Good Earth

Updated in 2006, the 18-hole, par 71 Cottonwood Valley Golf Course measures 7,120 yards. The course features Bermuda grass fairways and Bentgrass greens and tee boxes and strategically placed bunkers. The number one signature hole's green was designed by the course's original golf architect, Robert Trent Jones Jr., in the shape of Texas with a bunker in the shape of Oklahoma and a lake resembling the Gulf of Mexico.

Natural wonders from the four corners of the earth cover five continents, 14 countries, 3 oceans and countless seas and rivers are found at the Dallas World Aquarium, where you'll embark on a world tour of the Earth's oceans and unique bodies of water through unique exhibits and attractions in addition to two gift shops and three restaurants. The fun begins before you enter the Dallas World Aquarium, where the Wilds of Borneo entrance ramp is lined with plants and animals that greet visitors. Once inside, you'll delight in a bird's-eye view of the Orinoco - Secrets of the River rainforest exhibit. Birds fly freely throughout the exhibit and go about their business of building nests and bringing home food for their young. Mammals saunter about, sharing the habitat with amphibians and reptiles.  Outside, the special South Africa exhibit will transport you to the exotic land of Madagascar. Permanent exhibits include fish, jellyfish and coral from around the world. Visitors can walk through a special tunnel that runs through one of the large tanks, where sharks and manta rays swim about. 

Raise a bottle of grog, wipe your matted beard on your sleeve and toast your knight at the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. This attraction will make you feel like royalty with its banquet-style theater in the round, and you can tour the grounds where period-costumed actors create a Medieval village experience.

Sample the culinary artistry and diversity of the Big D at the annual Taste of Dallas event, which takes place every July at Fair Park. The festival offers regional cuisine and local wines to sample from sunup until after sundown.