One of my favorite day trips from Dallas is to visit Glen Rose, Texas. About an hour and forty five minutes outside of Dallas, it’s kind of a trek to get there but not so far you can’t do it in a day. And it’s home to one of our favorite Texas attractions…Fossil Rim! Here’s what you need to know to plan your Glen Rose day trip from Dallas!
Glen Rose Day Trip
How long does it take to get to Glen Rose from Dallas?
It takes about an hour and forty five minutes to get from Dallas to Glen Rose. It’s a pretty drive though, and also an easy one.
Is there a drive-through Safari Park in Glen Rose?
Yes! And you must, and I do mean must, start off your day at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Fossil Rim is a drive-through safari park and there is a very good chance you will get to feed giraffes on your journey!
The entire drive takes about an hour and a half from start to finish, with a halfway checkpoint that includes a gift shop, cafe, restrooms, and stunning views. You won’t believe you’re in Texas! When you arrive and pay for admission, you’ll have a chance to buy animal food and you get to feed the animals along the drive.
You’ll want to get there early to avoid crowds and also to be there while the animals are still hungry! If possible, visiting on a weekday is ideal…the traffic through the park can get congested during the weekends or on holidays.
Also, there are tons of animals…not just giraffes! I’m just sharing lots of giraffe pictures because how can I not share these? So magical!
Where’s the best place to eat in Glen Rose?
If you get there early, you can get through the whole park and then enjoy lunch in town. We like to eat at The Storiebook Cafe for lunch, but be sure to check the hours before you go as they are limited.
Are there dinosaur fossils in Glen Rose?
After lunch, you can head to Dinosaur Valley State Park to see the dinosaur track fossils. This is really, really cool. There are tons of fossils, but my favorite ones are in the river! Seeing the fossils in the river is seasonal, so you’ll want to check the website to see what kind of access you’ll have. I recommend a swimsuit or shorts so you can get in the water and really see the tracks.
Here’s an example of the water level in April…this was actually closed off and we couldn’t get into these particular tracks, but in the past we’ve been able to stand right inside of them – if you stand in the actual impressions from the tracks the water is about mid-thigh to hip height on me and I’m 5’6″ for perspective.
Depending on the season, this is also a great place to bring the kids (and dogs!) to swim. We walked about a quarter mile up (in!) the river and saw so many fossils and tracks…it’s really, really cool!
Dinosaur Valley State Park has lots of trails and is also a great camping spot if you’d like to stay longer.
If you have kids with you, you’ll also want to visit Dinosaur World, which is an outdoor museum with life-size dinosaur statues!
Where’s the best place to stay in Glen Rose?
If you want to make it an overnight trip, we’ve stayed at The Country Woods Inn before and loved it. Not only did we get to stay in a railroad car, which the kids loved, but we had breakfast in the barn the next morning! There are also lots of friendly animals on the property to feed and visit with, which was a huge bonus for the kids (and me, ha).
We’ve loved visiting Glen Rose every time we’ve gone and you really cannot go wrong. A Glen Rose day trip is the perfect way to spend any day – we always come home tired and happy! Have you ever been? What are your favorite things to do in Glen Rose?
Here are some other fun Dallas day trips:
And here are some overnight trips that are within easy driving distance from Dallas:
- Family-friendly trip to Schlitterbahn
- Girls getaway to Fredericksburg
- Romantic getaway to San Saba
- 5 things to do in Brownwood, TX
- 5 things to do in Austin, TX
- What to do in Lubbock