top, you feel like you've conquered the world.

The last time I remember coming to the Water Gardens was when my cousin invited me to secretly come and photograph his proposal to his girlfriend.  It was so fun to be a part of that day, and then my kids were in his wedding.  Consequently, it was only fitting that as my kids made it to the top of the mountain where he proposed, they reenacted the big day!

While we were climbing around and posing on the mountain, there were several guys practicing their parkour around.  Even big kids enjoy climbing and jumping around on this mountain.

We headed down to the peaceful meditation pool, and found it full of families trying to beat the heat of Texas in August.  My sweet kids couldn't believe that kids were swimming when the sign specifically said that swimming was prohibited.  So we didn't stay down there very long!

However we did enjoy cooling off by putting our hands against the water walls.  They are beautiful.

Our favorite destination at the Water Gardens was the "Aerated Pools." It felt like the temperature dropped by 20 degrees as we sat refreshed by the breeze.

I'm happy that my kids have finally experienced this beautiful destination, and I look forward to introducing them to more of the DFW Metroplex unique wonders in the future!

What DFW locations would you visit as a tourist that you've never been to as a local?