Sticking close to home can be a good option for spring break in my humble opinion. Trust me, there’s plenty to do here in our own back yard without taking to the road or the air in search of greener spring break pastures.

Here are a few note-worthy “staycation” adventures you and the kiddos should definitely try out during your time off.

Explore your local library this spring break. Photo: Dallas Public Library

I know I’ve said it before, but your local library is a great place to seek out small adventures close to home. Not only do they have tons of programs for kids of all ages, they also have smart librarians who have read all the ‘Harry Potter’ books to help guide you to the next big thing in Children’s Literature. Here are just a few of the many events to check out this week at area libraries.

• Just because the kids are out of school doesn’t mean they have to stop learning. Stop by the Dallas Public Library Children’s Center this Monday for Noodle Bones where kids can explore human skeletal system using pasta. Bonus points: Think how impressed the science teacher will be when Junior reports back on what he did over spring break.
• Come celebrate Women’s History Month at the Diamond Hill branch of Fort Worth Public Library as they present Hidden Heroines. The program is an interactive look at the contributions of multicultural woman working with U.S. Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Yay! Girl Power!
• St. Patrick’s Day is this Thursday so put on your green and gig on over to the Plano Public Library System – Parr Library for St. Patrick’s Day Crafts. There will be crafts galore to celebrate the luck o’ the Irish. And who knows? Maybe you’ll see a leprechaun or two if you’re lucky.

Art is all around this spring break. Photo: Dallas Museum of Art

Catch up with what’s going on at our fabulous local museums. Here are just a few of the attractions to check out:

• Celebrate spring (and your time off ) with a visit to the Kimbell Art Museum where you and your pint-sized Picasso’s can enjoy their Spring Break Art Extravaganza programming all week long.  Highlights include: art activities, interactive family tours, storybook readings, and children’s films. For older kids there will also be teen studios led by guest artists. The best part–it’s free!
• Art lovers of all ages won’t want to miss the fun at Spring Break Week this Tuesday through Friday at the Dallas Museum of Art. The museum will be chocked full of art-making activities, family tours, story times, and gallery activities for families—all inspired by the work of Jackson Pollock.
• The Dallas Holocaust Museum is offering another way to observe Women’s History Month with special spring break programming for young people ages 10 to 18. Kids can explore the exhibit, Anne Frank: A History for Today and then listen to readings from ‘The Diary of a Young Girl.’ After the readings there’s even more to learn with a short discussion and a learning activity.

Go outside and see what you can see this spring break. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The weather will be spectacular and definitely spring-like this week, so head outside for a little fresh air with these outings.

• River Legacy Living Science Center  in Arlington has a week full of daily, family-fun activities for those you staying close to home for spring break. Highlights include a guided, kid-friendly nature hike on Monday, reptile investigations on Tuesday, a bug hike on Wednesday, up-close and personal with opossums on Thursday, and art in Nature on Friday.
• If you’re wanting to enjoy the flora and the fauna but prefer something a little less strenuous, stop by the Dallas Arboretum this Wednesday night for Nature Nights. From now until October the Arboretum will extend it’s hours to 8 p.m. for families to take a stroll through its peaceful gardens. As an added treat for kids 6 to 12, art students from Booker T. Washington will be stationed throughout the garden offering free instruction in various mediums.
• You and your little lucky charms can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all week at Dallas Heritage Villages‘ Spring Fling. Go hunt for a leprechaun at the Sullivan house and then link rainbow chains around the Village. Play vintage board games at the saloon or try your luck at horseshoes behind the Millermore home. Later, mosey over to the farmstead and watch the residents spin and twist ropes.

Enjoy the rest of spring break. Now aren’t you glad you stayed home?