planning a trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth in September

[suzyjazz]

It's 3 months away so I am obviously a little anxious! On our list:

1. The Zoo, of course. It doesn't open until 10, so I thought we'd hit it later in the day instead. Rather than run into the dreadful noon hour, we can start after and go until 6 PM. I guess we should go Saturday or Sunday as on weekdays it closes at 5.

2. Six Flags Over Texas. A non photo event. Is the Limited Time Offer $29.99 a good deal? I wonder how long this will last. Anyone have any idea how long these promos usually go, or where else we could get a coupon? I don't want to buy tickets THIS far in advance, but it would save money if'we're pretty sure that we are going. Worst case, we could probably sell them to someone.

3. Tiger Shoot! I guess our trip will be dependent upon what weekend shoots are available. I would be very upset to drive all the way to Dallas and miss this chance. Hubby will probably sit it out, though.

4. Anything else we should see? Any nice botannical gardens/arboretums? I'll have to dig into this forum and see what people have been posting!

I haven't been to Dallas since I was maybe 11 years old...

[suzyjazz]

This thread had some good ideas
http://www.texasphotoforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=1521

Dallas Arboretum is definitely on the list. I'dlike to see the butterflies, too, but I may be pushing it. I hope my husband doesn't get too bored!

[Bill Huber]

If you are going on a tiger shoot I would suggest that you do the tiger shoot and then head for the Fort Worth Zoo.
The tiger shoots are over at 9:00 and that will give you just about the right amount of time to get there. Mornings are better I believe, the animals are out and there is not a lot of people there yet.

Now I am always up for a zoo trip so keep us posted on your plans.

The other post has just about all I can think of....

[suzyjazz]

Originally Posted by Bill Huber

If you are going on a tiger shoot I would suggest that you do the tiger shoot and then head for the Fort Worth Zoo.
The tiger shoots are over at 9:00 and that will give you just about the right amount of time to get there. Mornings are better I believe, the animals are out and there is not a lot of people there yet.

Now I am always up for a zoo trip so keep us posted on your plans.

Whoa... I need to re-read the tiger shoot info. What time do they start? Fortunately, my flash is on its way :) I hope by then I have a clue what I am doing!

Thanks for the advice.... So it's really best to hit the zoo when it opens? My only thinking is that 2 hours after 10 AM, it's already noon (harsh light). If we went later we could go until 6 PM. Maybe we'll be lucky and it will be partly cloudy.

[LoungeLizard]

...according to my wife, the outlet mall by McKinney! They have a Le Cruset outlet.

[brad]

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens are just up the street from the Fort Worth Zoo.. they have a fabulous Japanese Garden...

And let us know when it gets closer... we should schedule a DFW Shootaround in your honor! :)

[Abel]

the FW Zoo is a definite!!!

that place is awesome!

[suzyjazz]

Originally Posted by brad

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens are just up the street from the Fort Worth Zoo.. they have a fabulous Japanese Garden...

And let us know when it gets closer... we should schedule a DFW Shootaround in your honor! :)

Sounds good, thanks for the info. We'll see what we can work out! My husband will think we are nuts.

Abel, that's a great shot. I have no good lion photos. I wish I could rent a lens for this trip, but the few that Ligttec has are too much for me. I don't feel comfortable renting a lens worth $6000! I wish they had the 100-400 L IS.

[suzyjazz]

Originally Posted by LoungeLizard

...according to my wife, the outlet mall by McKinney! They have a Le Cruset outlet.

LOL, I don't even know what Le Cruset is!

[brad]

Originally Posted by Abel

the FW Zoo is a definite!!!

I can second that.. and if its not too crowded, they don't have a problem with tripods, either.

[CaptainTom]

Zoo is good. Lots of shots even under noon lighting. If it is hot, animals not active. Botanical Gardens is only a mile away. Stockyards has "cattle drive" in the morning and afternoon. Several museums are within walking range of a single parking of your car. Google the following: Kimbal, modern art museum of Ft. Worth, Amon Carter museum, Cowgirl hall of fame, Museum of science and history.
Evenings in Sundance square (downtown FW) are both safe and exciting. Lots of music, etc. These are just a couple of things off the top of my head.
We have a very nice little photo supply store that rents Nikon and Canon lenses, etc for the day. They have weekend = a single day rate...
Look up Ft. Worth Camera and Supply.
If you have any questions, just email me and I will help the best I can.

[suzyjazz]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

We have a very nice little photo supply store that rents Nikon and Canon lenses, etc for the day. They have weekend = a single day rate... Look up Ft. Worth Camera and Supply.

Thanks! I found them at yellowpages.com. I'll call and see if they have something that suits my needs. And I am working on that list of things to do.

[suzyjazz]

OK, my trip is getting closer. I am signed up for a tiger shoot. I am not familiar with the Dallas/Ft. Worth/Arlington area. Since our weekend getaway there is sort of for our anniversary, I need to be careful about the amount of photography events that I plan! What I already have is probably enough. Any suggestions for hotel? Something nicer than Motel 6 but not too expensive (less than 100/night).

We'll be hitting:

Pug Mark Park (I guess that will be a drive from where we stay)
Forth Worth Zoo
Forth Worth Botannical Gardens (someone already said is only a mile from zoo)
Six Flags Over TX

I need to call this store and see if they have any goodies I want to rent:

Fort Worth Camera Supply
3326 West 7th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 335-3456

I guess a place to start is to look at a few hotel chains and search by the zip code of the Forth Worth Zoo.

[pippin]

If they don't have anything, Lighttec rentals in dallas might be able to help you out. otherwise dallas camera right next door might have something...

[CaptainTom]

Ft. Worth is not a huge city, and everything is relatively close. i.e. the zoo, botanical garden, museums, downtown, stockyards are all within 4 miles of each other.
There are several moderate hotels in the area. try zip 76107.