Zoo for Dead Animals

Ahh! I have you hooked already. You are probably asking yourself where this zoo is and how can I avoid it! It's the Brookshires World of Wildlife Museum and Park of course!
This fantastic park is located just outside Loop 323 in Tyler on Old Jacksonville Hwy. It is composed of a museum of stuffed and preserved animals (yes - real ones and some of them quite exotic) along with a country store. The animals were collected from the travels and hunts of the Brookshire family. The kids will love looking at toys and food items from yesteryear in the grocery store. The building is air conditioned which is a necessity on these hot Texas days, has great clean bathrooms (I know - it's a thing with me) and also a little general store where you can buy a little treat that probably won't break the bank. There are some vending machines as well as water fountains.
Outside there is a spacious children's park with lots of big shade trees and picnic tables. There's swings and play apparatus for the little ones as well as a fire truck, tractor and railway car to climb on. The older kids will love the the merry-go-round and jungle gym. There's a big slide and big swings as well.
Be advised that it gets very busy here - especially on Saturdays with it being a favorite birthday party destination - best to make reservations ahead! Yes - you can call and book some picnic tables for your party. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Brookshires World of Wildlife Museum and Park - it's a great thing about Tyler!
Oh yeah! The zoo for dead animals is what my kids called it when they were little - they still like to go back again and again.

It's a park, it's a sprinkler....it's a sprayground!

Today I had the distinct privilege of accompanying my son's first grade class on a field trip to Faulkner Park's Sprayground! What is a sprayground you may be asking yourself? In this particular instance it is a playground that is delightfully cool and wet! There are a variety of sprinklers and sprayers on a nice concrete surface that has been treated to not be too slippery. There are some nice benches around the periphery that will keep Mom and Dad in a fine mist but not soaking.
Right beside the sprayground is a regular playground. There is a nice soft wood chip base to cushion those inevitable falls. There are some unusual play things on this playground in addition to the usual swings and slide. There is a large pole with plasticized cables coming off of it that make it look like a spider web - very cool to climb! There are also some seats that you sit on and they use your weight to gain momentum as you spin!
The park is located off of South Broadway in Tyler at Faulkner Park. It is clean, there are limited picnic tables and relatively spacious parking (don't try to turn around a full size school bus in there though - not easy!). A few words of caution - there are only porta-potties and the closest real bathrooms are a real hike (or a short drive) to the tennis complex. Also, it can be very busy and crowded - today for example there were at least 3 different schools having field trips, a birthday party and several families enjoying the beautiful weather!
If you need a free, clean place to cool off this summer - check out the sprayground! It's a great thing about Tyler!