Podcast

This podcast will rank the activities already detailed and reviewed in previous blog posts and provide a summary of the places visited.

Dallas Zoo Fun

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal Dallas Zoo ticket and the discounted ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting the Dallas Zoo.

Cost

Picture of giraffe at Dallas Zoo.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Visiting the Dallas Zoo normally costs $12.00 (Dallas Zoo, 2013), but buying a ticket with a student discount reduces the price to $9.00 (UTD Office of Student Affairs, n.d.). Additionally, on Mondays and Tuesdays, visitors can show a DART pass to receive $2.00 off general admission (Dallas Zoo, 2013). Parking at the Dallas Zoo on all days costs $8 per car (Dallas Zoo, 2013).

Additional costs for Dallas Zoo should be considered for food, souvenirs, and feeding the animals. Visitors at the Dallas Zoo can still step into bird exhibits and see giraffes as well as other animals without feeding them, however.

Traveling to the Dallas Zoo by car from the University of Texas at Dallas’s campus takes 29 minutes. The Dallas Zoo is also accessible by bus, with the travel time increasing to 1 hour and 37 minutes. (Google, 2013.)

Experience

Picture of bird at Dallas Zoo.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

The Dallas Zoo presents a large giraffe statue when first entering the perimeter, and the wildlife theme is continued throughout with the landscaping as well as zoo animals available for viewing. The Dallas Zoo is kept clean and offers a quieter atmosphere during the times most are at work or in school.

Zoo North covers Entry Plaza, Camel Rides, Picnic Area, Koala Walkabout, Primate Place, Wings of Wonder, Cat Wow, Herpetarium, and more.  The Wilds of Africa offer Gorilla Trail, Ndebele Plaza, Monorail Safari, Giants of Savanna, and more, with the monorail not included in general admission and costing $3.00 per person. All of the places inside the Dallas Zoo showcase wildlife and provide great opportunities for viewing—and sometimes interacting with—them. (Dallas Zoo, 2013).

Picture of cheetah at Dallas Zoo
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

The Dallas Zoo offers wildlife and keeper encounters on weekdays as well as weekends, which provides a more interactive experience to the visitor. The Dallas Zoo also offers venues, events—birthdays, corporate events, and more—and catering (Dallas Zoo, 2013). With a variety of animals and activities, the Dallas Zoo offers a lot during the visit.

Bibliography

Dallas Zoo. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.dallaszoo.com/ 

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/

Studio Movie Grill's Savings

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal Studio Movie Grill ticket and the discounted ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting the Studio Movie Grill.

Cost

Picture of Studio Movie Grill's
ticket area.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Studio Movie Grill is advertised to cost $6.25 on the Comet Center (The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs, n.d.) after buying a ticket with a student discount, though “some restrictions apply.” In person, Studio Movie Grill’s regular price for adult is listed at $13.00 and gives $11.75 as the listed discount price for students. 

Though unlisted online, Studio Movie Grill charges on the higher end for food, with desserts at least $5.00. Studio Movie Grill also advertises specials depending on the day, such as $2 off any burger and $10 endless pizzas. (Studio Movie Grill, 2013).

Studio Movie Grill is located 10.2 miles from campus, taking around 18 minutes to drive. The route is accessible by bus, with the travel time increasing to 1 hour and 11 minutes. (Google, 2013.)

Experience

Picture of Studio Movie Grill's bar.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Studio Movie Grill sports an adult atmosphere, mostly from the bar displayed immediately behind the ticket counter. Outside of the theaters, Studio Movie Grill offers a lounging area, where menus can be examined ahead of time. Inside the theaters, Studio Movie Grill provides seats with swinging tables attached to the arm, where ordered food can be kept.

Studio Movie Grill is current on their movie showings, promoting the posters outside as well as on a screen above the ticket counter. Studio Movie Grill offers tickets from the front, with staffed registers, as well as from do-it-yourself electronic registers. Purchasing Studio Movie Grill’s tickets requires seats to be selected before a payment can be made. The electronic register also prompts to ask if the purchaser is an adult, child, or student, without requesting verification.

Picture of Studio Movie Grill's logo
on a theater screen.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Because Studio Movie Grill offers food during the movie, staff sometimes cuts through to deliver items or check on customers. Attending Studio Movie Grill during a film that doesn’t need constant eye attention is recommended. Studio Movie Grill’s adult setting with current movies and food promotes going out to eat and watch a movie.

Bibliography

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

Studio Movie Grill. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.studiomoviegrill.com/Default.aspx/

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/

Arboretum Adventures

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal Arboretum ticket and the discounted ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting the Arboretum.

Cost

Picture of pumpkins and flowers
at the Arboretum.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Visiting the Arboretum normally costs $15 (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.), but buying a ticket from the Comet Center gives a student discount that reduces the price to $11 (UTD Office of Student Affairs, n.d.). The Arboretum ticket provided by the Comet Center doesn’t include access to the Children’s Garden, though: that will cost an extra $3 (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.). 

Arboretum parking costs $10 in person and $5 online (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.), but neither payment form offers verification of parking. The Arboretum is located 27 minutes away from The University of Texas at Dallas campus and can also be reached by bus with an hour and 48 minute ride (Google, 2013).

Experience

Picture of Arboretum pond's infinity edge.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

The Arboretum’s entrance looks overwhelming due to the mass of people trying to figure out where to start, but past that point the crowd breaks and typically only 2-3 groups are around the same place at once. Even with people around, the Arboretum holds a tranquil air and showcases verdant lawns, eclectic, healthy plants, sculptures, and more. The infinity edge pond provides a contrast between nature and industrialization by showing buildings just beyond the ledge of water while other ponds show koi and aquatic plants. 

Picture of pumpkin and gourd
house on display during Fall at
the Arboretum.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

With 12 named gardens (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.), the Aboretum hosts a wide range of sights that need more than an hour to look at fully. For Fall, the Arboretum displays pumpkins, gourds, pumpkin houses, teepees, and more, offering pauses along the path that will keep the visit going. The Arboretum’s displays also act as good photography backgrounds, making for a Kodak moment with the beautiful landscapes.

The Arboretum holds events from teas to concerts to adventure bundles (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.) depending on the day; at other times of the year they have different themes than pumpkins, such as the Bloom’s Festival in Spring (dallasarboretum.org, n.d.). Additionally, the Arboretum may rope places off as inaccessible due to wedding or other events during the visit: even so, many other sections are available to explore.

Bibliography

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dallasarboretum.org/ 

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/