Tag Archives: festivals

Top 10 Spring Outings & Events for Kids & Families in Lubbock

Spring in West Texas is here and other than the occasional dusting, we truly have the very best weather in the country!  Crisp mornings, warm afternoons and amazing sunsets grace the Lubbock area:  The perfect setting to grab the family and soak in the sunshine at some of the local spring events.  Here are our Top 10 Spring Events… plus a few more…  just to start!  There are way-more than 10, so please see our bustin-at-the-seams calendar for more!  Did we miss a favorite for your family?  Share it with us here!

Kite Flyin

 

Butterflies Alive! at The Science Spectrum:  through June 12th.
There’s no better way to welcome springtime than introducing our kids to hundreds of beautiful butterflies!  The Science Spectrum’s exhibit Butterflies Alive! gives us all a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with these exquisite creatures.  Exhibit only:  $5/child & $6/adult.  To make the experience complete, catch the accompanying movie in the OMNI Theatre: “Flight of the Butterflies.”  Movie only: $6.50/child & $8/adult.  Group & Member discounts available. 

The Lubbock Arts Festival at the Civic Center:  Fri through Sun. April 15th – 17th.
It wouldn’t be springtime in Lubbock without the Lubbock Arts Festival… enriching our community and inspiring our kids for 37 years!  In addition to artists from all areas of the country, the festival features the “Run For the Arts” fun run Saturday morning, children’s area with writing and art competitions specifically to light the creative fires for our youngest Lubbockites!  Also find a presentation by Hank the Cowdog author John R. Erickson this year on Sunday… free with Arts Festival admission!  Event Admission: $2 for Children under 12, $4 for adults.

Kidsfish @ Maxey Park:  Sat. April 15th.
Bring a fishing pole, a chair, and the kids… ready to have fun!  All free!

Quailapalooza! Junior Rough Riders Spring Corral @ the National Ranching Heritage Center. Sat. April 23rd from 1-3pm.  Limited Space Available. Children ages 5-12 are invited to spend an afternoon seeing and studying Northern Bobwhite Quail with scientists from TTU’s Department of Natural Resources, Quail Tech Alliance and Quail Forever.  Only $5 or free for Ranching Heritage Association members.

Quailapalooza

Quailapalooza at the National Ranching Heritage Center. Photo by John Weast.

South Plains Water Conservation Expo.  Sat. April 23rd.
Frenship High School from 11am-3pm.  FREE.  The 3rd Annual Water Expo will be a fun-filled day for everyone in the family.  Kevin Barnes, the nationally reknowned “Green Magician” is this year’s featured guest in addition to a fun kids “Water Conservation Cruise” passport activity that will take them on a journey to various fun crafts, stories and activities for extra prizes.  Adults will enjoy the exhibits & helpful sessions with information on how we can all make a difference to impact our water resources.  Food Trucks, selfies with Walter Drop, Water Wisdom High Jinks with Literacy Lubbock, an appearance by Biscuit the Dog from Barnes & Noble and more…

Duck Derby & Family Fun Fest:  Sat. April 30th.
Destined to be an annual not-to-miss fundraising event (proceeds benefit Lubbock Legal Aid)!  Kids love to see the ducks launch and “race” with lots of activities for the family to enjoy!  Buddy Holly Park from 11am-4pm.

Safety City Birthday Party & Spring Festival:  Sat. April 30th.
Safety City is turning 23 this year with a spring festival to celebrate their birthday.  For all ages. FREE.

Lemonade Day:  Sat. May 14th.
Lubbock Lemonade Day gives our kids the chance to be a part of a community program that they see supported and promoted all over town.  Invaluable experience for them and a fun event… even if they just decide to buy some lemonade from another child’s stand on May 14th!

Sun ‘n Fun Grand Opening Celebration:  Sat. May 28th.
Plan to celebrate the opening of the new YWCA Sun n’ Fun complex over Memorial Day weekend. You know your kids will love the new splashpad… and tons more!  Click here for more info on all the great programs available at the J.T. & Margaret Talkington YWCA at Sun ‘N Fun… most are registering now.

