After much reading, writing and discussion, I finally took my son to Discovery Science Place in Tyler. The stop largely exceeded my expectations. Discovery has a climbing wall, an extensive network of caves, a large ship, which focuses on geography, and numerous science stations, which allow visitors to view rudimentary scientific principles in action. My favorite station allows youngsters to find and excavate dinosaur bones. Another wing of the museum shows young visitors models of local businesses and community institutions. Kids can visit the bank, grocery store doctor’s office or an eatery. They can also learn about the legal system while putting their friends and family members on trial. This summer’s special event is “Predators, the Exhibit.” The traveling exhibit is brought to Tyler thanks to the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock, Arkansas. It lets visitors get up close and personal with some of our planet’s most adept hunters. Discovery Science Place has also been holding its Camp Discovery program, which as I understand it, is kind of like a science version of Vacation Bible School. The program started back in June and continues until August 11th, so there’s still a little time for those interested to get involved. Discovery Science Place is a really fun new stop for our area. Obviously it has some growing to do yet. I don’t think its ready to be the draw for outsiders that local favs like The Caldwell Zoo, or the Brookshire’s Museum are. But given a little time and development, it could be. It has certainly created a buzz among parents in our town. Lately, seems I’m always being asked “Have you taken him to Discovery Science yet?” Regardless, the kids will love this museum, and they may even learn a little something along the way.
Discovery Science Place in Tyler… Finally
July 24th, 2012Summer Activities in Tyler for 2012
May 30th, 2012
Nearly every summer we, here at Tyler TX Directory, put out a list of summer activities as suggestions for East Texas parents. Keeping the kids busy and maybe even learning a little something, during the summer months can be a challenge. Family vacations are generally more difficult than years past, due to financial concerns, so the trick is making the summer fun and memorable without going overboard on expenses. So our suggestions are as follows:
The Caldwell Zoo is always on the list, but hey it’s always fun educational and is ever improving. It remains an area favorite. The Brookshire’s Wildlife Museum looks from the outside like an odd place for a family museum, but trust us, it’s a great stop. (It’s graced our site on numerous occasions already, so feel free to scroll through the attractions column on the right for more info). Discovery Science Place is located in downtown Tyler and is a growing attraction in our area. Admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve checked it out but I’m hearing it mentioned more and more by local parents. This summer the museum is welcoming a traveling exhibit called Predator and Prey. And here are the summer activities schedule for the Caldwell Zoo:
ZOO MEMBERS’ ONLY EVENING AT THE ZOO
Come enjoy a special evening at the zoo! ZooMembers are welcome to bring a picnic supper or enjoy food from our Chakula Cafe. There will be behind-the-scenes looks at our newly refurbished cat enclosures as well as keeper chats throughout the evening. Of course, you will want to stop by the concession stands for a complimentary small sno-cone and have fun feeding the birds at Wild Bird Walkabout with a complimentary seed stick
June 8 5:00-8:00 p.m.
RED, WHITE AND BLUE AT THE ZOO
Celebrate our country’s birthday! Caldwell Zoo appreciates our country’s military personnel! On July 4th, the zoo will give one free admission with a valid military ID.
DON’T STEP ON A BEE DAY
July 10th is set aside each year as “Don’t Step on a Bee Day.” Don’t bee left out–make a beeline for the African Huts where we’ll have a hive-full of fun activi-bees.
July 7 1:30-4:00 p.m.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Bring your small fry to the African Huts for some swimming-good fishy fun.
August 25 1:30-4:00 p.m.
ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY
There will be a trunk-load of elephant fun on the African Overlook.
September 22 1:30-4:00 p.m.
One area attraction that is often overlooked in our area is the Hudnall Planetarium. The Planetarium is located at Tyler Junior College, and to my surprise, has actually begun advertising on local television. Hudnall has really great programs running this summer, including IMAX films. Visit their web page for more information. http://www.tjc.edu/cesse/ I love making trips to the Gulf Coast, in fact I hope visit the beach at some point this summer. Now I may or may not be able to make that happen, but I know a visit to Tyler State Park,is always a possibility. Great campsites and a sandy beach are never more than an hour away for most Tylerites. For older students and or children, The Historical Aviation Memorial Museum, and The American Freedom Museum,are two of my documented favs.