Night Hikes at the Lubbock Lake Landmark:  monthly starting in March.
Enjoy the beauty of our famous West Texas sunsets at twilight!  Take advantage of the free monthly Night Hikes at the LLL.  Take a picnic, your walking shoes (trails are paved so it’s perfect for strollers!), and your water bottle.  2016 dates include:
Sat. 3/19. 7:30pm.
Sat. 4/16: 7:45pm.
Sat. 5/21: 8:15pm.
Sat. 6/18: 8:30pm.
Sat. 7/16: 8:30pm.
Sat. 8/20: 8:00pm.
Sat. 9/17: 7:15pm.

 

Updated 4/14/2016

Easter Week Hunt Guide 2016

Searching for Easter hunts

Looking for all the fun events in the Lubbock area for kids and families to enjoy over the Easter holiday weekend?  So have we! … and we’ve gathered them all in our Ultimate Easter section found on LubbockForKids.com.  Here are our tops picks…  Have we left off your favorite?  Share it with us here, add it to our Calendar, or share it with us on Facebook.  Be sure to check our calendar frequently… we’re receiving more info on more hunts every day!

Community Easter Egg Hunts 

EGGstravaganzas at area churches  

These aren’t your everyday, old fashioned church Easter Egg Hunts!  These are EXTRAVAGANZAs!… all free, and many include a fair-like atmosphere with bounce houses, door prizes, trains, or music.

Be sure to check with your neighborhood church too… even if they are not organizing a big event, many are offering church-wide Easter hunts and programs open to all guests!

Selfies with the Easter Bunny  

Better catch him Saturday… he’s got a really busy schedule Sunday!

Do you know of other area Easter events?  Share them with us here!

 

Autumn with Kids ... Livin' in the Moment!

What is it about autumn that makes it such a magical time of transition… a time we all remember from when we were kids ourselves?  Is it the cooler days, nights, colors of the trees, smells… like caramel apples, fall festivals, cake walks, the fair, burning jack-o-lanterns?  Maybe because it’s the perfect time for families – before the holiday craziness.  Maybe it’s because now that we’re parents, we see the changing seasons as a reminder that our little ones are not as little as they were at the beginning of the summer… we see how they change in all those pictures we take every year at the pumpkin patch and at The Corn Maize  standing next to the height marker. We see how unique each season is especially seeing it through the eyes of our kids. We realize how we as parents are fortunate to absorb at least a smidge of the innocence and clarity and enthusiasm with which our kids embrace each fall event and activity. Pure joy!

A-Maizing how they grow!

A-Maizing how they grow!

Maybe that’s it… autumn is a time that offers so many opportunities for us to be kids with our kidsLivin’ in the moment.  Maybe it’s a time when even those of us who are missing the “creativity gene” can still decorate with our kids and have fun and make someone smile!  Come on, let’s all give it a try!

Lubbock rocks - and rolls! -  with creativity!

Lubbock rocks – and rolls! – with creativity!

Maybe that’s why we’re so excited to participate in several area fall events! … including the Pumpkin Carving Workshop @ the Lubbock Memorial Arboretum and the Pumpkin Trail!

Pumpkin Trail 2013

Pumpkin Trail

So go ahead… dive in and enjoy this gorgeous Lubbock fall weather by taking in some of the local events… pick one you’ve never been to before!  We’ll try to help by making it easy to find all the fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and activities in the area – many of which are free or almost free (another reason we love autumn!).   Always check LubbockForKids.com for the latest events & activities and our Facebook page too for fun picks.  Thanks for submitting your fall festivals and events to our calendar – keep ‘em coming! –  and we’ll keep adding everything we can dig up too (sorry, just had to do it!).

Thanks for reading! … and for joining us as we embrace and celebrate everything kidful in Lubbock and beyond!  Let us know: is there a local fall tradition or event that was your favorite as a child that you are now sharing with your own children?

Cotton n kids