The popular Faulkner Park splash park is a great free option for the summer time. This is a small water based park inside of Faulkner park which is known for mainly being a softball and tennis court park with some biking and hiking trails. I think you will find the splash park to be a fun place to bring the kids and there are two playgrounds at this park as well when the kids want to do something not water based.
Many local churches are holding Vacation Bible School programs this summer as well. Most use a standardized curriculum which allows potential students multiple opportunities to get on board at some point over the break. Christ Episcopal Church is holding theirs from June, 25ththrough the 29th. https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CEC/gpgs/Home.aspx, www.christchurchtyler.org I’m no doubt leaving off some good stops and events, but for those of us wanting to fill the kids summer days with something other than Xbox and Boomerang, I think these are a good start. As a parting note I should also remind readers that we are living through a golden age of Ranger’s Baseball, so if the cost is affordable, what better summer memory then a family outing at the ball park?
Downtown Tyler Square, What Does it Offer?
December 7th, 2010
Tyler Texas Square
The downtown Tyler Texas square used to offer Jack King Jr. screaming “downtown Tyler” but he is no longer there and people would prefer to impersonate him now rather then hear him do that anymore.
But beyond Jack King Jr.’s TV commercial memorable pitch downtown Tyler has quite a bit more to offer. When I go downtown I usually am stopping at Don Juan’s Mexican Restaurant or I am taking my wife on a fancy date to Jake’s.
When going into Jake’s be sure to let the hostess know you want to go sit up on the roof top. If the weather is good the roof top offers the best experience while eating here. The food at Jake’s is very good and they have a finer dinner menu selection to choose from compared to Chili’s or even Outback.
Jake’s offers an experience of local Tyler Texas dining in one of the many old buildings that still have survived the square.
Just about one year ago a few of these old buildings were destroyed in a fire. In fact a remodeled store converted to a coffee shop/ music venue was taken out as well as a law firm and architecture business. This area is now being turned into a park thanks to the generosity of Brookshire’s grocery store company.
When in downtown during Christmas be sure to stretch your legs by walking in the square. The city of Tyler lights up the square with Christmas lights although any sign of a cross, nativity scene and so on is unfortunately missing. Times do change and political correctness is what you will see now during Christmas. The square is still very pretty and enjoyable and worth a stroll around.
The square also offers Tyler Citizens a fun place for kids as the Discovery Science Place is in walking distance. This place provides something along the lines of a interactive science center for kids in the age range of 2 – 9 and will easily take up a good 3 hours if you decide to experience everything there they have to offer.
Official Tyler Texas Downtown Square Christmas Tree
You can also find the very large First Place building at the Tyler Square. The First Place building houses Regions Bank and offers the best commercial real estate offices in town. Many businesses would not accept anything less than the premier facilities you get in this building.
If you are looking for commercial real estate in Tyler I definitely recommend riding the elevators and checking out the offices in this building first hand. Both the view, looks, and spaciousness in these commercial offices can’t be found anywhere else in Tyler.
Finally consider that the Tyler downtown square has several unique antique shops as well as a few very old traditional churches. You can find Marvin United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, and Christ Episcopal Church all in downtown Tyler and very close to the square.
Discovery Science Place in Tyler Texas
June 21st, 2010It’s probably been going on for some time, but I’ve only just recently noticed that in the last few years most major cities have opened up very hands science museums geared to kids of all ages. I spent a number of years as a teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota, where there is an excellent model.
Every year we paid a visit with our classes as I recall. It’s an excellent facility that has brought in some really big time exhibits including the T-Rex Sue. (In fact as a side note, while researching for this piece I learned that the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition is visiting the Science Museum of Minnesota, from March through October.
It has been touring the country and I have looked high and low for a schedule of the tour, hoping it will come to Texas, but as yet I have been unable to find one. If any readers know whether or not this exhibition will be visiting the Lone Star State Please leave a comment on this site. I would love to take some Tyler TX history students. But I greatly digress… Sorry).
Tyler is a growing city that is always on the look- out for opportunities to emulate her larger sisters and this, is no exception. The Discovery Science Place (DSP) is Tyler’s version of the hands- on child friendly educational experience offered by institutions like the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.
Now admittedly the DSP is not nearly the size of the Dallas version, but if it continues to grow with the City of Tyler, perhaps it will one day rival the bigger institutions. Their exhibits include: Watts of Fun, Little Ones Lagoon, the Shadow Wall and a number of others. Hands on exhibits include: thumbprint pictures, and mighty magnets. At this point it is definitely geared to younger children, but that should change some as they expand. Admission is six dollars per person with free admittance for visitors two and under.
Another opportunity offered by the Discovery Science Place is the Passport to Summer Discovery Camp. It runs from June seventh through August thirteenth, and is essentially a Vacation Science School for kids from four to twelve. The camp seems like an excellent opportunity. It runs in week- long sessions lasting either a half day or full day and cost seventy five, or one hundred fifty dollars respectively.
For more information on the Discovery Science place in Tyler visit their website at www.discoveryscienceplace.org. To plan a visit to the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, go to www.natureandscience.org. The Fort Worth version also appears worthy of investigation. Their website is www.fwmuseum.org. Lastly, for those headed toward the coast this summer, I should mention that there is also a science museum in Houston simply called the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It looks terrific! Their website is www.hmns.org.
Don’t Mess With Texas
February 15th, 2010Tyler Texas Information and Things To Do Here
I choose to write just about Tyler, Texas in general. Tyler has a population of around 20,617 or probably more by now. This number was from the last census, I know we have been growing very rapidly. The funny thing is that when I was younger I hated Tyler and could not wait until I could move somewhere else. I thought the city life was more exciting, which overall you have more stuff, crazy traffic and things are double in price compared to a smaller place like Tyler, I recently moved back here and realized its not a bad place at all. It is a place where you can raise a family, make a decent living and still there is plenty of fun stuff to do right here. Some of the main attractions in Tyler are: Azalea Spring and Flower Trail, Tyler Chamber Golf Tournament, Festival on the Square, Four Winds Renaissance Faire. There are lots of Museums: Brookshires World of Wildlife, Tyler Museum of Art, Rose Garden Museum, Harold’s Model Train Museum and others which you can easily find on line for the most part and they are free.
If you prefer music or performing arts, then you might be interested in something like East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Tyler, The Civic Theater Center, Caldwell Auditorium, etc.
There is a beautiful Tyler Public Library where you can go and you pay a small price for a members card, but after that you can go use their computers, check out any of their books, movies or books on CD or tape, and bring it back on the due date. Although, if you are late it will cost you or if you loose any of their stuff.
In the uptown area their is The Discovery Science Place that is filled with different displays. Kids and their parents can have an enjoyable day exploring the things they have to see.
Tyler has several places to enjoy a game of golf. There is Arrowhead Golf Course, The Cascades, Embassy Hills Golf Course, Eagle’s Bluff, Hideaway Lake Golf Course, Willow Brook Country Club just to name a few. In addition, there are many other recreation places: Resorts and Campgrounds, City Parks with playgrounds, swimming pools, baseball fields, soccer fields and movie theaters. There are a multitude of restaurants to choose from. Every city could always improve, which Tyler is.
If you like the water, Tyler has several lakes right here. Bellwood Lake, Lake Palestine, Tyler State Park, Lake Tyler, and Tyler East Lake. There is a public pool and water park located on Glenwood.
There are banks and churches on every corner. For the most part, Tyler is a safe place to live. We do have our ups and downs, just like any other town. For instance, we have someone who has been setting fires to church buildings. But anywhere you choose to live, you probably will experience something similar. We live in a world that is not perfect, with people with serious issues and we will suffer the consequences around the world. I don’t think you can find one place where nothing bad happens. It’s still worth living here. People are friendly and small enough where the traffic is not too bad and are able to get all your needs right here, and not have to shop in another town.
There is a nice zoo which used to be free, but now costs a small fee. It is worth the price to see all that they have at the Caldwell Zoo. There are good public school and some nice private schools that will give your children a good education and some spiritual life will be taken seriously. Home schooling is also a choice if that is what you prefer.
The cost of living in Tyler is not too bad. Things do cost money no matter what you do, but grocery index is 89.9. In a bigger city if you guy groceries there, they escalate the prices because it how the bigger cities work. Many of the other services are much lower on their index numbers, such as: health care 91.7. There are several health care providers here that make this an ideal place to live, whether you are young or older. If you have been thinking of moving to a new place. Check out our town, I think you would be impressed and enjoy it here.